However, no clear confirmation has been made so far.
In the district of Traunstein, there is suspicion of a bear in the area. Last weekend, a possible sighting was reported near Winklmoosalm by Reit im Winkl, close to the Austrian border.
Experts collect traces and samples
The Bavarian State Office for the Environment has launched an investigation. On site, specialists discovered claw marks and paw prints. They also collected photographs and hair samples, which were sent to the State Office for the Environment in Augsburg. These samples are now being analyzed at the Senckenberg Institute for Wildlife Genetics to determine whether they belong to a bear, a spokesperson for the authority explained.
The traces alone, however, do not constitute definitive proof of a bear’s presence. No photographs or video recordings of the animal itself exist. Results are expected sometime next week.
No confirmed evidence since 2023
Reports of possible bear activity in Bavaria surface regularly. The last officially confirmed brown bear was in 2023 in the Hinterstein Valley in the Allgäu. According to the State Office for the Environment, about 70 tips have been submitted between then and May 2025, but none have been verified.
What characterizes the European brown bear?
The European brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) is a subspecies of the brown bear (Ursus arctos). It can reach up to 2.20 meters in length and weigh as much as 320 kilograms, making it generally smaller than its North American relatives, such as the grizzly or Kodiak bear. Once widespread across Europe, the species was declared extinct in Germany in the 19th century. However, since 2006, there have been occasional confirmed sightings of brown bears passing through southeastern Germany. A permanent return and settlement in Germany is considered unlikely for the foreseeable future.
Populations remain in Scandinavia, Russia, Belarus, large parts of Eastern Europe—particularly Romania—the Balkans, and Italy. The animals prefer to live as solitary wanderers in large mixed forests and mountainous regions.
The European brown bear is usually shy and relies heavily on its sense of smell. It is an omnivore, feeding mostly on plants, insects, snails, honey, small vertebrates, and carrion. Occasionally, individual bears may prey on larger animals such as sheep or deer. Brown bears do not claim fixed territories but roam across wide-ranging habitats, with males often covering more than 100 square kilometers. In the Alps, between two and four animals may occupy the same area of that size. In the wild, they usually live between 20 and 30 years.
According to WWF, the European brown bear population is estimated at around 17,000 individuals, with approximately 7,500 living in the Carpathians, primarily in Romania.
Bears that behave unusually—such as losing their natural shyness toward humans or settlements—are referred to as “problem bears.”
(With information from dpa)
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