Does the country Georgia have a problem with bears, wolves, or dangerous feral dogs?
Are feral dogs or even wolves or bears present in the Georgian countryside these days?
I'm about to hitchhike from Tbilsi to Anaklia and sleep in my tent along the way. Should I expect to encounter such potentially dangerous creatures in the areas between these places? Are they a danger that locals in Georgia worry about?
Best Answer
So, this is a question which is probably a little subjective - some people will probably tell you to be careful and never camp, others will say they've never heard of problems (much like when you tell someone you want to use Greyhound buses in North America).
A bit of research seems to say that:
" Amongst the wild animals found in the forests of Georgia the most common are Caucasian antelope, European wild boar, Caucasian goats, mountain goats, leopards and various types of reptiles and amphibians.". Oddly it doesn't mention bears, wolves or feral dogs. To me this would seem to mean that they're in such small populations that they'll be rare. The word "leopards" would concern me far more.
Wikitravel's section on Georgian safety mentions NOTHING of wildlife.
Looking up wolf attacks on Wikipedia, the village of Giorgitsminda, about 40 kilometres from Tbilisi, Georgia had a wolf attack a woman in Feb 2009. Here's an article about the attack, which points out another attack just weeks earlier. However these seem isolated and rare enough to make international news.
This page mentions the wildlife again and points out that leopards have had only a handful of spottings in the last half-century.
Searching for feral or wild dog attacks brings up only the attack made famous in Georgia (USA) a few years back, rare enough to send shockwaves around the world. Sites that talk about Europe feral dogs typically mention Romania (example) and from my experience, that's the only country in the world where I've felt uneasy about them (when a semi-circle of them is closing in on you it raises concerns).
So, long story short, I personally would say: Go for it, but close your tent at night :D
Pictures about "Does the country Georgia have a problem with bears, wolves, or dangerous feral dogs?"
Are there bears in Georgia country?
Brown Bears populate the forests of Georgia and the species is included in the country's Red List (Endangered Species List or so-called Red Book). Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) \u2014 carnivore mammal belonging to the Ursidae family. The bear is up to 2,5 meters tall and its body weight can be as much as 480 kilograms.Are there wolves in the country Georgia?
Species Information Number of wolves: According to this report from 2010, there are 1,000 to 2,000 wolves in Georgia. The data in the report was supplied by Irakli Shavgulidze (NACRES, Georgia). This page was last updated in 2020.This Is Why Wolfdogs Are Illegal
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Magda Ehlers, Ahmed akacha, ArtHouse Studio, Daniel Maforte