On a forest road near the German border, three cyclists in Austria claim to have seen a bear on Saturday. The state of Tyrol announced that nobody was injured. According to this information, the animal was on the “Bärenbad” forest path near Langkampfen in the Tyrolean district of Kufstein. The area is around ten kilometers southwest of the municipality of Kiefersfelden in the district of Traunstein on the Austrian border.
A wildlife camera had already recorded a bear in the region in June. A bear was genetically identified as the attacker when a sheep was killed there shortly afterwards.
Anyone traveling in an area where bears are likely to be found should stay on the trails and make themselves known by talking or singing if they are unsure, officials advise. Anyone who sees a bear should stop and draw the animal’s attention by talking and waving their arms. “Don’t run away or try to approach him. Don’t try to make threatening gestures and uncontrolled movements. Also don’t throw objects at the bear. Don’t take the bear snapshot, it’s better to retreat slowly,” advise the Tyrolean authorities.
A bear was last seen in Bavaria in May. At night, the animal fell into a photo trap that a professional hunter from the state forests had installed in the mountainous south of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district. Two years ago, a young bear left a number of tracks and two recordings on wildlife cameras. It was not possible to determine whether it was the same animal. Since then no bear has been seen.
According to the State Office for the Environment, the nearest bear population is in Trentino, Italy, about 120 kilometers as the crow flies from Bavaria.