Germany on the brink of turning into a nation of bears?
For a while, it was believed that Germany had eradicated the brown bear. However, more individuals are now reported to fear it, an unwarranted fear as our source reveals.
At a press conference at the end of May 2006, Edmund Stoiber, former Minister-President of Bavaria, commented, "We are grateful to have a well-behaved bear in Bavaria." This bear dwelt in the forest and occasionally killed a couple of sheep annually. However, Stoiber differentiated this bear from the problematic one. It was evident that this bear was the problematic one.
This bear was a brown bear, notorious as it had managed to arrive in Germany. Brown bears were believed to be extinct in Germany since the 19th century. Hunters had shot the "last German brown bear" in 1835, in the Bavarian Alps near Ruhpolding. Yet, in 1835, a bear was spotted in Bavaria again. The locals nicknamed it Bruno, while experts referred to it as JJ1.
Spring 2006 bore chilling cold in Bavaria, with snow persisting in many parts until early June. Then, an unforeseen meteorological shift occurred, transforming the landscape into a fairy tale summer, shrouded in a solitary shadow—the demise of brown bear Bruno.
Why did Bruno move to Bavaria?
The reasons for Bruno's migration were unclear. Prior to this, he had been leading a tranquil life in the Italian Trentino. Bruno and his mother Jurka resided close to a hotel, where the owner had tempted them with food and had become an attraction for guests.
However, Bruno eventually disappeared. Reappearing 20th May, 2006, in the Ammer Mountains, Brazil was detected on a meadow near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Initially, it was uncertain whether the deceased sheep were killed by a dog or a bear.
The following day, hunters discovered more torn sheep and a "footprint," a definitive track. This registered as the trace of brown bear Bruno.
For years, bears lived in substantial numbers in Slovenia. In 1999, some of them were released into the wild in Northern Italy. They now roamed the Alps. Humans seldom saw them. If a bear sensed human presence, it recognized danger and fled or hid.
But Bruno was different. He was not afraid of humans. As a result, on the evening of May 22nd, 2006, he trespassed into a settlement near Garmisch, destroyed a henhouse, and slaughtered several hens. It was apparent that Bruno had become the problem bear. "The only solution is to eliminate him," Minister-President Stoiber declared swiftly at his press conference. The experts predicted that like other bears, Bruno could not be driven away.
Let Bruno Live
Bavaria's Environment Minister Werner Schnappauf of the CSU ordered Bruno to be shot. However, the public demanded: Bruno should live. Supported by numerous animal lovers and animal protection organizations, the government relented, recruiting a group of Finnish hunters to capture Bruno alive. But the bear seemed to anticipate danger and concealed itself. The hunt lasted two weeks before the Finns departed empty-handed.
Suddenly, Bruno resurfaced. He bathed in a pond and was watched by mountain bikers who were fifteen meters away, traversing past him. He approached hikers who could almost touch him. On June 24th, 2006, the final decision was made at the Bavarian Ministry of the Environment to violently eliminate the brown bear. A group of hunters climbed the Kümpflalm in the Bavarian Alps, where Bruno last appeared. The hunters positioned themselves, and Bruno suddenly appeared in the morning of June 26th, 2006. The hunters promptly acted, shooting at the bear. Bruno was struck by two bullets.
Animal lovers still make pilgrimages to the Alm, which is situated at an elevation of more than 1,800 meters and carries an unwanted notability. They also visit the "Man and Nature" museum in Munich, where Bruno is preserved in his stuffed form.
The Bear Defenders
"In the event of repeated disruptive behaviors, a shooting could be the more humane alternative," says Christopher Schmidt of ntv.de. Schmidt represents the Foundation for Bears—Wild Animal and Species Protection, providing information on all matters related to bears on its website. "The worst thing for a wild bear is being confined." If all "adverse measures" fail, and the bear persists with its abnormal behaviors, it requires removal from nature, and in the best interest of the animal, a shooting would be preferable, proposes the expert. "This decision should be carefully considered and should be the result of professional animal management."
Adverse measures—this is what animal protectors refer to as attempts to irritate a bear until it grows weary of its preferred hunting ground. Therefore, hunters in Bavaria initially attempted to chase away brown bear Bruno with rubber bullets.
Brown bears can grow to a height of one and a half meters at the shoulders. Although they may appear a bit clumsy, they are anything but. In reality, they are highly agile, running on large, heavy paws with long claws. They boast the best sense of smell of all mammals. Brown bears are not brown everywhere in the world. North American bears possess grayish fur, while elsewhere, they are black or blonde. The WWF estimates that there are approximately half a million brown bears worldwide.
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Bears face major threats, primarily from humans. That's where the Bear Foundation steps in, according to Chris Schmidt: "We save wild animals from bad situations, provide them with suitable housing, and work towards preserving their natural habitats and wild populations." Besides coordinating Europe-wide rescue operations and campaigns, the foundation runs two wildlife sanctuaries, like the Worbis Alternative Bear Park and the Black Forest Alternative Wolf and Bear Park. Bruno's mom also found a new home there.
Schmidt believes that brown bears might not settle in Germany quite yet. Still, they could feel right at home mainly in southern and eastern Germany, especially in the Alps, the Bavarian and Thuringian forests, and the Ore Mountains. Because brown bears love forests, especially in alpine regions.
Bears can traverse vast territories with no limitations. So, a bear from Italy, Slovakia, or Slovenia might appear in Germany. "Large, sparsely populated forest areas intrigue bears," says Schmidt.
Bears prefer avoiding humans
"Bears rarely get lost, they have remarkable navigation skills, their travels are not random," explains the bear expert. Consequently, they pose little risk to humans. "Unless you're in the Alps border areas, you're unlikely to encounter a bear currently," says Schmidt, except for problem bears like Bruno. But it's not the bear's fault; humans are more often the problem. Bears usually avoid humans. But if humans try to get close by feeding them regularly, the bears lose their fear, and humans can then become a target.
In the Bear Foundation's protected areas, this can't happen, says Schmidt: "In our animal protection projects, we help rescued animals rediscover their wild side by offering extensive natural outdoor enclosures like the Bear Forest. Visitors can observe bears, wolves, and lynxes as they truly are. We also promote the awareness of animal cruelty here. You can learn about the suffering humans inflict on animals and how to combat it," says Schmidt.
The Bear Defense Force
But there's another side to the story. For instance, Indar Baier-Mueller, the Allgäu district councilor.Last year, a bear wandered through her district. She now leads the "Brown Bear Initiative." In a letter to the Bavarian Minister of the Environment, Thorsten Glauber of the Free Voters, she requests an "armed brown bear readiness." This should include "weapons and ammunition for the deterrence and removal of brown bears."
Fact is: An aggressive brown bear can inflict serious damage to farmers' livestock. However, the Ministry of the Environment in Munich denied her request with a "no." "There's currently no evidence of a bear in Bavaria," a spokesperson said.
But if a hiker unexpectedly meets a brown bear, Schmidt offers advice: "Remain calm is the priority. Under no circumstances should you try to run away or scare the bear away. The animal likely has as much fear as you do."
The need for animal protection organizations is crucial, especially in preserving bears' natural habitats and conserving wild populations. For instance, the Bear Foundation works tirelessly to save wild animals from harmful situations and provide them with suitable living conditions.
Germany may not be an ideal habitat for brown bears at present, but sparsely populated forest areas in the Alps, Bavarian and Thuringian forests, and the Ore Mountains could potentially attract them due to their preference for large, wooded territories.
