Dedicated to the memory

of Fabio Osti

AUTONOMOUS PROVINCE
OF TRENTO

FORESTRY
AND WILDLIFE OFFICE

IFIED

CERT

BEAR REPORT
2009

www.orso.provincia.tn.it
[email protected]

General coordination and supervision

Ruggero Giovannini Director of Wildlife Office
Coordination
Claudio Groff
Edited by:
Davide Dalpiaz
Carlo Frapporti
Claudio Groff
Renato Rizzoli
Paolo Zanghellini
With the contribution of:
Brown Bear Research and Conservation Group,
Adamello Brenta Nature Park
Trento Natural Science Museum
Layout and graphics:
APT Wildlife Office / Publistampa S.N.C.
The information contained in this report
may be quoted, citing
the "2009 Bear Report of the Forestry and
Wildlife Department of
the Autonomous Province of Trento.

Cover:
Br am Ziegenstall (bear at goat shelters),
Taken from Das Thierleben der Alpenwelt,
Friedrich von Tschudi, Leipzig, 1858

Photos:
Forestry and Wildlife Department archives
unless otherwise specified
(F. Faganello - pages 13, 35, 45, 47, 52)
Printed by:
Print centre of the Autonomous Province of Trento
Trento, January 2010
Translation supervised by:
Dept. for the Realisation of Major Events, APT

Every time I returned to those mountains, it seemed impossible that far from the city,
the noise and the dirt, these people talked about animals, deer, trees and even bears, the
Spirit of childhood mountains, as if these were still part of everyday life and an ordinary dimension.
M. Balboni - Il paese alto, 1996

CONTENTS
Presentation

page

Introduction

page

1. Monitoring

page

2. Compensation and prevention of damage

page

29

3. Management of emergencies

page

35

4. Communication

page

42

5. Training

page

47

6. National and international links

page

49

7. Research and conferences

page

50

Appendix 1 The lynx in Trentino in 2009

page

53

Appendix 2 First signs of the presence of wolves in Trentino

after more than 150 years

page

57

2009 BEAR REPORT

Presentation
Management of the brown bear in Trentino is carried out directly by the Autonomous
Province of Trento (APT), on the basis of its statutory responsibilities and existing regulations regarding the protection of wildlife, (L.P. of 9 December 1991, no. 24). Since 2002, following the adoption of specific lines of intervention by the provincial government, the
Forestry and Wildlife Department has been responsible for the realisation of the relevant programmes of action.
The Department's main partner at operational level is the Adamello Brenta Nature Park,
(ABNP) which promoted the Life Ursus project during the latter part of the 1990s, thanks
to which the continuing presence of the bear in our mountains was ensured. The park,
which is an autonomous body funded by the Province, collaborates in various activities,
particularly in the field of research, monitoring and communication.
Given the national and international importance of managing a species such as the bear,
the Ministry for the Environment and the Safeguarding of Land and Seas (MESLS) and the
Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA) also represent indispensible institutional and technical-scientific partners.
Through the Autonomous Province of Trento's Bear Report, a technical document
drawn up by the Wildlife Office, it is intended to pursue two important objectives. Firstly,
to provide accurate, clear, up-to-date and detailed information on the status of the small
bear population living in western Trentino and neighbouring regions and nations. Secondly, it aims to record in a precise and analytical manner a range of data illustrating the
management techniques implemented, in order to make it possible for those in the field
to make use of this data, by consulting a document which is as complete and exhaustive
as possible.
The first objective falls fully within the context of the information campaign Getting
to know the brown bear, started up by the provincial administration in 2002, with the
conviction that the Bear Report represents one of the key aspects of this campaign. The
second objective is more specifically related to operational and management aspects.
However, both respond to the need to provide the technical staff and authorities concerned with better knowledge, allowing them to make the right choices, guaranteeing the
success of the project and hence the conservation of the bear.
This issue of the report shows that management of the bear is gradually consolidating
with the progressive acquiring of operational ability in terms of structures and staff,
demonstrating both the correctness and topicality of the choices made, including the desire to make available the experience gained in the most transparent and complete manner.
At the same time there were interesting new developments in 2009 as regards both the
lynx and the wolf, the latter in particular reappearing in Trentino for the first time in
more than a century. Thus the province of Trento is the first area in the Italian alps to have
objectively recorded the presence of all three large carnivores (the bear, the lynx and the
wolf), after they disappeared or became extremely rare in the 19th and 20th centuries. Is
this just a first step towards their definitive return to our mountains? At all events, the
path to be followed will be neither short nor without difficulty, above all in social terms.
In conclusion, our heartfelt thanks must also go to all those, in particular Trento Natural Science Museum (TNSM), who in various ways have collaborated in order to realise
the individual initiatives in the programmes of action, above all to the forestry and tech5

2009 BEAR REPORT

nical staff of the Forestry and Wildlife Department, the forest wardens, park wardens,
gamekeepers and volunteers who have worked in the area in order to realise the projects
and to gather the data without which this report could not have been written.

DOTT.

