Brown bear Switzerland: Returned and still unwelcome

The European brown bear (Ursus arctos) belongs to Switzerland just as the bear belongs on the Bern coat of arms. For millennia it was part of the Alpine landscape, from prehistoric times into the early 20th century. In 1904 the last brown bear was shot in the Val S-charl in the Lower Engadine. In 1923 came the last sighting of an animal that had probably migrated from Italy. After that, the bear was extinct in Switzerland. For a hundred years.

In the summer of 2005, the first brown bear in a century appeared in the Swiss National Park. Photographic evidence, a media frenzy and a wave of enthusiasm followed. Since then, at least 22 bears have migrated into Switzerland, all from the Trentino population in northern Italy, all males, all via the canton of Grisons. 90 per cent of them behaved inconspicuously, stayed for days, weeks or months and moved on. Two were shot as 'risk bears': JJ3 in April 2008 near Thusis, M13 in February 2013 in the Val Poschiavo. Another, M29, lived for almost four years in the cantons of Grisons, Bern and Uri without ever causing damage or coming too close to people.

In Switzerland the brown bear continues to be classed as 'extinct' (regionally extinct) despite sporadic occurrences, because no reproduction takes place. No females migrate in. Without females there are no cubs, without cubs there is no population. Switzerland has no bear reintroduction project. The bear arrives by natural means, and so far it has also left again.

This dossier documents what the brown bear means for Switzerland and the Alpine region: its biology, its history, its return, the real threats, the 'problem bear' label as a political construct, and the question of whether a society that carries the bear on its coat of arms is prepared to live with it. Those who want to delve deeper will find in our Dossier on hunting in Switzerland.

What awaits you here

Biology and way of life: who the European brown bear is, how it lives, what it eats and why it poses no danger to humans if it is given the space it needs.
Ecological significance: Why the brown bear, as an omnivore, seed disperser and keystone species, is indispensable for intact Alpine ecosystems.
History: From extermination to cautious return. How recreational hunting wiped out the bear in Switzerland, and why its return is the product of protection, not of recreational hunting.
20 years of bears in Switzerland. From M1 to today: a review of the return, showing that coexistence is possible and that only a few individuals cause problems.
The «problem bear» label: political construct rather than biological reality. Why the term «problem bear» shifts responsibility from humans to the animal.
Threats: Illegal killing, traffic, habitat fragmentation, political populism and trophy recreational hunting.
Recreational hunting and the bear: Why trophy recreational hunting, kill quotas and the vocabulary of «management» undermine bear protection.
Slovenia and Trentino: how «management» becomes a code word for recreational hunting.
«Did you know?» 20 facts about the brown bear that hardly anyone knows.
What would need to change: Concrete political demands.
Argumentation guide: Answers to the most common claims.
Quick links: All relevant articles, studies and dossiers.

Biology and way of life: the shy giant of the Alps

The European brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) is Europe's largest land predator and belongs to the bear family (Ursidae). The European subspecies reaches a head-and-body length of 170 to 220 centimetres, a shoulder height of 90 to 110 centimetres and a weight of 140 to 320 kilograms in males and 100 to 200 kilograms in females. The coat varies from pale blond through cinnamon brown to almost black. A distinctive hump over the shoulders, a massive skull and powerful paws with non-retractable claws up to 10 centimetres long characterise the species. In adult animals the hind paw can be up to 22 centimetres long. Despite their weight, brown bears can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h over short distances.

The brown bear is an omnivore whose diet is around 75 per cent plant-based. In spring it feeds on grasses, herbs, roots and buds, supplemented by carrion from animals that have died naturally. In summer and autumn, when it needs to build up fat reserves for winter dormancy, it eats mainly berries, fruit, beechnuts, acorns and nuts. Honey is a favourite. Insects and their larvae are an important source of protein. European brown bears hunt opportunistically and may occasionally kill unprotected livestock, but they are not specialised predators. KORA makes it clear: the stomach contents of Swiss bears that were examined consisted predominantly of plant remains. A study by Washington State University confirms it: bears are not carnivores in the strict sense, but omnivores with a preference for carbohydrate-rich food.

