Baden-Württemberg "Problem bear" Gaia on her way to the Black Forest
After months of preparations, a female bear that fatally injured a jogger in Italy in 2023 is on her way to Germany.
20.07.2025, 05:55
20.07.2025, 05:56
SDA
The almost 20-year-old animal, named JJ4 - also known as Gaia - is to live in the Black Forest in the future. A special enclosure has been built in the "Alternative Wolf and Bear Park" near Bad Rippoldsau-Schapbach. The enclosure is surrounded by a high fence and has special protection in the ground to prevent the bear from digging her way through.
According to Italian information, Gaia has already been handed over to employees of the German park. This was announced by the responsible district administrator of the province of Trentino in northern Italy, Roberto Failoni, as reported by the Ansa news agency. The bear had attacked and killed a 26-year-old man in April 2023. There had been other incidents before that. It was therefore also considered shooting her. She was then captured alive. Since then, she has been in an enclosure near Trento.
Mother already lives in a park in the Black Forest
The brown bear Jurka, Gaia's mother, already lives in the Black Forest park. In the summer of 2006, her brother Bruno was the first bear to set foot on Bavarian soil in 170 years. The "problem bear" was shot in the Bavarian Rotwand area.
Brown bears in Europe are actually protected by various agreements and also by an EU directive. Only "problem bears" may be captured and relocated - and shot if necessary. However, this rarely happens. As a rule, bears tend to avoid humans.
Several incidents in Trentino
However, in Trentino - a vacation region with many German tourists - there have been repeated encounters for some time. Mothers in particular, who are afraid for their offspring, react aggressively. The bears are also venturing closer and closer to farms and towns in search of food.
Experts generally recommend remaining calm when encountering brown bears and retreating slowly. However, they also advise using bear spray and odor-proof containers to prevent the animals from being attracted in the first place.