MAURIZIO ZANIN

Manager of APT's Forestry and Wildlife Department

2009 BEAR REPORT

Introduction
The brown bear has never completely disappeared from Trentino, which is thus the
only area in the Alps that can proudly affirm
the continuous presence of bears. However,
protection of bears, which began in 1939, has
not eliminated the risk of their becoming extinct. Direct persecution by man and, to a
lesser extent, modifications to the environment taking place in the last two centuries reduced the original population, bringing it to
the threshold of extinction. At the end of the
1990s there were probably no more than three
or four bears remaining, confined to the
north-eastern Brenta area. However, just when
all seemed lost, there was turn in fortunes,
originating in the action taken by ABNP, which
started up the Life Ursus project together with
APT and ISPRA (formerly INFS), co-funded by
the European Union. Between 1999 and 2002
this led to the release of 10 bears (3 males and
7 females), giving rise to the population to
which this report refers. The release of the
bears was preceded by a detailed feasibility
study supervised by ISPRA, which ascertained
the environmental suitability of a sufficiently
large area to play host to a viable bear population (40-60 bears), which is the ultimate aim
of the project. This area extends well beyond
the confines of the province of Trento, also involving neighbouring regions and nations.
Following the conclusion of the phase involving the release of the animals, the phase
dedicated to the conservation and standard
management of the bear population, perhaps
even more demanding, began in 2002. For this
purpose the provincial government laid down
the operational guidelines on which these

management activities should be based in resolutions no. 1428 and no. 1988 of 26 June
2002 and 9 August 2002. In particular, six action programmes were identified (monitoring,
damage management, management of emergencies, staff training, communication and national and international links), which represent the underlying structure followed in this
report.

2009 BEAR REPORT

1. Monitoring
Monitoring of the bear has been carried out
continuously by the Autonomous Province of
Trento for more than 30 years. Over time, traditional survey techniques in the field have
been supplemented by radiotelemetry (the
first radio collars used in Eurasia, in the second half of the 1970s), automatic video control by remote stations, photo-traps and finally, in the last few years, by genetic
monitoring.
This last technique is based on the collection of organic samples (hairs and scats) and
takes place using two methods commonly defined as systematic monitoring, based on the
use of traps with scent bait, designed to "capture" hairs using barbed wire, and as opportunistic monitoring, which is based on the
collection of organic samples found in the area
during routine service activities. In the last few
years, genetic monitoring has represented the
most crucial technique for collecting information regarding the bear population present in
the province. Since 2006, systematic monitoring in the area constantly frequented by bears
has taken place in alternate years. Hence it
took place in 2008 and will be carried out

again in 2010. Thus the results of genetic monitoring in 2009 (carried out exclusively using
the opportunistic system) are only partially
comparable with the 2008 results. This comparison will only be fully valid when it is possible to make use of the data to be collected in
2010 using both the methods cited.
Genetic monitoring was coordinated for
the seventh consecutive year by the Forestry
and Wildlife Department of APT, with the collaboration of ISPRA, ABNP, the Associazione
Cacciatori Trentini (ACT) and a number of volunteers. It is nevertheless implicit that the
monitoring techniques cited do not guarantee
that all the bears present will be detected.

Genetic database
311 organic samples were collected in
the province of Trento in 2009, all using the
opportunistic method, bringing the total
number of samples collected and subjected
to genetic testing since 2002 to more than
3,000 (Graph 1).
The 311 samples were collected by the staff
of the Forestry Service of the Autonomous
Province of Trento (FS) (200 - 64%), by

Graph 1

N of traps

N of organic samples for each method

* only within ABNP

2009 BEAR REPORT

ABNP (68 - 22%) and by volunteers (43 - 14%).

A further 63 samples were collected outside
the province (in the province of Bolzano, in
the Lombardia and Veneto regions and in
Austria), contributing towards determining
the total number of bears identified.
In 2009 genetic analysis was carried out
by technicians assigned the task by APT,
who made use of ISPRA's laboratories and
the support of this institute and the University of Idaho (USA). The samples collected,
mostly hairs and faeces, but also tissue from
a captured bear, were sent to the laboratory
for genetic analysis. The first phase of testing involved the extraction of DNA. In the
case of hairs the DNA is obtained from the
cells found at the root, whereas in the case
of faeces it comes from cells sloughed off
during digestion and contained there. The
DNA isolated in this way was amplified
using the polymerase chain reaction technique (PCR) to identify the individual using
microsatellite markers. Gender was identified using markers linked to sexual chromosomes and bear samples were distinguished

from those of other species of mammals

using mitochondrial DNA. Analysis of kinship was then carried out to identify new
cubs and the respective parents and to reconstruct the pedigree of the population.
The tests were carried out on the basis of
standard protocols and the data was validated using population genetics software.
The organic samples collected can be
analysed in the standard manner (results
at the end of the season) or in more urgent
cases, using faster procedure (results within
one week from receipt of the sample).

Status of the population at the

end of 2009
Processing of the data collected has provided the following information regarding
the brown bear population present in
Trentino and neighbouring regions in
2009. Starting from 2008, newborn animals and/or bears moving into the area
have been identified with progressive numbering preceded by the letter F for females and M for males. Information regarding the identity of the parents is known
and available in a specific database.
Definitions
detected bears: bears whose presence has been ascertained genetically
or by unequivocal observation during
the last year;
"undetected bears": bears for which no
evidence has been found in the last year
alone;
"missing bears: bears certainly or most
likely no longer present within the population, as they have been found dead,
killed, taken into captivity or for which
no genetic evidence has been found in
the last two years;
cubs: bears aged between 0 and 1;
young bears: males between the age
of 1 and 5 and females between the age
of 1 and 3
adults: males over the age of 5 and females over the age of 3.

2009 BEAR REPORT

Overall 25 animals were traced genetically during 2009 (Graph 2); 13 males and
12 females (M-F sex ratio 1.08:1 - n=25). For
the first time since the conclusion of the reintroduction project (2002), a case of an immigrating bear was recorded in the easternmost
part of the province (the young male M5,
which is probably of Slovenian origin and was
estimated to be between 3 and 5 years old).
Considering that this year genetic monitoring
was carried out using the opportunistic
method alone, it is not certain that almost all
the bears making up the population were genetically detected. As regards this, it should be

highlighted that in the period from 2004 to

2008 a number varying from a minimum of
one to a maximum of six bears were detected
each year by the systematic monitoring system
alone. Considering the possibility of the presence of other individuals not detected in the
last year alone (5), and excluding those missing for two or more years (10), the estimated
population in 2009 ranges from 25 to 30
bears. It should be underlined that the minimum number (25) represents the number of
bears certainly present, whereas the maximum
(30) is exclusively an evaluation on the
basis of probability.

