"Terrible suffering"

Bear alert! Dead young cattle lying right next to cycle path

A bear (symbolic image) is said to be responsible for the tear.(Bild: Frank - stock.adobe.com)

Huge excitement in Tannheim in the Tyrolean district of Reutte: a dead calf was found on Thursday in the Lohmoos mountain pasture area, which is heavily frequented by mountain bikers and hikers. It had probably fallen victim to a bear the night before.

"The animal suffered terribly," said the owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, angrily in an interview with the "Krone" newspaper. The shepherd had discovered the calf on Thursday at around 2 p.m. a few meters below a farm track in the alpine pasture area north of Tannheim.

A terrible sight
The nine-month-old female calf was completely ripped open at the back and was a terrible sight (the "Krone" has the photos). Hunters had seen it alone in the pasture, which was fenced off with an electric fence, at around 10.30 p.m. on Wednesday.

I initially suspected a wolf, but it was pretty clear to the official vet that it was probably a bear bite.

Die Tierbesitzerin

DNA samples taken
"I then reported it to the police in the evening and also informed the Imst district authority," explains the animal owner. And indeed, the official veterinarian came to Tannheim in the evening, looked at the carcass and took DNA samples, which are now being analyzed.

Electric fence no obstacle
"I initially suspected a wolf, but it was pretty clear to the official vet that it was probably a bear bite," says the woman. The electric fence, which was demonstrably switched on, was no obstacle for the predator.

The tear is particularly explosive because it happened just 50 meters away from a popular mountain bike route. "There are lots of cyclists and hikers here every day," says the outraged animal owner.

It is possible that the bear is the same animal that appeared a few days ago in nearby Rehbach on the border with the Allgäu.