Brown bears live solitary lives. Unlike Lynx and wolf they are not territorial: they tolerate others of the same sex in their habitat and do not defend a territory. Home ranges vary considerably depending on food availability: for males from 130 square kilometres in Croatia to 1,600 square kilometres in Scandinavia, and for females from 60 to 225 square kilometres. Young females often settle near their mother, while young males disperse far afield, which avoids inbreeding and enables the species to spread.

The mating season runs from May to July. After mating, embryonic diapause occurs: the fertilised egg does not implant until the start of winter dormancy. The actual gestation lasts only 6 to 8 weeks, but the total span between mating and birth is 180 to 270 days. In January or February, 1 to 3, rarely 4, cubs are born in the winter den. The newborns weigh only 340 to 680 grams, are blind, almost naked and no bigger than a rat, an extreme size difference compared with the mother. The cubs stay with their mother for around two years, and during this time she spares no effort to protect her offspring. Sexual maturity is reached at 3 to 5 years. Life expectancy is 20 to 30 years in the wild and up to 50 years in captivity. The reproductive rate is one of the lowest of all mammals.

Depending on the region, the winter dormancy lasts between 2 and 7 months, typically from October to March. Unlike true hibernators, the bear's body temperature barely drops. It takes in neither food nor water and lives off the fat reserves it built up in autumn. The den is either dug by the bear itself or made beneath root plates and windthrown trees. At the slightest disturbance the bear wakes, which can be especially fatal for females with cubs: it does happen that disturbed mothers abandon their newborns.

The brown bear is by nature a shy animal that mistrusts humans. If it notices people in time, it avoids them. In Europe, brown bears have become more nocturnal because of more frequent contact with humans. Young bears are initially active by day and apparently only learn to shift to the night through disturbance.

More on this: Bears are not carnivores and 20 Years of Bears in Switzerland

Ecological significance: omnivore, seed disperser, keystone species

The brown bear is an ecological keystone species of alpine and subalpine ecosystems. Its functions are manifold, scientifically documented and cannot be replaced by any recreational hunting.

As a Seed disperser the bear plays an important role in the dispersal of berry shrubs and trees. When it eats large quantities of berries, fruit and nuts in autumn, it excretes the seeds again over long distances in other places. This process of zoochory promotes the genetic diversity and spread of plants and actively shapes forest landscapes. WWF Austria stresses: bears help to spread fruits, nuts and seeds and thus contribute to the distribution of plant species in the forest.

As a Carcass recycler the bear clears away fallen game and carrion, especially after winter. This function is important for the nutrient cycle in the forest and reduces the risk of disease transmission from decaying carcasses.

As a Soil mover the bear digs for roots, tubers, insect larvae and small mammals. In doing so it aerates the soil, promotes humus formation and creates microhabitats for other species. Much like the badger, but on a larger scale, the bear is a natural tiller of the soil.

As a Indicator species the presence of the brown bear indicates the quality of extensive, undisturbed forest landscapes. Where bears live, the habitat is large enough, well enough connected and quiet enough that numerous other species benefit too. The bear sits at the top of the food pyramid and is an indicator of the ecological integrity of entire landscapes.

As a part of the natural community of predators the bear complements the functions of wolf and Lynx. While the wolf primarily regulates ungulates and the lynx specialises in roe deer and chamois, the bear, as an omnivore, exploits a much broader range of food and fills an ecological niche of its own. The return of all three predators to the Alps would restore a balance that recreational hunting destroyed centuries ago.