Graph 2

Structure of the population at the end of 2009

Males
Females

Age (years)

Estimated age

Sexual maturity of males

Sexual maturity of females

Bears

Reproduction
In 2009 there were two recorded litters,
with a total of three cubs. DJ3 gave birth to
two cubs (two males, M7 and M8) and MJ2
gave birth to one cub (a female, F5). For DJ3,
a female aged 6, this was the second litter,
both consisting of two cubs (2007 and 2009),
as it was for MJ2, aged 7 (two cubs in 2006
and one in 2009); the latter represents the first
recorded case of a gap of three years between
litters (rather than two) for this population.
A third unidentified female accompanied
10

by a cub is considered likely to be present in

the southern Brenta area (Photo 1), following
numerous sightings apparently excluding the
possibility of this being MJ2. Finally, the presence of a fourth female with a cub is considered possible in the northern Brenta area.
However, to date there is no genetic or objective evidence of both these last two cubs and it
will only be possible to confirm their presence
in the future.
There have therefore been at least 18 litters recorded in Trentino in the last eight

2009 BEAR REPORT

Photo 1 (A. Caliari)

years, while no less than 38 cubs have been

born (21 males, 17 females - Graph 3). The
average number of cubs per litter is 2.11 and

the M-F sex ratio is 1.24:1 (2002-2009, n=38).

Reproductive bears. There were two sexually mature males present in 2009: Gasper,

Graph 3

N of litters and cubs 2002 2009

Litters
Male cubs

Year

Female cubs

N of litters and cubs

11

2009 BEAR REPORT

aged 10 and MJ4, aged 5, whereas the presence of Joze was not detected. It should however be noted that there are a further four
males aged four (without considering M5 as to
date he has frequented a different area, where
there are no females), who could theoretically
already reproduce, given the number of adult
females present (nine) and the information in
the bibliography regarding the sexual maturity
of young males.
Gasper has reproduced in all the last four
years; no less than ten times with six different
females (with a total of 19 cubs, the same
number fathered by Joze).
To date ten females are certain to have had
cubs: the five founders (Jurka, Daniza, Maja,
Brenta and Kirka) and five bears born in
Trentino (KJ1, KJ2, MJ2, DJ1 and DJ3).
Daniza, MJ2 and KJ2 are the only females to
have mated with both males; Kirka, Jurka,
Maja and Brenta have only mated with Joze;
KJ1, DJ1 and DJ3 only with Gasper.
The average age of primiparous females
in the period 2006-2009 (n=5) has been 3.4

to date; this is relatively young if compared

with the data available in the literature and
may represent a further sign of the environmental suitability of the area frequented by
the bears.
The average gap between consecutive litters for the same female, recorded in the period 2002-2009 (n=8 gaps, referring to 7 females), was 2.12 years.
The average number of cubs per litter to
date has been essentially proportional to the
age of the mother, with less than 2 cubs for females aged 3-4, around 2 for females aged 57 and 3 for females aged 8 or over (see Graph
4). The correlation between the average number of cubs per litter and the age of the mother
is represented with a certain degree of approximation by the red polynomial regression
line in the graph, with a coefficient of determination of 0.84.
As already seen, there are nine reproductive females currently present. Considering that
two of them undoubtedly gave birth in 2009
and a further two may have done so, there are

Graph 4

Average number of cubs/mother's age

Average no. of cubs

N= number of births recorded

Age of mothers (in years)

12

2009 BEAR REPORT

five-seven females theoretically able to reproduce in 2010, as the two-four bears who had
litters in 2009 would not normally be expected
to give birth again before 2011.

Bears absent in 2008 but detected

once again in 2009
During 2009, two bears which were absent
in 2008 were genetically detected: the male
M6 born to DJ3 and Gasper, probably in January 2007, and the four-year-old female DG3.
The case of M6 is particularly interesting, as in
the year of his birth, this bear was only observed, together with his mother and sister
(see the 2007 Bear Report, page 6) and not
identified genetically, not even in the following
year (2008). This is the first case in Trentino of
a bear being identified genetically after two
years during which no genetic traces had been
found.

Bears not detected in 2009

Five bears present in 2008 were unde-

tected for the first year (Joze, the brother

and sister M1 and F4, born in 2008, BJ1,
a female born in 2005 and MJ5, a male born
in 2005). They have not yet been classified as
"missing" bears (see Definitions on page 9), as
there are concrete possibilities that they are
still present.

Missing bears
In 2009 no deaths or killings were
recorded.
Genetic monitoring highlighted the absence
of all the bears (eight) already missing in
2008, in addition to a further eight bears
found dead (5 cases), killed (2 cases) or taken
into captivity (1 case).
Two further bears (the male DJ1G1 and
the female DJ3G1, both born in 2007) were
added to those missing, as for the second consecutive year in 2009 no genetic traces of them
were found.
Thus there were a total of eighteen missing bears at the end of 2009.
13

2009 BEAR REPORT

Graph 5 shows the relationship between

missing bears, bears undetected in 2009 alone

and bears present. 37% of the theoretically

possible population was missing.

Graph 5

Bears present/missing

N of bears

Missing
Not detected in 2009
Present

Founders

Born in Trentino

Graph 6 shows the balance between

births-immigrating/missing bears year by
year. In 2009 there was a positive balance (+2).

This was the result of three births, 1 immigrating bear, no recorded deaths and two new
bears classified as missing.

Graph 6

Balance of population

Born immigrating
Missing

N of bears

Balance

Years

14

Total

2009 BEAR REPORT

Considering the year of their disappearance, the missing bears (n=18) were made up
of six adults, five young bears and seven cubs
(see Graph 7).

Of the missing bears, ten have not been detected genetically for at least two years,
seven have died and one was taken into captivity (Graph 8).

