Near Garmisch-Partenkirchen: brown bear spotted!
Danger for G7 summit?
Created: 05/04/2022Updated: 05/04/2022 11:27 am
By: Christian Fellner, Andreas Seiler, Josef Hornsteiner, Veronika Mahnkopf
For the first time in around two years, a brown bear has been sighted in Werdenfelser Land.
The animal fell into a photo trap near Mittenwald.
Further details cannot be given yet.
Update from March 3, 6 p.m.:
The Celts worshiped him as a deity, later the Europeans hunted and ousted the bear mercilessly.
For a long time it was considered extinct in the Alps.
It is only slowly returning in the course of settlement and reintroduction projects.
Sightings are therefore rare.
One of the mighty mammals last verifiably roamed through the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in spring 2020. It turned out to be a wild garlic lover and was completely harmless.
Brown bear sighted near Garmisch-Partenkirchen: News spreads like wildfire
It's not surprising: the news that Master Petz has appeared again in this country is making waves - and it spread like wildfire.
It is not clear whether this is a new bear or an old friend.
In any case, the Bavarian State Office for the Environment (LfU) reported the rare case.
The brown bear was photographed last Saturday by a wildlife camera apparently set up by a professional hunter.
"Bavaria is prepared for this situation with a management plan," explains the Augsburg-based specialist authority in a press release.
According to Tagblatt information, the recording was made in the area between Lautersee and Ferchensee near Mittenwald.
However, this is not officially confirmed.
According to the state office, they want to prevent "re-enactments".
This means, for example, photo tourists – or, in the worst case, hobby hunters.
More precise information about the animal in terms of age and sex cannot be given.
The photo taken at night is too blurry for that.
In Upper Bavaria: wild animal camera photographs brown bears - animal welfare association warns of scaremongering
Genetic legacies, such as faeces or fur, would be helpful for an analysis.
One can only speculate about the origin of the brown bear.
The next population is in Trentino, Italy, about 120 kilometers from Bavaria.
The state office is said to be sending an expert to get to the bottom of the cause.
Tessy Lödermann, district chief of the animal protection association, is already well entrusted with the matter – and warns against scaremongering.
"Bears are generally peaceful animals and avoid people," says the third district administrator.
Most of them were vegetarians, for example herbs, berries, mushrooms and fruits.
With the right imprint, however, they also eat meat.
In the current case, the Greens politician from Garmisch-Partenkirchen is assuming that it is a young bear that has gone on a journey and is looking for a new habitat - a completely normal behavior.
You should therefore keep calm until the beginning of the alpine summer, she recommends.
"We'll know more by then."
Brown bear near Garmisch-Partenkirchen: Green politician assumes cub
If a bear appears, the alarm bells will ring for many farmers and alpine farmers.
They have painful memories of Bruno, who was not good at all and killed sheep, a goat and some chickens in the district.
In 2006, the "problem bear" was shot near Bayrischzell - and since then has had to serve as a stuffed attraction in Munich's "Mensch und Natur" museum.
However, the shooting is considered a last resort.
Helpful are electric fences for security or rubber bullets, which are supposed to get the animals to stay away from settlements.
When staying in nature, care should be taken not to leave any leftovers or rubbish behind.
Christian Neuner, farmer from Mittenwald and board member of the Upper Bavarian Almwirtschafts Verein, remains calm.
It will happen more often that bears migrate through the foothills of the Alps.
“We have to accept that,” he says – and adds.
"I'm more afraid of the wolf."
Significance for G7 summit?
Brown bear sighting just a few kilometers from Schloss Elmau
Remarkable: The evidence of the Mittenwald bear is even relevant in view of the forthcoming G7 summit.
Because the venue, Schloss Elmau, is only a few kilometers away.
A roaming predator should not fit into the strict security concept.
The planning staff of the Bavarian police said that the topic was on the screen and that they were in contact with the State Office for the Environment.
However, nothing is known of sightings on site.
In addition to the bear in Mittenwald, there is also evidence of a predator in the rear Graswangtal in the Ammer Mountains.
It might be a wolf.
According to the district office, one photo shows a so-called Canidae, i.e. a dog-like four-legged friend.
The recording is currently being evaluated by experts.
Original
message: Garmisch-Partenkirchen - A brown bear fell into a photo trap in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
The recording of the wildlife camera comes from the weekend, as the Bavarian State Office for the Environment announced on Tuesday in Augsburg.
Further current sightings are therefore not yet known.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen: brown bear sighted - in 2020 there was one
A brown bear was last sighted in Bavaria in spring 2020.
In the winter half-year in the area between Reutte in the Austrian Tyrol and the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, corresponding indications were confirmed several times.
Also in 2021 the brown bear was out and about near Linderhof.
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Brown bear sighted in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen: Next population lives in Trentino
It is still unclear whether this weekend was the same animal that was recorded in Bavaria in 2020.
According to the state office, young males sometimes roam very far in search of a female.
The nearest brown bear population is around 120 kilometers from Bavaria in Trentino, Italy.
You can find more current news from the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen at Merkur.de/Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
