Brown bears in Bavaria: Controversy around armed willingness to bear.

Brown bears in Bavaria: Controversy around armed willingness to bear.

threat from brown bears in Bavaria: District Administrator calls for armed unit for defense

The district administrator of a Bavarian community recently sent an urgent appeal to the Environment Minister of Bavaria. It called for the establishment of a specially armed unit that should be responsible for the scan and, if necessary, the killing of brown bears. This step was considered necessary, since in the past few months more bears have been recorded in southern Bavaria.

no current bear evidence in Bavaria, but impending danger from northern Italy

Although the Ministry of the Environment emphasizes that there are currently no direct evidence of bears in Bavaria, there is a real way that the brown bears viewed from northern Italy will reach Bavaria. There are currently around 100 brown bears in the province of Trentino in Italy, the number of which increases steadily due to a resettlement project.

in Trentino, it has recently been legally allowed to shoot up to eight bears per year if they are classified as dangerous. This measure triggered outrage for animal rights activists, since strict bureaucratic rules have previously made the shooting down.

lessons from other countries: Slovakia and Czech Republic

In Slovakia, where around 1,300 brown bears live, special intervention teams are used to prevent potentially dangerous encounters between bears and humans. These teams focus on prevention and sensitization, for example through the safe custody of garbage cans, so as not to attract bears. In the extreme case, the shooting of an animal is also considered there, but only under strict official control.

in the Czech Republic, where only a small population of brown bears lives in the Beskiden Mountains, similar protective measures are necessary, although the animals have so far behaved peacefully. In the neighboring Böhmerwald, near the Bavarian border, brown bears have died out since the 19th century.

It remains to be seen how Bavaria will deal with possible risks due to the increasing proximity of brown bears and whether the district administrator's demand will be given a broad consent to avert bears.

- Nag