Graph 7

Graph 8

Missing bears: age groups

(2009-2009 n=18)

Missing bears: causes

(2009-2009 - n=18)

The dead bears belonged to the following

age groups: cubs (3), young bears (3) and
adults (1), the proportion being shown in
Graph 9.

The deaths (Table 1) were the result of natural causes in three cases (MJ1, DG1 and
Brenta) and due to human action in the other
four cases (Graph 10).

Graph 9

Graph 10

Dead bears: age groups

(2002-2009 - n=7)

JJ1 and JJ3 were shot

down abroad as a result of
management decisions (respectively in Bavaria and
Switzerland), KJ2G1 died in
an accident during a capture
operation and F1 was killed
in a road accident.

Survival rates
The data available makes
it possible to calculate the

Dead bears: causes

(2002-2009 - n=7)

Table 1 Mortality-causes

year

2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
TOTAL

natural
causes

road
accident

shot down during

management

accident during
management

1
1

other

total deaths

0
1
0
0
3
0
3
0
7

15

2009 BEAR REPORT

survival rate for the three different age

groups (cubs, young bears and adults, as described in the Definitions), differentiated for
the two sexes (Graph 11).
The data refers to a period of 8 years
(2002-2009), during which it was possible
to record the survival or death of 42 bears,
with 136 passages from one year to another
(136 bear-years). The "mortality" category,
considered in the broader sense, also in-

cluded bears it had not been possible to detect for at least the previous two years (10
cases) and bears taken into captivity (1
case), confirming the criteria used for the
definition of "missing" bears, in addition to
cases of certain death (7). Thus the figures
also included the three bears destroyed/removed following management decisions
(JJ1, JJ3 and Jurka).
Excluding the three bears destroyed or

Graph 11

% survival

Survival rates by age groups

General
Females
Males

cubs

young bears

Age groups

removed and referring thus exclusively to

natural, causes of death, one can note an
increase in the survival rate for young males
(from 80% to 90%) and of adult females
(from 88.1% to 90.5%).
The graph nevertheless highlights a significant difference between the two sexes in
relation to the survival rate of young bears,
with females doing better. This is perhaps
due to the effectively greater vulnerability
of males, which usually move over a wider
area, thus being exposed to greater risks,
and to the fact they have a longer phase of
youth before reaching reproductive age.

16

adults

2009 BEAR REPORT

Structure of the population

At the end of 2009 the recorded population
was made up of eleven adults (nine females
and two males), eleven young bears (two females and nine males) and three cubs (one
female and two males). Graph 12 shows the

trend for the 2002-2009 period. The larger

number of young males (78%) as compared to
females (22%) can also be explained by the
previously mentioned different duration of
youth for the two sexes.
The trend for the small population thus ap-

Graph 12

N of bears

Age groups

Year
Adults
Young bears
Cubs
Total

pears to be essentially stable for the last year.

The minimum certain number indeed increased by one, considering however the immigrating bear frequenting eastern Trentino.
As the numbers are still very small, the future of the population remains uncertain and
even casual individual episodes (losses) could
compromise development; at all events, it
should be recalled, as highlighted at the beginning of the chapter, that the results of genetic monitoring in 2009 (exclusively opportunistic) are only partly comparable with the
2008 results.
The percentage of bears in the three age
groups (adults, young bears and cubs) in the
17

2009 BEAR REPORT

period 2002-2009 is shown in

Graph 13. For the third year in
a row there was substantial
stability in terms of the number of adults, around 40% of
the population, whereas there
continued to be fluctuation in
terms of the number of cubs
and young bears, the latter
being closely linked to the former (and succeeding them
chronologically).
It is also interesting to note
the evolution in the average
age of the bear population

Graph 13

% of bears in different age groups

Adults
Young bears
Cubs

Year

over the eight years examined (Graph 14); in

2009, for the third consecutive year, there was
a slight increase in average age (now 4.48).
Considering that the survival rates found to
date have increased proportionally with the
age of the bears, the increase in the average age

of the animals can, at this stage, be considered

to be a positive sign for the future of the small
population.

Use of the territory

22 out of the 25 bears traced in 2009 were

Graph 14

Average age of bears

General
Females

Average age

Males

Years

18

2009 BEAR REPORT

detected in the Trentino area. In 2009 the

presence of 5 animals was detected with certainty outside the borders of the province (2
of these also in Trentino), all young males age
three or four: DG2 and MJ2G1 in the province
of Bolzano, JJ5 in Lombardia (and from June
once again in Trentino), KJ2G2 in Veneto and
Austria, M5 in Veneto and Trentino.

The 493 overall signs of presence collected

within the province during 2009 (indicators of
presence shown in the weekly reports, genetic
monitoring data, other) are shown in Figure 1.
The Brenta mountains and the neighbouring Paganella-Gazza mountains still represent
the core area for the small population, whereas
the neighbouring areas on the left hand side of

Figure 1
Reports of the presence of bears in the province of Trento in 2009

the Val di Non, the left hand side and upper

Val di Sole, the Presanella and Adamello
mountains, the Ledro Alps and the BondoneStivo mountain chains, still saw relatively sporadic frequentation. It is worth mentioning the
return of the four-year-old male JJ5, born to
Jurka and Joze, who having spent around 25
months in Lombardia (from May 2007 to June
2009) was detected from June to October in
the area around Val Rendena and San Lorenzo
in Banale.

