Germany gives death order for first wild bear
Minister Werner Schnappauf tells hunters to shoot or capture the first wild bear seen in Germany for 170 years.
The first wild bear in Germany in 170 years has been spotted. The 220 lb male is reported to have crossed the Alps from Italy, probably in search of a mate. The bear was first seen in the Southern state of Bavaria over the weekend. The German Minister ordered it's removal from the wild by death or capure.
The bear had already killed seven sheep and raided a chicken coop, suggesting it had learnt to hunt for food near houses. Believed to have come from a programme to reintroduce bears to the wild near Trentino, Italy, it has also killed severel sheep in Austria. The last bear seen in the wild in Germany was in 1835.
The German Animal Protection Agency in Bavaria described the order to shoot the bear as 'hysterical', When the bear wandered across border at the weekend, it was thought of as a good idea. WWF is trying to capture the bear alive, to take into captivity, as it is too dangerous to be left in the wild.
The bear had already killed seven sheep and raided a chicken coop, suggesting it had learnt to hunt for food near houses. Believed to have come from a programme to reintroduce bears to the wild near Trentino, Italy, it has also killed severel sheep in Austria. The last bear seen in the wild in Germany was in 1835.
The German Animal Protection Agency in Bavaria described the order to shoot the bear as 'hysterical', When the bear wandered across border at the weekend, it was thought of as a good idea. WWF is trying to capture the bear alive, to take into captivity, as it is too dangerous to be left in the wild.