Residents worried

300-kilo brown bear wanders through Carinthian valley

The bear has reportedly been roaming the Gailtal valley since July. Wildlife cameras film it every day.(Bild: Wallner Hannes)

An animal heavyweight is currently causing a stir in the Lower Gail Valley in Upper Carinthia: A brown bear is roaming around in corn fields. It is observed and filmed almost daily.

Since the summer, an adult bear, which was captured by Italian wildlife biologists in the spring and fitted with a transmitter, has been tracking through the Lower Gail Valley. While it was previously mainly spotted between the Feistritzer and Görtschacher Alm, occasionally raiding a few beehives, it is now making its way down into the valley.

Winter bacon from the maize fields
And there it's time to feast: Night after night, the brown bear is drawn to the maize fields on the Feistritzer Moos, where it fills its belly. He eats his winter fat for the upcoming hibernation - and it shows.

Wildlife cameras film the 300-kilo colossus every day.(Bild: Wallner Hannes)

Master Petz is well fed
Wildlife camera images, which arrive daily at the hunting superintendent Johannes Leitner from Feistritz an der Gail, clearly show that Master Petz is round as a ball, well-fed and now probably weighs more than 300 kilograms.

Dogs on a leash!
"There is no great danger from the bear," Leitner reassures us. Nevertheless, he urges caution: walkers should definitely keep their dogs on a lead. Campers and hikers who are out and about in this area should also not leave any leftover food lying around. "This would only attract the bear, which would then lose its fear of humans," warns the hunter. "Especially now, when the bear regularly moves through the valley, consideration is the most important thing."