The reports relating to eastern Trentino

refer almost entirely to the young male identified genetically as M5, the second certain
case of immigration to Trentino from the east,
following the appearance of the bear known
as Friz, detected in eastern Trentino and the
Belluno area in the 1999-2001 period. Considering the route taken by M5 to reach eastern Trentino, documented genetically at least
in the final stages, it is believed that the bear
was born in Slovenia (no births have ever been
19

2009 BEAR REPORT

Figure 2
detected in the Carinthia
Indicators of the presence of the bears M5 and KJ2G2 in the province of Belluno (source:
area in Austria or in Friuli
Province of Belluno)
Venezia Giulia) and that his
subsequent roaming led
him to our province, passing through the Belluno
area.
Another bear which had
also frequented western
Trentino during 2008
(KJ2G2, coming from the
population originating with
the Life Ursus project)
moved suddenly and decisively towards the north in
the spring, leaving the Asiago tableland, crossing first
the Valsugana and then the
province of Belluno, until he
entered eastern Tyrol (Austria). Here at the beginning
of June (on the 4th to be
precise), the last certain genetic data relating to him
was collected, following an
episode in which he was
recorded as having preyed
on sheep.
In the spring of 2009 in
the province of Belluno, the
home-ranges of a bear originating in the Balkans and a bear coming Photo 2
Bear tracks in the Val dei Mocheni (V. Cristofori)
from the population in the central Alps were
thus overlapping, albeit in a temporary manner and in relation to two roaming males (figure 2). This is the first time that this has been
documented following the separation of the
two populations, which took place during the
19th century.
As regards the eastern part of the province,
it is worth recalling the finding of a bear's
tracks in the Val dei Mocheni, on the slopes of
Mount Gronlait on 2 May 2009 (photo 2).
These belonged to an unidentified smallmedium sized bear and are hence unlikely to
belong to the two bears mentioned above. The
sighting reported along the old provincial road
between Levico and Pergine in the same period probably refers to the same animal.

20

2009 BEAR REPORT

Roaming
It has been possible to document the
roaming of nine bears (young males) in
the period 2005-2009. Five of these were
still alive in 2009 (three outside the
province and two returning after around
two years spent outside the province), two
were killed following management decisions, one disappeared in 2005 in the area
bordering on the Engadin (Switzerland)
and the province of Bolzano, whereas the
last has not been detected in the last year
(last certain reports of presence in 2008 in
the upper Val di Non on the border with the
province of Bolzano).

It should be highlighted that the fate of

a further five males disappearing between
the ages of one and three and which could
have begun roaming is unknown.

Area occupied by the population

Considering also the longest journeys
made by young males during 2009, the
population of brown bears present in the
central Alps, which is mainly centred
around western Trentino, currently
stretches over a theoretical area of around
18,000 Km. The area occupied by the females in a stable manner is decidedly
smaller (955 Km) and situated within the

21

2009 BEAR REPORT

province (see Figures 3 and 4). The areas

occupied have been estimated using the minimum convex polygon method, applied to
100% of the fixes available. This also led to
the inclusion of vast areas which are not suitable and/or not actually used, especially
within the macro-area including the movements of young males.
The relative density of the area frequented by the bears in a more stable man-

ner (c. 20-22 bears over an area of 955,

namely 2.1 bears/100 Km) is in line with
the data available in the bibliography in relation to the alpine environment and the forecasts of the feasibility study which preceded
the Life Ursus project.

Other monitoring activities in

2009
As will be explained in more detail in the

Figure 3
Area occupied by the bears in the central Alps in 20098 (in blue), highlighting the area within this occupied by females in a stable
manner (in pink)

22

2009 BEAR REPORT

Figure 4
Detail of the area occupied by females in 2009 (955 km2)

chapter relating to the management of emergencies, during 2009 the male bear M5 was
captured and fitted with a radio collar, his behaviour making more intense monitoring of
his movements necessary. Radiotelemetric
monitoring was also used for the females DJ3

(for the whole year) and KJ1G1 (only up to

21 April, when the collar came off at Din,
above Lake Molveno).
The 2009 home-ranges of DJ3 and M5,
calculated using the Minimum Convex Polygon method (MCP), stretched respectively
23

2009 BEAR REPORT

Figure 5
Home-range of DJ3 in 2009 (MCP)

Figure 6
Home-range of DJ3 in 2009 (LoCoh)

24

over 267 km and 150

km (respectively 1,433
and 288 GPS fixes in the
periods 1 January - 30
November and 15 October 27 November) and
are shown in figures 5
and 7. In figures 6 and 8
the same home-ranges
were calculated using the
LoCoh method, to highlight the use of aggregate
and non uniform spaces
recorded in both cases.

2009 BEAR REPORT

Figure 7
Home-range of M5 in 2009 (MPC)

25

2009 BEAR REPORT

Figure 8
Home-range of M5 nel 2009 (LoCoh)

26

2009 BEAR REPORT

The genetic monitoring conducted without

interruption since 2002 has made it possible
to follow most of the bears in a continuing
manner, confirming their presence over time

and, at least partially, the home-ranges used.

As an example, below we give the home-ranges
(MCP) of the male Gasper and the female
Daniza from 2004 to 2009 (figures 9 and 10).

Figure 9
Home-range of Gasper in the 2004-2009 period

Figure 10
Home-range of Daniza in the 2004-2009 period

Monitoring of dens

Photo 3
Bears' dens often have a very small entrance (A. Caliari)

The Bear Project - monitoring of dens,

promoted and realised by the Adamello
Brenta Nature Park starting from 2005 with
the scope of understanding the characteristics
and locations of sites used by bears for hibernation, currently centres on analysis of the microclimatic conditions inside dens actually
used or potentially exploitable. In the conviction that temperature and humidity orient the
ecological winter choices of the species, starting from 2008 surveying of these parameters
was started up using special microclimatic
sensors. In the summer of 2009, the 59 sensors installed in 2008 were collected: 27 from
dens actually used by bears (with the presence
of bedding material) and 32 in potential caves.
In addition to this, activities in the field led to

27

2009 BEAR REPORT

the positioning of a further 47 sensors inside

further caves: 23 dens and 24 potential caves.
The ultimate scope of this phase of the investigation is to monitor all known hibernation
sites by 2010, together with a significant number of potential caves, in order to gain more
information about the climatic characteristics
of the caves in the months during which the
bears hibernate. At the same time the search

28

for and monitoring of new hibernation sites

and potential caves continued. During exploratory activities in 2009, new caves were
discovered and described and were added to
those discovered during exploration of the territory (1988-2009) over a period of 22 years,
bringing the total number of known hibernation sites in Trentino to 65 (and potential
caves to 77).

