20 Years of Bears in Switzerland
Since the return of the brown bear 20 years ago, Switzerland has gained experience in dealing with this large predator. Most animals migrate inconspicuously through the country, and significant incidents, such as ransacked beehives, are rare. We document two decades of bear presence and suggest what the future might hold for Ursus arctos in Switzerland.
History in Switzerland
The brown bear has been considered extinct in Switzerland since 1904, after gradually disappearing from the Swiss Plateau, the Jura mountains and the Alps. The main causes were the uncontrolled…
One of the last Alpine bears in Trentino. The Alpine bears have not mated with the bears that were reintroduced from Slovakia. One of the last Alpine bears in Trentino. The Alpine bears have not mated with the bears that were reintroduced from Slovakia.
© Comune di Trentino
Distribution in Europe
Today, most regions of Europe have more brown bears than they did in the last century. Altogether, ten different populations are distinguished. While the populations in Central and Western Europe…
Interview with the Bear Expert
In the same year that the first brown bear returned to Switzerland, Curdin Florineth took up his post as a game warden at the Office for Hunting and Fishing in the canton of Grisons. Since then,…
In 2005, JJ2 was the first bear to be sighted in Switzerland since the species had been eradicated. In 2005, JJ2 was the first bear to be sighted in Switzerland since the species had been eradicated.
© Jon Gross / AJF GR
Future Prospects
The return of brown bears to Switzerland has so far been limited to isolated visits by individual bears: only males have been recorded, most of which moved on after a short time. Without the…