Bear in the Bernese Oberland: First sighting in 190 years

A bear was spotted on the evening of Friday, 1 September 2017 in the Gental valley in the eastern Bernese Oberland.

Whether the animal is the same bear that was seen in early July at the nearby Sustenhorn remains unclear.

The bear was observed for several minutes, as the canton of Bern announced on Monday.

Whether the bear is still present in the Oberhasli region is not known. The Gental is a sparsely populated side valley of the Gadmertal. The road through the Gadmertal leads up to the Susten Pass.

In recent months, the canton of Bern has already recorded two bear sightings: the animal — the heraldic symbol of Bern — was first spotted at the end of May in Eriz above Thun, and later at the Sustenhorn above the Susten Pass.

This is the first confirmed sighting of a wild bear in the canton of Bern in more than 190 years. The last recorded sighting of a wild bear was in 1823 in the Saanenland.

Probably very shy

The bear has so far behaved in a completely unobtrusive manner, which according to cantonal authorities suggests it is very shy. The wildlife wardens of the canton of Bern are still working to establish the bear's identity. It is most likely a young male animal.

Bears are capable of covering large distances in a short period of time, the authorities note. It is therefore unclear whether the bear is still in the region.

It remains unclear whether the animal spotted is the same bear that was seen several times in the canton of Uri last year. Hunting inspector Blatter is quoted as saying that the presence of a bear in the canton of Bern represents a challenge. "We will monitor the situation closely and gather as many facts as possible."

Graubünden – Uri – Bern?

At least eleven bears have repeatedly migrated from northern Italy into Switzerland since 2005. In 2005, the tabloid «Blick» dubbed the first bear «Lumpaz» — meaning rascal. Media goodwill was enormous at the time toward the first bear to roam Swiss soil 100 years after the species had been eradicated.

Last year, presumably three bears were living in the canton of Graubünden. One was fatally injured after being struck by a train in the Lower Engadine, one made its presence known in April in the Upper Engadine, and one migrated at the end of April via Rheinwald to Thusis.

According to the Bernese Department of Economic Affairs, this is likely a bear that subsequently moved into central Switzerland via Trun, where it was recorded on the Hoch-Ybrig and in the canton of Uri.

Over the past two years, the «Uri bear» has demonstrated on Swiss soil just how inconspicuously a bear can move through our densely populated landscape. Hunting inspector Blatter hopes that the bear in the canton of Bern will behave as unobtrusively as the «Uri bear». The return of predators such as the bear is an important sign for biodiversity in Switzerland.

Keep your distance from bears

Anyone who encounters a bear in the wild should keep their distance, remain calm and still, and try to make themselves known by speaking in a natural tone of voice. Under no circumstances should you attempt to approach the bear, writes the canton of Bern.

Instead, you should slowly retreat — but not run. Every bear sighting must be reported immediately to the game warden or the Hunting Inspectorate.

Fact sheet – The bear is a predator: Keep your distance