2009 BEAR REPORT

2. Damage compensation and prevention

By now APT has gained more than thirty
years experience as regards compensation and
prevention of damage caused by brown bears.
Indeed, since 1976 100% of all damage has
been reimbursed and it is possible to acquire
preventive works (mostly electric fencing), either with funding covering up to 90% of costs
or through a system of gratuitous loans. The
relative regulations, dealt with in article 22 of
provincial law no.24/91, have been revised several times and updated over the years, most recently with Provincial Government resolution
no. 2296 of 3 November 2006, also on the basis
of the directives imposed by the Provincial Government in the previously mentioned resolution no. 1988 of 9 August 2002. The regulations regarding works for the prevention of
damage were instead last updated with resolution no. 232 of 5 May 2006 of the manager of
the Forestry and Wildlife Department

Compensation for damage caused

by bears
In 2009, 121 notifications of damage for
which it was possible to establish that bears
were responsible were forwarded to the department; 108 claims for compensation were

received, of which 102 have been processed

and 6 are currently being examined, whereas
13 notifications were not followed by the presentation of formal claims for compensation.
100 claims were accepted, 1 partially accepted
and 1 refused (in both cases the prevention
works provided by APT had not been mounted
by the claimer). In 80% of cases in which damage by wild predators was notified, inspections
were carried out to check on the damage reported, followed up by specific reports ascertaining the damage.
Overall, 48,060.59 compensation for
damage caused by brown bears was paid.
In the western part of the province (the area
historically frequented by the bears) there was
a fall of 37% in cases of damage caused by
bears, falling from 139 in 2008 to 88 in 2009
(this however is without considering the damage in eastern Trentino, which was a new factor linked to the presence of the male M5 in
the area).
This fall in the number of cases of damage
as compared to 2008 may be motivated by the
substantial availability of wild ungulate carcases in spring 2009, following a winter with a
large amount of snow, and by the fact that two

29

2009 BEAR REPORT

bears which caused a particularly large amount

of damage during 2008 were subjected to dissuasion activities last year when captured in
order to fit them with radio collars; finally the
number of works for damage prevention in the
area is now significant and may have contributed partly to lowering the number of cases
of damage reported.
In 77 cases, namely 63% of all cases of damage recorded, genetic monitoring made it possible to determine the identity of the bears involved with certainty. The 77 cases of damage
were attributed to 19 different bears and the
animals causing most damage were M5, linked
to 20 cases of damage (26%), KJ2 with 9 cases
of damage (12%), MJ4 with 6 cases (8%),

Daniza, JJ5 and M4 with 5 cases each (6%).

Thus the six bears mentioned above were responsible for 64% of the damage for which the
author was identified, reinforcing the idea that
there are a few bears which tend to cause damage habitually and many bears that rarely cause
damage.
Graph 15 shows the trend in the damage
caused by brown bears and for which compensation has been paid over the years, whereas
graphs 16 and 17 show the chronological distribution of this damage in 2009 and in the period 2002-2009.
The geographical distribution of recorded
damage caused by bears can be seen in
Figure 11.

Graph 15

Damage for which compensation was paid from 1990 to 2009

(applications for December are currently being processed).

Euro

N of incidents

Euro
N of incidents

Years
Graph 16

No. of incidents ascertained by type in 2009

N of incidents

LIVESTOCK
BEE-KEEPING
CROPS
OTHER

Month

30

2009 BEAR REPORT

Graph 17

No. of incidents ascertained by type in 2002-2009

N of incidents

LIVESTOCK
BEE-KEEPING
CROPS
OTHER

Year
Figure 11
Geographical distribution of damage recorded in 2009 caused by bears

Prevention of damage by bears

In 2009, 56 applications for funding were
presented for prevention works designed to
protect assets from damage by brown bears;

1 application was withdrawn by the applicant, 2 were rejected and 53 have been
processed. Overall 62 works were distributed
(of which 32 designed to protect beekeeping
31

2009 BEAR REPORT

and 30 to protect livestock), with an overall

expenditure of 23,038; almost all of these
involved the stipulation of gratuitous loans.
One specific case of prevention work designed to protect a farm inside the wildlife
area of Spormaggiore, due to the large size
involved, led to expenditure of 3,241. It
should be highlighted that a further 13
works were distributed in the Primiero area,
considering the presence of the bear M5. In
this case the works were all lent temporar-

ily by the provincial administration (rather

than in the form of long-term gratuitous
loan of use), considering that the presence
of a young roaming bear may be only temporary and occasional.
Below it is possible to see the trend in the
distribution of prevention works over a number of years (Graph 18) and the different
types of work in the period 2002-2009
(Graph 19), with reference to livestock and
beekeeping.

Graph 18

Prevention works funded from 1989 to 2009

Euro

N of works funded

Euro
Total n of works

Year

Graph 19

Prevention works funded from 2002 to 2009 by type

N of works funded

Bee-keeping
Livestock

Year

32

2009 BEAR REPORT

The geographical distribution of the works

set up in 2008 can be seen in Figure 12.
Figure 12
Location of prevention works over 2009

33

2009 BEAR REPORT

Support for farming activities

On 3 June 2009 and 18 June 2009, two
prefabricated structures were transported by
helicopter to the mountains in order to allow
shepherds to remain close to two large flocks
throughout the mountain grazing season (at
Prada and Valandro, respectively in the munic-

34

ipalities of Dorsino and Stenico); on 28 September and 15 October respectively, these were
once again taken back down to the valley. Once
again in 2009 the number of animals lost in
these two large flocks (which included more
than 2,000 animals in total) due to the action
of bears was extremely limited (5 animals).