More on this: Dossier: The lynx in Switzerland and Dossier: Arguments for professional game wardens

History: the extermination and its lessons

The history of the brown bear in Switzerland is a history of systematic destruction by humans. In prehistoric times the brown bear inhabited the whole country. By around 1500 it had vanished from the Central Plateau, which was by then continuously settled and largely deforested. Between 1800 and 1850 the last brown bears of the northern Alps and the Jura were killed. The species survived longer in the Grisons and Ticino Alps.

Then came the modern rifle. The arrival of improved firearms caused the number of bears killed to shoot up once more in the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century the brown bear was present only in the Lower Engadine, the Val Müstair and the Val dal Spöl. On 1 September 1904, a recreational hunter shot the last bear in the Val S-charl. In 1923, a bear that had probably migrated from Italy was observed in Switzerland for the last time. Then there was silence. For a hundred years.

The extermination of the bear was no natural event. It was the result of a cultural history in which the bear was seen as a threat, a competitor, a trophy and a pest. Recreational hunting wiped out the bear in Switzerland. This fact is systematically ignored in the current debate about the return of predators.

The brown bear has only been protected in Switzerland since 1962, under the hunting act (JSG, Arts. 5 and 7). Internationally, it is listed as a "strictly protected species" (Appendix II) under the Bern Convention. Switzerland ratified the convention in 1981 and is obliged not to deliberately capture or kill brown bears, nor to disturb their habitat. In the EU Habitats Directive, the brown bear is listed in Annexes II (protected areas) and IV (strictly protected). In the Washington Convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES), it appears in Appendix II. Globally, the IUCN classifies it as "Least Concern", yet four of the ten European populations are considered "critically endangered", including the Alpine population.

The return began in 2005, when a young brown bear from Trentino migrated into the Swiss National Park. There, between 1999 and 2002, ten bears from Slovenia had been resettled in order to support the last remnant population of only 3 to 4 animals in the Alps. The Trentino population has grown to an estimated 118 individuals excluding cubs of the year (2025, confidence interval 99 to 141, Province of Trento). Since then, young males have regularly migrated north from it, some of them as far as Switzerland.

More on this: Federal Council adopts report on bears in Switzerland and Bear spotted in the Lower Engadin

20 years of bears in Switzerland: an assessment

Since 2005, at least 22 bears have visited Switzerland. They have come almost every year, with the exception of 2006, 2009 and 2023. All records date from the warmer months (April to October), as bears hibernate during the winter. KORA documents that all of the bears recorded were exclusively males. Where possible, the immigrant animals were genetically identified through DNA analysis. Most stayed only a few days to a few months and then moved back towards Trentino, where females also live.

The balance sheet is clear: 90 per cent of the bears to date in Switzerland have behaved largely inconspicuously. M29, for example, lived in the cantons of Bern and Uri from 2016 to 2020 without causing any damage or coming too close to people. He was the only confirmed bear outside the canton of Grisons and stayed for almost four years. In 2018 and 2019 there were also bear sightings in Valais for the first time. In 2025 a bear was again present in the Lower Engadine around the National Park, and in 2026 too the Grisons Office for Hunting and Fisheries reported numerous bear sightings from the municipalities of Zernez and Scuol, with no indication of more than one animal (Quarterly Report on Large Carnivores 2/2026).

Two bears were classified as 'risk bears' and shot: JJ3, who was killed by wildlife wardens near Thusis in April 2008 after losing his shyness of humans and repeatedly appearing in inhabited areas, and M13, who was shot in the Puschlav in February 2013. M13 had previously been injured in a collision with a Rhaetian Railway train but had survived. The kills were carried out under the 'Bear Concept for Switzerland', the FOEN's implementation guidance, which sets strict criteria for killing. Another bear was hit and killed by a train in the Lower Engadine in 2016.

The 'Bear Concept for Switzerland' is built on the principle that coexistence between humans and bears is possible under certain conditions, with human safety taking first priority. In 2021 the Federal Council confirmed that the concept complies with pan-European guidelines. There is potential in damage prevention: the better beehives, livestock and waste disposal are protected, the lower the risk that bears develop problematic behaviour.

