The last known brown bear was shot in Ruhpolding over 180 years ago. Since then it has been considered extinct in the Free State.
The bears are most likely male male bears from Trentino, Italy. It is unlikely that bears will become native to Bavaria again. For this reason, bear populations can only grow very slowly, according to the Environment Office for the Bavarian State for the Environment.. Recently, more and more bears have been sighted in the foothills of the Alps and tracks have been discovered.