2009 BEAR REPORT

3. Management of emergencies
The law of 11 February 1992 no. 157 includes the brown bear among the species
granted special protection (art. 2, paragraph 1).
The D.P.R. of 8 September 1997 no. 357
(subsequently amended and supplemented
by D.P.R. 120/03), implementing the
92/43/EEC directive regarding the conservation of natural and semi-natural habitats
and wild flora and fauna, includes this
species in enclosure B (species of community interest, whose conservation requires
the designation of special areas of conservation) and D (species of community interest which require strict protection), thus
considering the brown bear as a priority
species.
The current national legal framework
therefore forbids the disturbing, capture and
killing of large predators (D.P.R. 357/97, art. 8).
However, action may be taken to control
problem bears in critical situations, in accordance with the provisions of national,
regional and provincial regulations (D.P.R.
357/97, art. 11, paragraph 1; L. 157/92,

art. 19, paragraph 2; L. 394/91, art. 11,

paragraph 4 and art. 22, paragraph 6).
Indeed, in order to avoid conflict with
human activities and for reasons of public
safety or for other compelling reasons of relevant public interest, the possibility of an exception to the ban on the capturing or
killing of animals is provided for, subject to
the authorisation of the Ministry for the Environment, Land and Seas, having consulted
ISPRA, on condition that there are no other
practicable solutions and that departure
from the rules does not prejudice the satisfactory conservation of the populations of
the protected species, (D.P.R. 357/97, art. 11
paragraph 1).
In the province of Trento the management of emergencies represents a field of action in which it has only been necessary to operate in the last few years, given the
considerable expansion in the bear population
and more specifically as a result of the presence of a few individuals considered to be
problematic.

35

2009 BEAR REPORT

In July 2003 the Ministry for the Environment, Land and Seas authorised the Autonomous Province of Trento, according to
D.P.R. 357/97 and subsequent amendments,
to intervene as provided for in the special
protocol for action regarding problem bears
and intervention in critical situations.
This protocol provides the technical
guidelines on the basis of which the Forestry
and Wildlife Department, which represents
the provincial organisation of reference, has
identified, trained and equipped the staff in
charge of intervening in these situations. Operational management in Trentino is based
on the use of staff from the provincial
forestry service (PFS), to which the Forestry
and Wildlife Department makes recourse,
through the setting up of a special unit
which is on call.
This has been operational since 2004 and
is active each year from March to November.

In 2009 it was made up of 9 coordinators,

who have the support of an emergency team
made up of two people, also on call in turn
within a group of specially chosen and
trained staff made up of 14 members. When
necessary the team is joined by veterinary
staff from the provincial health services
(given special training since 2008) or from
outside the administration.

Activities of the emergency

team
During 2009 there were no cases of critical
situations, understood as situations in which
bears were involved in situations justifying the
putting into effect of dissuasive measures or
removal. Indeed, in all 24 cases when the
emergency team was called on, following the
reporting of damage or sightings close to inhabited areas, their action was limited to protecting and informing the population, without

Graph 20

Emergency team call-outs in the period 2002-2009

N of cases of intervention

In brackets the number of cases of direct

intervention on bears

Year

any direct intervention as regards the animals

(Graph 20).
In general, it is believed that the drastic fall
in emergencies as compared to 2008 was at
36

least partly attributable to the reduction in the

activities of three individuals (KJ1G1, DJ3 and
Daniza) who had created the biggest problems
during the 2008 season. This would seem to

2009 BEAR REPORT

significantly influence the overall picture,

given the limited number of bears present
(even lower if reference is made to the few
problem bears). In particular the two bears fitted with radio collars last year precisely in
order to allow better control, also in terms of
dissuasion (DJ3 and KJ1G1) have behaved in
a more reserved manner, approaching inhabited areas considerably less and causing
less damage (as it was possible to ascertain

through radiotelemetry). It is believed that a

significant contribution to this change was the
"traumatic release" following their capture
(with the firing of rubber bullets and pursuit by
bear dogs). In this context it is possible to draw
initial positive conclusions as regards the action
taken, although its efficacy also in the mediumlong term will still need to be evaluated. The
location of intervention by the emergency bear
team in 2009 is shown in Figure 13.

Figure 13
Location of intervention by the emergency team

37

2009 BEAR REPORT

A separate case concerns the young male

M5, probably of Slovenian origin, which frequented the area around Primiero from the
month of June, causing a certain amount of
alarm due to the damage caused, mainly to
sheep/goat farms and bee-keeping. However,
his behaviour never required the intervention
of the emergency bear team. Indeed the
predatory episodes, although frequent, took
place in the mountains, almost always at
night and were directed above all at unguarded flocks. This behaviour, although
damaging and socially not without problems,
should not be considered an indication of a
particularly problematical bear, above all
when this is facilitated by local socioeconomic conditions (the pasture for small flocks
is mostly wild in the case of Primiero), as in
the case in question. The social alarm caused
by numerous incidents involving damage and
thus the need to better monitor the animal's
movements, along with the considerable scientific interest linked to the possibility of
studying the behaviour of a roaming bear
which did not belong to the population of
western Trentino, led to the decision to nevertheless proceed with capture of the bear in
Photo 4

38

order to fit him with a radio collar. In the following paragraph the main phases in the capture are briefly

Capture
To deal with the management of emergencies there is a "capture team made up of
staff specially trained for these activities, supported by veterinary staff.
In 2009 it was considered opportune to
capture only one bear, the young male M5,
displaying the problematical behaviour described in the previous paragraph, in order to
fit him with a radio-collar.
On the evening of 14 October in Primiero
(Val Canali), inside the Paneveggio-Pale di
San Martino Nature Park, the bear, a male
weighing 175 kg and estimated to be between
3 and 5 years old, was captured using an
Aldrich snare, positioned close to the carcass
of a sheep previously preyed on by the same
bear (Photo 4) and fitted with a radio-collar
operating using the VHF and satellite system.
Rapid genetic tests established that the bear
did not belong to the population present in
western Trentino.
The capture was also intended as an op-

2009 BEAR REPORT

portunity to carry out dissuasive action to discourage the bear. His liberation (Photo 5) thus
took place, as tried out in the past with other
bears, at the place of capture, which in this

case was pasture used by the sheep preyed on,

the bear being chased by Laika dogs used by
the Forestry and Wildlife Department and firing a number of rubber bullets.