The future depends on whether female bears immigrate. The nearest resident females of the Trentino population are around 40 kilometres from the Swiss border. Since 2019 the females have been expanding their core range, and in 2025 the area they use grew by 26 per cent to 2,805 square kilometres, according to the Province of Trento. KORA concludes: if developments in Trentino continue like this, the probability of visits by female bears to Switzerland also rises. But before a stable Alpine population can emerge, a connection is needed between the Trentino population and the much larger Dinaric population in Slovenia and Croatia.

More on this: 20 Years of Bears in Switzerland and Sighting of brown bear in Bavaria

The “problem bear” label: political construct rather than biological reality

Hardly any term has shaped public discourse about predators as much, and distorted it as much, as the word “problem bear”. The term first emerged prominently in 2006, when the brown bear JJ1, better known as “Bruno”, wandered from Trentino into Bavaria, where he killed sheep, plundered beehives and was spotted near settlements. Bavaria's then environment minister Werner Schnappauf declared: “The bear has become a problem bear.” A few weeks later Bruno was dead, shot on 26 June 2006 near the Spitzingsee, 170 years after the last Bavarian bear.

Bruno's story is a parable of failure in dealing with predators. Bruno's mother Jurka had been lured with food by a hotel owner who wanted to use bears as an attraction for guests. Bruno had learned from his mother that food could be found near humans. The behaviour that made him a “problem bear” was man-made. The bear was the symptom, not the cause.

JJ1 was Bruno's official name. JJ4, his sister, was declared the culprit in Trentino in 2023 when she fatally attacked 26-year-old jogger Andrea Papi. It was the first fatal bear attack in Italy in modern times. JJ4 too was captured and incarcerated. Here too, the “problem bear” label was slapped on. The question of why, in an area with around 100 bears, there was no adequate visitor management, no warning system and no consistent prevention of feeding was barely asked.

In Switzerland, JJ3 (2008) and M13 (2013) were classified as “risk bears” and shot. The “Bear Concept Switzerland” defines an escalation scale from “nuisance bear” through “problem bear” to “risk bear”. The terms sound objective, but they direct attention to the animal and away from the context. A bear that ventures into a settled area because waste containers are left open, beehives are not secured and livestock graze unprotected is not a “problem bear”. It is a bear in a problem habitat. KORA puts it in a nuanced way: of the 34 known deaths in the Alpine population from 2003 to 2019, almost half were caused by humans, whether through traffic collisions, illegal killings or legal killings.

More on this: Trentino: bear attacks recreational hunter and Demonstration in Trentino: hundreds demand release of bear JJ4

Threats: what really endangers the brown bear in Switzerland and the Alps

Illegal killing and politically motivated kills remain one of the greatest threats to brown bears in the Alps. Slovakia decided to shoot up to 350 brown bears, officially in order to “ensure public safety”. Of roughly 1,300 animals, more than a quarter were to be killed. Nature conservation organisations accuse Bratislava of directly violating the EU Habitats Directive. In Trentino, a new law from 2024 allows the simplified killing of up to eight “problematic” bears per year.

Trophy hunting threatens brown bears above all in Eastern Europe. In Romania, in March 2021, Prince Emanuel of Liechtenstein shot the brown bear “Arthur”, the largest bear ever documented in Romania, under questionable circumstances. The kill permit had been issued for an entirely different, smaller “problem bear”. The Romanian environmental organisation Agent Green described the kill as poaching and compared the case to the ivory trade: “Killing large male animals weakens the bear population.” In October 2026, Romania doubled its kill quota: the new law releases 969 brown bears for killing, the vast majority of them “for preventive reasons”.

Traffic accidents regularly claim victims. In Switzerland, a bear was run over and killed by a Rhaetian Railway train in the Lower Engadine in 2016. In 2012, M13 had suffered bruising in a similar collision. Across the Alps and the Carpathians, road collisions are a significant cause of death.

