Did you learn from mom? – Bear who killed Jogger is “Bruno’s” sister!

The story of the problem bear “Bruno”, who walked from Italy via Tyrol to Bavaria in the summer of 2006, repeatedly beating domestic and farm animals, looting beehives and showing no fear of man, will probably be well remembered by many. After numerous failed capture attempts, some of which were ridiculed by the public, the bear was shot on June 26, 2006 in Bavaria.

Also shot brother “JJ3”
Just two years later, his brother “JJ3” met the same fate. The brown bear had shown no shyness towards humans and had repeatedly looted garbage containers in settlements. Several attempts to drive him away failed. He was murdered in Switzerland in April 2008. “Bruno’s” second younger brother, “JJ2” was also traveling in Switzerland, but has been missing since 2005.

Bear sister “Gaia”, also known as “JJ4”, is now making headlines. She was classified as a “problem bear” years ago after attacking and injuring two men – father and son – in June 2020 on Mount Peller in the northern Brenta Mountains. After the fatal attack on 26-year-old jogger Andrea Papi, the bear was released to be shot, animal rights activists protested violently.

Learned from the bear mama
It is not new that the bear population in Central Europe is repeatedly the subject of discussion. But in this particular case it could possibly have something to do with the family ties that the large predators show no shyness or even aggression towards humans. All five bears come from mother “Jurka”, who was one of the first bears released into the wild for the “Life Ursus” project in Trentino.

“Jurka”, originally from Slovenia, and her first son “Bruno” were fed at the time to prevent them from leaving the designated area. As a result, both mother and son lost their natural shyness of humans – they previously associated the two-legged creatures with food.

Behavior that has cost the lives of at least two of their children. The youngest son, “JJ5” died during a veterinary examination as a result of the anesthesia. Today, the brown bear lives in the Black Forest Wolf and Bear Park in Germany. They try to process and tell her story – “Jurka” even has her own column there.

Wild animals as a point of contention and a political problem
The bears in Trentino remain a bone of contention and a political problem. On the one hand, some fear the danger to humans – after all, the brown bears reach an impressive weight of up to 350 kilograms. The much louder voice, on the other hand, comes from the farm animal keepers, whose stock the predators attack repeatedly. After all, a herd of sheep on a fenced pasture is easier prey than swift deer in the woods. Especially since the omnivores almost never hunt healthy animals, they prefer sick or injured game and carrion.

It remains to be seen if “Gaia”, the bear that fatally injured Andrea Papi, will reach her natural life expectancy of about 20 years. But as long as the big predators like bears, wolves and lynxes share the forest with humans, incidents are likely to increase.