wildlife
Brown bear sighted again in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen
A wildlife camera recorded a brown bear in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district
© private / DPA
For the second time, a brown bear has walked into a photo trap in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district in the past few days. However, there is no concern in the region.
The brown bear in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen has been sighted again. It was recorded by a wildlife camera early Monday morning near Ohlstadt, further north than before. It is assumed that it is the same animal that triggered the wildlife camera of a hunter from the state forests in the southern district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Saturday. The “Münchner Merkur” had first reported on the new sighting.
A spokesman for the Bavarian State Office for the Environment (LfU) in Augsburg confirmed the new sighting on Thursday, but not the location. “We would like to avoid ‘bear tourism’.” Unlike its fellow Bruno, who became known throughout Germany as a “problem bear” and was shot down in the summer of 2006, the animal has so far been inconspicuous. “The bear is inconspicuous and has so far only appeared through recordings from wildlife cameras,” said the LfU spokesman.
The bear was photographed at a distance of 500 meters from the outskirts, said the mayor of Ohlstadt, Christian Scheuerer. Nevertheless, this is not worrying, it is an impassable forest area. “Even a bear can feel comfortable there.” Scheuerer also warned not to go looking for the bear. He’s probably already somewhere else anyway.
It is unclear where the brown bear comes from
The representatives of the grazing livestock farmers have been informed. So far there has been no unrest with these. “A bear is seen differently than a wolf. You deal with it very soberly and objectively. There is no panic or great concern,” said Scheuerer. “In the end, the bear behaves exactly as you would like it to: It avoids everything that has to do with civilization.”
Photo of the second sighting of a brown bear in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen
© private / DPA
So far it is unclear where the bear came from. An expert from the State Office for the Environment is traveling in the region to collect feces and traces of fur, said the LfU spokesman. Only then can it be determined specifically where the animal comes from – and whether it has already become conspicuous. It is also unclear so far whether it is a male or female animal. Most of the time, however, the adolescent males migrate.
According to the LfU, the nearest bear population is in Trentino, Italy, about 120 kilometers from Bavaria. About 60 bears live there at the moment, with a slight upward trend. There are also individual animals in the border triangle of Slovenia, Italy and Austria. Again and again, however, bears migrate from the core area north of Lake Garda to the northern Alpine region, such as to Graubünden and Tyrol in 2016 or the famous Bruno bear to Tyrol and Bavaria in 2006.
Most recently, a brown bear was out and about 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.