Habitat fragmentation and isolation threaten the genetic viability of the Alpine bear population. The Trentino population descends from only ten founder animals. It is small and genetically isolated. A connection to the much larger Dinaric population (around 2,145 individuals) is of central importance for the long-term survival of the brown bear in the Alps. Roads, motorways, settlements and the lack of wildlife corridors prevent the necessary genetic exchange.

Habituation through human misbehaviour is the main cause of “problem bears”. Open waste containers, unsecured beehives, feeding by tourism and a lack of visitor guidance accustom bears to human food sources. A food-conditioned bear deliberately seeks out the vicinity of settlements. The problem is man-made and can be solved by humans.

Populist handling of conflicts endangers bear protection politically. In Trentino and Slovakia, politicians use the bear issue to curry favour with rural voters. The Trentino governor Maurizio Fugatti (Lega) became the most prominent advocate of generous kill quotas. A protection story turns into a kill story, and 'management' becomes a code word for recreational hunting exploitation.

More on this: Europe's largest brown bear killed and Controversial new law permits the shooting of bears in Trentino

Recreational hunting and the bear: historical guilt, current threat

The relationship between recreational hunting and the brown bear can be summed up in a single sentence: recreational hunting exterminated the bear, and it is preventing its return.

First: recreational hunting wiped out the brown bear in Switzerland and in large parts of Western Europe. Systematic hunting from the Middle Ages into the 20th century, driven by trophy lust, scaremongering and the image of the bear as a 'pest', led to the extermination of a species that had lived in Europe for millennia. In Bavaria the last bear was shot in 1835, in Switzerland in 1904, and in Germany the bear then remained absent for 170 years. The first returnee, Bruno, was shot after just six weeks.

Second: trophy recreational hunting threatens bear populations in Eastern Europe. In Romania, once Europe's stronghold of bear trophy recreational hunting, wealthy foreigners can buy kill permits despite strict protection. The Arthur case showed how the system works: a prince travels in, shoots the largest bear instead of the animal authorised for killing, and the authorities look the other way.

Third: in Slovenia, 'bear management' is abused as a cover for hunting exploitation. The practice of deliberately feeding bears, officially to keep them away from settlements, causes the population to grow artificially. Generous kill quotas are then released, a political gift to a well-organised recreational hunting lobby. The bears that were drawn in by the feeding are declared 'problem animals' and cleared for killing. At the same time, the debate ignores the fact that kills can change the behaviour of the population: when shy, cautious animals are removed, the more curious and conflict-prone individuals remain.

Fourth: although Switzerland has no direct recreational hunting problem with bears, since killing them is reserved for the wildlife wardens, the system of recreational hunting creates the cultural and political framework in which predators are perceived as competitors, a threat and a problem rather than an enrichment. The recreational hunting lobby fuels fear of predators because their return calls into question its own narrative: that only humans with shotguns can carry out "wildlife management".

Geneva model has shown since 1974 that professional wildlife management works without recreational hunting. Professional wildlife wardens, who are trained, independent and committed to species protection, can also deal with large predators, objectively, competently and without any trophy interests.

More on this: Slovenia's brown bears as scapegoats and Dossier: Geneva and the hunting ban

