Problembearbeiter Gaia will soon come to Germany
After the Italian bear Gaia killed a jogger in 2023, she is being housed in a enclosure in the province of Trentino. A new home is now being built for her in the Black Forest.
The Alternative Wolf and Bear Park in the Black Forest is constructing a separate enclosure for "problem bear" Gaia from North Italy. "We are building the enclosure," said a spokesperson for the park. It is still unclear when the bear from the province of Trentino will come. According to the spokesperson, negotiations are ongoing. The bear had attacked and killed a 26-year-old jogger in Italy in April of the previous year.
This week, the provincial government of Trentino announced that Gaia should be relocated to Germany by autumn. The park spokesperson in the Black Forest was cautious about the time frame and referred to the fact that the facility is being built on difficult terrain. He remained silent about the planned size at first.
No Attraction Tourism
Anyone hoping to see the animal, also known as JJ4, in the Black Forest soon may be disappointed: Gaia will not be shown to visitors and tourists of the park in Bad Rippoldsau-Schapbach (District Freudenstadt). "It's an animal welfare action," explained the spokesperson. "We don't want to exhibit the animal and don't want attraction tourism."
Since the fatal incident in April 2023, the provincial government and animal welfare activists have been arguing in court over the fate of Gaia. The province ordered the animal to be euthanized. Courts halted the decree following emergency applications from animal welfare activists. JJ4 was captured alive and temporarily housed in a pen near Trento. Since then, there has been a heated debate in Italy about the coexistence of bears and humans in the forests of the popular province among tourists and hikers.
In the Alternative Wolf and Bear Park in the Black Forest, there are animals that have been rescued from distress. Among them is the brown bear Jurka, Gaia's mother. Gaia's brother Bruno was the first bear to set paws on German soil in the summer of 2006. He was shot in the Bavarian Rotwand region.
The Alternative Wolf and Bear Park in Germany is not only providing a new home for Gaia, the problem bear from Italy, but also houses Jurka, Gaia's mother and Bruno, Gaia's brother. International discussions surrounding animal welfare and human-animal coexistence have been sparked following Gaia's attack on a jogger in Italy, leading to legal debates and relocation plans.
