Austria has never been without bears for long. Following local extinctions the odd bear used to migrate from Slovenia. However, in accordance with the spirit of the times sooner or later these 'immigrants' were turned into hunters' trophies. Initially only a few voices were raised against the shooting of bears in Austria. In the Italian province of Trentino the last remaining bears were given legal protection. But it was the "Ötscher Bear" which broke the ice. It came from Slovenia, or possibly from Croatia, wandered right through the forest-clad Styrian mountains in south-eastern Austria, and crossed dozens of roads before 150 km from Vienna it tried to find a new home on the Ötscher Mountain in Lower Austria. The fate of the "Ötscher Bear" attracted much media coverage in Europe. It was this very animal that rendered the idea of bears returning to their lost ranges in the Alps and other European regions an agreeable one in the minds of the majority.

... this has become very obvious in Austria. In Styria and Carinthia comprehensive bear protection campaigns are being implemented. If sheep are killed anywhere a 'Bear Advocate' or the 'Bear Intervention Unit" are on the spot. Those who suffer damage are not being left alone with their concerns and problems. However, in Lower Austria things are different. A few years ago there was nothing short of a bear hysteria which in no small part was due to a lack of information on the part of the local people. Today there are 25 bears in Austria, and some of them venture further and further northwards. It will only be a matter of time before the fist bear reaches Bavaria.