"Did you know?" 20 facts about the brown bear

The brown bear is the largest land carnivore in Europe, yet 75 per cent of its diet is plant-based. It is an omnivore, not a predator in the classic sense.
In Switzerland, the last brown bear was shot in 1904 in the Val S-charl in the Lower Engadine. After that it was extinct for a hundred years.
In 2005, the first brown bear in a century appeared in the Swiss National Park. All bears recorded since then have come from the Trentino population.
Since 2005, at least 22 different bears have visited Switzerland. All were males. Not a single female has migrated here so far.
90 per cent of the bears in Switzerland to date have behaved inconspicuously, without causing damage to people or property.
M29 lived in Switzerland for almost four years (2016 to 2020) in the cantons of Grisons, Bern and Uri without ever becoming a problem.
The brown bear goes into winter dormancy, not hibernation. Its body temperature hardly drops, and it can wake immediately if disturbed.
Newborn brown bears weigh only 340 to 680 grams, about the same as a rat. The size difference to the mother (up to 200 kilograms) is more extreme than in any other placental mammal.
Brown bears are not territorial. They tolerate other bears in the same habitat and do not defend a territory.
The Trentino bear population descends from just ten founder animals that were relocated from Slovenia between 1999 and 2002. Before that, only 3 to 4 bears were left there.
Of the 34 known deaths in the Alpine population (2003 to 2019), almost half were caused by humans: road accidents, illegal killings and legal kills.
Over short distances, the brown bear can run at up to 50 km/h, faster than a horse.
«Bruno» (JJ1) was the first brown bear in Germany in 170 years in 2006. After only six weeks he was shot as a «problem bear». His sister JJ4 killed a jogger in Trentino in 2023 and has been confined to an enclosure ever since.
The bear is the heraldic animal of Bern, Appenzell and numerous municipalities. It has shaped Swiss cultural history for centuries.
There is no bear reintroduction project in Switzerland. The return is happening naturally, solely through immigration from Italy.
The brown bear's reproduction rate is one of the lowest of any mammal. Females give birth only every two to three years, usually to litters of 1 to 3 cubs.
The overall Alpine population is «critically endangered». Only a connection to the Dinaric population in Slovenia and Croatia can secure its long-term survival.
In Romania in 2021, Prince Emanuel of Liechtenstein shot «Arthur», the largest brown bear ever documented in Europe, under questionable circumstances. The kill permit had been issued for a different animal.
Sows with cubs can react aggressively when disturbed. The vast majority of bear attacks on humans involve mothers defending their young.
KORA documents that the Swiss public has calmed down in its dealings with bears since 2005. The initial agitation has given way to a more measured attitude. Switzerland's near-natural landscape offers the brown bear suitable habitat in many regions. The question is not whether the habitat exists, but whether society is prepared to share it.

What would have to change: political demands

IG Wild beim Wild calls for a paradigm shift in how the brown bear is treated in Switzerland and across the Alps. Instead of a reactive kill policy, preventive coexistence strategies are needed:

First: Consistent damage prevention instead of «problem bear» rhetoric. Bear-proof waste disposal in all potential bear areas (Grisons, Valais, Ticino, central Switzerland). Mandatory electric fencing for apiaries. Bear-proof containers in settlements and along hiking trails. Prevention must come before the next bear visit, not after it.

Second: No kill without independent review. The decision to kill a bear must not rest solely with cantonal hunting authorities operating under political pressure. An independent expert commission, involving KORA, animal welfare organisations and wildlife biologists, must review every kill order in advance.

Third: Professional game wardens instead of recreational hunting structures. The management of predators must be in the hands of specialist professionals, not in the hands of a system geared towards trophies and meat production. The Geneva model shows how it can be done.

Fourth: Secure and expand wildlife corridors between Trentino and Switzerland. Connecting the alpine sub-populations is vital for their survival. Switzerland must actively take part in international coordination between the Alpine countries and secure migration corridors through spatial planning.

Fifth: A ban on recreational trophy hunting of bears across Europe. Switzerland should press in international bodies for recreational trophy hunting of strictly protected predators to be outlawed and banned throughout Europe.

Sixth: Information and education. People living in potential bear habitats must be given factual information: on how to behave in a bear encounter, on the low actual danger, and on the ecological importance of the bear. Scaremongering by the media and the recreational hunting lobby must be countered with facts.

Arguments: Answers to the most common claims

“The bear is dangerous and has no place in a densely populated cultural landscape.” The experience of the last 20 years in Switzerland shows the opposite: 90 per cent of the bears that have migrated in have behaved inconspicuously. In 2024, around 20,400 brown bears lived across Europe, including in relatively densely populated countries such as Slovenia, Croatia and Slovakia. The examples of Italy, Austria and Slovenia show that the brown bear can find habitat even in cultural landscapes. Pro Natura notes: most bears live shy and secluded lives in forests, far from settlements. Switzerland has forgotten how to live with the bear, but this can be relearned.

