District of Traunstein
District administrator does not want to accept brown bear permanently
A brown bear in the enclosure in the Poing wildlife park. (icon image) photo
© Lino Mirgeler/dpa
Again and again bear tracks in Upper Bavaria. In the meantime, there are more than twice as many confirmed indications of one or more bears in the region in 2023 than in the entire previous year.
After reliable evidence of a brown bear in Upper Bavaria, the Traunstein district administrator does not want to tolerate the animal permanently in his district. District administrator Siegfried Walch (CSU) said on Tuesday that the bear was a danger to agricultural livestock farming. “A coexistence of large carnivores and grazing is simply not possible,” he said. An expert from the Bund Naturschutz in Bayern (BN) contradicted this view.
The State Office for the Environment (LfU) announced on Monday that a brown bear had been recorded by a wildlife camera the day before in the southwestern part of the Traunstein district. On Tuesday evening, the LfU also reported evidence of a bear in the neighboring district of Berchtesgadener Land, also through a wildlife camera.
It is unclear whether the current evidence is always the same animal. “An individualization based on a photo or stamp is not possible,” said a LfU spokesman.
As early as April, the authorities had reported paw prints by a bear in the snow in the Upper Bavarian districts of Rosenheim and Miesbach. After that, torn sheep were found on an alpine pasture in the Rosenheim district, which, according to previous knowledge, had been attacked by a bear. However, final DNA analyzes are still pending in this regard.
District administrator sees danger to safety
District Administrator Walch warned that the brown bear could live permanently in the Upper Bavarian district and brought a shooting into the discussion. “If a bear becomes native to our region, it poses a threat to the safety of humans and animals.”
His authority will immediately examine the legal situation, whether and when a removal is necessary. In the discussion about the toleration of wolves or bears, the so-called removal usually means the killing of the animals. Recently, there had been demands in Bavaria in particular to be able to shoot down wolves, which are strictly protected like brown bears, more easily.
The BN species protection officer Uwe Friedel said, however, that a coexistence of brown bears and grazing is possible. “So far, the bear has not given any indication that would technically and legally justify shooting it down.” For the shepherds and farmers who keep animals outside, there are instruments such as herd protection. For Friedel, a “withdrawal” is only the “ultima ratio”, i.e. the last resort.
The LfU recommends livestock farmers in the affected regions to bring their cattle into stables at night and to take herd protection measures. “The local population and those seeking relaxation are asked to observe the rules of conduct when dealing with wild animals and to be attentive and careful when engaging in outdoor activities,” it said. Walkers or hikers should not leave any leftovers or rubbish in nature.
According to an LfU spokesman, there was still a confirmed trace of a bear in the immediate vicinity of the wildlife camera on Sunday. According to the authorities, in the neighboring districts of Miesbach and Rosenheim there were eight individual bear records in April alone, twice as many as in the entire previous year in southern Upper Bavaria.