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The Eurasian lynx survives in small numbers in Prokletije. A critically endangered subspecies of the Eurasian lynx, the Balkan lynx, survives in very small numbers in Prokletije and in the border area between Albania and Macedonia – there are thought to be as few as just 35 individuals left, making it one of the rarest cats on earth.

Other more common mammals include wild boar, roe deer, chamois, fox, pine marten, common dormouse and Alpine shrew. Bat species inhabiting the caves of Prokletije include the Mediterranean horseshoe bat, Geoffrey’s bat, greater mouse-eared bat and others. The Eurasian otter, categorized as near-threatened on the IUCN Red List, is also present.

Man on a donkey near the Pejë Pass, Albania (Stage 10)

Reptiles and amphibians

Several species of snake inhabit the Prokletije mountains, two of them venomous. These are the nose-horned viper, known locally as poskok or nëpërka me bri in Montenegrin/Albanian respectively; and the common viper or adder, known locally as šarka or nëpërka e malit. The nose-horned viper is the more venomous of the two (it’s Europe’s most venomous snake), and also the more aggressive; it is either light grey or brownish copper, with a dark black zigzag pattern along its back, and is easily recognizable by the prominent soft horn at the end of its snout. The common viper is generally around 55cm, with a zigzag pattern along the back. (It is worth mentioning that both the nose-horned viper and the common viper also occur in other, more frequently visited parts of Europe – for example, the former is found in northern Italy, while the latter is Europe’s most widespread venomous snake, and is found in the UK.) Other species of snake include the large whip snake, Balkan whip snake, Dahl’s whip snake, Montpellier snake, grass snake, dice snake and the tiny worm snake.