Bear

Radolfzell. The European Nature Heritage Fund (Euronatur) criticizes the shooting of the brown bear "Bruno" who for the first time appeared in Germany around end of May 2006. Says Euronatur director Gabriel Schwaderer: "We regret very much that "Bruno" was shot, and we do not approve the Bavarian government's decision to do so, since this decision was merely based on the fact that the bear might approach residential areas. If this applies as a criterion to the right to life of the brown bears, we do not see any future for the bears in Europe."

According to Euronatur, none of the published reports proves that "Bruno" was less afraid of people during the course of the last weeks of his life. Even if it was true that bears usually do not appear very often in residential areas, this fact alone would prove that "Bruno" was dangerous to people, all the more because he always took flight in all known encounters with men.

Euronatur still deemed it best to consequently take measures to scare "Bruno" away. Previous experiences show that such methods in other areas led to the result that the bears avoided getting close to residential areas and men altogether.

Euronatur would have considered it best to catch the animal and provide it with a transmitter, so that it could be located at any moment. This would have made it much easier to consequently scare "Bruno" away by shelling him with rubber bullets and firecrackers and to intervene directly in case of possible clashes.

According to Euronatur, it is not clear whether all possibilities to catch the bear and release it back in the province of Trentino, Italy, were taken into consideration. The Roman ministry of environment had signalled that they would be happy to have the bear back in the Trentino region. And it is questionable whether the shooting of the bear, without previous consultation with the Italian colleagues and the EU Commission was the right thing to do, because both the Commission and the Italian state had invested considerable funds in the resettlement project in Trentino.

Gabriel Schwaderer explains that this event made it very clear that international dialogue and cross border cooperation in environmental matters had to be improved. "Bears are the symbol of a nature without frontiers in Europe. Their protection and care make a cross border cooperation indispensable."

Irrespective of the case "Bruno", Euronatur calls for a consistent preparation in Bavaria for the immigration of further brown bears. The appearance of the first brown bear in Germany after more than 170 years has clearly revealed that neither politicians and administration nor farmers and the population in general are prepared for the immigration of bears.

As according to Euronatur this will certainly not be the last bear to cross the border, and since the Bavarian Alps are a suitable habitat for brown bears, we should better get ready for the return of these fascinating wild animals.

Euronatur demands from both the provincial and federal governments to set up and implement an efficient plan for bear management. Gabriel Schwaderer explains the aim of such a management plan: "It is important to involve both land users and conservationists in the project. We have to find solutions for protecting flocks of sheep and beehives, and how, in the event of damages, these can be compensated."

Due to the long absence of bears, wolves and lynxes, sheep and other domestic animals are not sufficiently protected against attacks from wild animals. According to Euronatur, such measures are necessary and practicable, as many examples on international level demonstrate. For example, beehives could be protected with electrical fences.

Land users should not be left alone in implementing such measures. Expert advice is required, and the costs arising from such prevention measures should be borne by the whole society.

Since long, Euronatur has been pleading to set up such management plans not only for bears, but also for wolves and lynxes.