Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and dangerous, and wildlife in Croatia and the region is dying of thirst more often! Professor Krešimir Krapinec from the Faculty of Forestry in Zagreb warns that the problem of lack of watering places for animals has become critical. Hunters and livestock farmers used to face this problem only in karst areas, but now it is spreading to continental parts of Croatia as well. Wildlife is increasingly retreating to forests and riversides because the soil cannot retain water and streams have dried up. Females in lactation suffer especially because they need much more water. When animals cannot quench their thirst, they migrate or approach cities in search of food and water. Professor Krapinec emphasizes that human intervention is necessary because climate change brings more heatwaves, and watercourse regulation further reduces natural water sources. Wildlife eats crops like corn and sugar beet to quench thirst, causing damage to fields. This situation is just the tip of the iceberg of ecological problems that climate change will bring, and conflicts over water could escalate into serious human conflicts. In neighboring Montenegro, ecological incidents like pollution of the Ćehotina river further threaten nature and human life, while in Serbia temperatures have reached 39 degrees Celsius with a red meteorological alarm due to extreme heat and drought. All this together shows how precious and endangered water has become, and animals and people are fighting for every drop. If you think this is just a wildlife problem, think again — this is a warning for all of us. What do you think we should do? Will we let nature die of thirst while we just watch? Share your thoughts, maybe your idea can make a difference!