“Problem bears must be shot, otherwise they endanger people.” In the most extreme individual cases, a kill may be unavoidable. But the label 'problem bear' obscures the cause: almost always the problem lies not with the bear but with humans. Food conditioning through open waste, unsecured beehives and deliberate feeding create 'problem bears'. Consistent prevention would avert most conflicts. In North America and Scandinavia, bear-proof waste systems have worked for decades.

«Bears kill livestock. That is unacceptable for mountain farmers.» Bear damage is concentrated on apiaries, orchards, small livestock and, rarely, cattle. Under current law, 80 per cent of the damage is compensated by the Confederation and 20 per cent by the canton. Other direct damage is paid for in full by the Confederation. In 2021 the Federal Council confirmed that the compensation system works. Prevention (electric fences, bear-proof beehives, herd protection) is a more effective approach than killing.

«Recreational hunting has nothing to do with the bear; in Switzerland only the wildlife wardens are allowed to shoot anyway.» That is formally correct, but it falls short. Recreational hunting wiped out the bear in Switzerland. The system of recreational hunting still shapes the cultural and political framework in which predators are perceived as competitors and a threat. The recreational hunting lobby fuels fear of predators because their return calls its own narrative into question. In Trentino and Slovenia, it is clear how 'management' becomes a vehicle for the recreational hunting lobby.

«There are already enough bears in Europe; Switzerland does not need to take any in.» The Alpine bear population is one of the most endangered in Europe. It is small, genetically isolated and not viable in the long term. Switzerland lies at the heart of the Alpine arc and is of decisive importance for the natural dispersal and connectivity of bear populations. Anyone who says there are 'enough' bears is ignoring the reality of Alpine fragmentation.

«The Swiss Bear Concept works, doesn't it? Why do we need more?» The bear concept has proven its worth in principle, says the Federal Council. But it was written for a situation in which individual bears pass through. If the Trentino population continues to expand and females migrate into Switzerland, the demands on prevention, education and management will rise considerably. Switzerland must prepare now, not only once the first conflict escalates.

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The brown bear belongs in Switzerland. Not as a heraldic emblem, not as a tourist attraction, not as folklore, but as a living part of an ecosystem that is incomplete without it. Recreational hunting exterminated it. Protection has made its return possible. The question now is whether Switzerland is ready to allow and shape this return, or whether it will drive the bear away a second time, this time not with the shotgun, but with indifference, a lack of prevention and populist talk of 'problem bears'.

Twenty years of bear presence in Switzerland have shown that coexistence is possible. The vast majority of bears behave inconspicuously. The few conflicts are man-made and can be solved by humans. What is missing is not habitat, but political will, consistent prevention and the willingness to recognise the system of recreational hunting for what it is in its dealings with predators: part of the problem, not the solution.

Anyone who bears the bear on their coat of arms must be prepared to live with the bear. Anything else is hypocrisy.

This dossier is continuously updated whenever new studies, figures or political developments require it.

More on the topic of recreational hunting: in our hunting dossier we bring together fact checks, analyses and background reports.

Brown bear Switzerland: Returned and still unwelcome

What awaits you here

Biology and way of life: the shy giant of the Alps

Ecological significance: omnivore, seed disperser, keystone species

History: the extermination and its lessons

20 years of bears in Switzerland: an assessment

The “problem bear” label: political construct rather than biological reality

Threats: what really endangers the brown bear in Switzerland and the Alps

Recreational hunting and the bear: historical guilt, current threat

"Did you know?" 20 facts about the brown bear

What would have to change: political demands

Arguments: Answers to the most common claims

Quick links

Related dossiers:

Our Standard

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