April 24, 2023, 2:21 pm | Read time: 6 minutes
Sheep Attacks and a Human Encounter–Bears Are the Talk of the Town Bears are currently a hot topic, and the coverage of these animals is not exactly positive. Is a permanent return to Germany possible? And how problematic is the coexistence of humans and bears really?
Bears are making headlines again, causing fear for some. In Italy, a recent bear attack resulted in the death of a 26-year-old jogger in the Trentino municipality of Caldes. In Upper Bavaria’s Rosenheim, a brown bear killed sheep on an alpine pasture. Bear tracks have also been spotted in the snow in Tyrol. Although no brown bears are currently native to Germany–the last ones were here in the early 19th century, according to the environmental foundation WWF–many in the far south of the country are wondering: Are the animals coming back?
About 17,000 Bears Live in Europe
State experts consider it conceivable in the long term: Evidence from the Bavarian districts of Oberallgäu and Garmisch-Partenkirchen from 2019 to 2022 suggests that brown bears are present in border areas near Germany. This was stated by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) in response to an inquiry from the German Press Agency. “It is still quite possible that more bears will migrate to Germany in the future,” it said. While a permanent resettlement of brown bears in Germany is unlikely in the immediate future, “it cannot be ruled out in the long term.”
Occasionally, a bear crosses the border from neighboring countries, said Jörn Ehlers, a spokesperson for WWF. “Especially males are looking for their territory or a mate.” Bears leave their mothers at about three years old to find their own space. In some other European countries, there is more experience with bears than in Germany. According to WWF, there are currently about 17,000 brown bears living in Europe.
Largest Bear Population in Romania
The Carpathian region in Romania has one of the largest populations. A study commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment estimates the number of bears in Romania at 7,500 to 8,000. At the same time, the ministry considers a number of 4,000 to be acceptable. The large furry animals repeatedly kill sheep, rummage through garbage cans, break into houses and barns, or attack camping tourists.
In 2021 and 2022, the Ministry of the Environment recorded 47 bear attacks on humans. Some attacks end fatally. In cases of imminent danger, mayors, supported by a local expert committee, can now decide on short notice whether a bear should be shot. Environmental and animal rights activists criticize the focus on killing the animals as a way to address the problem.
Scientist Laszlo Gal, who has been researching bear behavior for years, says in an article by the broadcaster mdr that bears and humans usually cross paths by accident. There are attacks that are either about food or territory protection. But humans are not on the bear’s menu. The bear actually just wants to keep them away. However, illegal logging of protected areas drives bears out of the forest into villages and cities, where they then search for food.
Number of Animals Tending to Increase
Italy’s bear population is present in the north of the country in Trentino, in the border area with Slovenia, and in the central Apennines around the regions of Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise. In the central Apennines, the Italian environmental agency Ispra estimates about 50 animals. However, the population is shrinking. In Trentino, authorities report about 100 wild bears since the EU settlement project “Life Ursus”–the number continues to grow there.
The fatal bear attack on a jogger alarmed many. The bear JJ4, which has already been noticed several times, is the sister of the bear Bruno, who appeared in Germany in 2006. His designation as a “problem bear” by the then Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber became a catchphrase 17 years ago.
The last count of brown bears in Sweden was in 2017. At that time, there were about 2,900. They are strictly protected there and, like other large predators, may only be hunted under strictly controlled conditions. A so-called protective hunt can be allowed to prevent damage to reindeer, livestock, or houses. In Croatia, about 1,000 to 1,200 brown bears live in the wild, with 400 to 500 in the Velebit National Park in the hinterland of the Kvarner Bay, which is located near the port of Rijeka on the upper Adriatic.
In Spain, according to the private Brown Bear Foundation, there are an estimated 450 bears, about 70 of which are in the border area of the Pyrenees with France, not clearly assignable to either country. The number of animals is tending to increase.
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Humans and Bears–Is It Possible?
A possible return of wild animals to Germany poses challenges, says the BfN. According to WWF, the brown bear is considered the largest land-dwelling predator in Europe. Bavaria published a management plan for bears in 2007. It aims to enable a coexistence of humans and bears with as little conflict as possible.
According to a representative survey by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research, commissioned by the German Wildlife Foundation, a large majority is pleased about the return of once-extinct animal species. “This even applies to potentially dangerous species like wolves or brown bears,” says Michael Miersch, managing director of the German Wildlife Foundation in Berlin, in a publication of the survey results on the foundation’s website. However, nearly half of the respondents believe the spread of bears should be controlled, and 35 percent think the spread of bears in Germany should be completely prevented. However, the survey results are from 2020 and would likely be somewhat different today.
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Good Interaction Between Humans and Animals Is Important
Ehlers from WWF also sees advantages of bears in Germany: “Bears actually belong here. It would be nice to have them here. It can also make the wilderness attractive, as in other countries.” However, good interaction between humans and animals is important. It should be noted not to feed the bears. Feeding brings the bear too close to humans, which can become dangerous. In conflict situations, action must then be taken.
Smaller areas should be closed off, and bears should be deterred if they come too close. “If it becomes too dangerous, they must be removed from the wild,” says Ehlers. However, bears are not inherently dangerous. “Bears are opportunists.” They eat easy prey like sheep and do not naturally attack humans.
With material from dpa