Photo 5

The capture procedure took a total of six

days in order to prepare the sites and four
days for the capture. The baiting and equipping of the two sites with snares and tube

traps involved around eleven days work overall, carried out by the forestry staff in the area.
The following table summarises the captures carried out in the period 2006-2009.

Table 2 Captures carried out in the period 2006-2009

39

2009 BEAR REPORT

Investimenti stradali
During 2009 one road accident involving a bear was reported within the province.
On the evening of 9 December a bear was
hit by a car on the northern outskirts of
Tione. The checks carried out on site made
it possible to ascertain that the animal immediately moved away from the place of the
accident. The collision actually involved two
vehicles, although not in a serious manner,
travelling in opposite directions. During the
inspection of the site fresh excrement was
found and this was subjected to genetic test-

ing which may make it possible to identify

the bear.
Another accident occurred in the
province of Bolzano on 9 April, near Passo
Palade, not far from the border with the
province of Trento; the bear does not appear
to have suffered any major trauma and
moved away from the place of impact immediately, as it was possible to ascertain by
following its tracks in the snow (data from
the Autonomous Province of Bolzano).
Table 3 summarises the cases of road accidents reported to date.

Table 3 Road accidents reported in the period 2002-2009

* the identity of the bear was ascertained through genetic testing

** an immediate inspection took place with dogs or following tracks in the snow, suggesting that the animal hit moved o autonomously

Waste management
At the beginning of 2009, the first 100
bear-proof waste bins were distributed to the
areas which had been shown to be most vulnerable to date (Paganella tableland, upper
Valle dei Laghi see Figure 14), in a joint
initiative with the Waste Management Policy Department and with the collaboration
with A.S.I.A.
Different types of bins were tried out,

40

eventually choosing to modify the closing

mechanism of existing organic waste bins
(Photo 6) to make them inaccessible to bears,
with a handle that requires turning in order
to open the lid.
In the latter months of the year production of a further 100 bins was started up,
partly for distribution in the province and
partly to be held in reserve so that they can
used when required in specific locations.

2009 BEAR REPORT

Figure 14
Area involved in the first tests of bear-proof bins

Photo 6
Bear-proof bin

Training of bear dogs

Photo 7
The bear M5 chased by the bear dogs during his release following
capture

During 2009 the training of the two

Russo-European Laika bear dogs and their
handlers continued, based on a special training programme making reference to the data
available and to the experience of trainers
and colleagues operating in similar situations
abroad, particularly in France (see the chapter on training on page 47). During the
spring training course the Criteria for use
of dissuasion using bear dogs were also
drawn up, representing the reference document for coordinators and handlers in all
possible operating situations (wounded
bears, road accidents, overconfident bears,
dissuasion during post-capture release). The
most important occasions on which the dogs
were used during 2009 were the release of
M5 in Primiero (Photo 7) and the checks following the accident taking place near Tione.

41

2009 BEAR REPORT

4. Communication
Communication is considered by the
provincial administration to be an aspect of
fundamental importance in the management of bears and represents one of the six
action programmes referred to in the previously mentioned resolution of the provincial
government no. 1988 of 9 August 2002.
Considering this, in 2003 a specific information campaign was started up called
Getting to know the brown bear, which
has seen numerous initiatives and continues
to do so. This report, which among other
things also has an informative role, is one of
the initiatives designed to allow the wider
public to better understand this animal, with
the conviction that only knowledge can lead
to harmonious coexistence with the bear in
the medium to long-term.
With regard to communication activities,
the Forestry and Wildlife Department has always been supported by the Adamello
Brenta Nature Park, which has been active
in this field for many years in its own area
Table 4

and by the Trento Natural Science Museum,

which has offered educational activities related to bears for schools from the very beginning.
The main activities undertaken during
2009 are summarised below.

Evening sessions and meetings

Table 4 lists the seven meetings/evenings
organised within the context of the information campaign Getting to know the
brown bear (some of which promoted by
the Adamello Brenta Nature Park if relevant
to its area, with around 500 participants
overall). Several of the meetings were specifically organised in response to local situations and requests for information linked to
certain bears causing concern.
A further 5 evenings were held within the
context of the Adamello Brenta Nature Park
2009 summer programme. A detailed list is
given in Table 5.
Table 5

* In collaborazione con il PNAB

Informative material produced

and distributed
The second Bear Report (2008 Bear report) was issued, an instrument representing both a valid means of communication
and knowledge for the public and a useful
working tool for the department.
A new updated version of the brochure
In the land of the bear (6,000 copies) was
42

produced and 1,000 copies were distributed. Furthermore 500 new posters entitled
"The bear: part of our history" were printed.
The brochure entitled "Experiencing the
Adamello Brenta Nature Park: Safeguarding
the Bear was updated and 20,000 copies
printed. The park also saw to the updating
of the test accompanying the T-shirt "Welcome back, bear".

2009 BEAR REPORT

Communication project for

schools: Getting to know the
brown bear, in collaboration
with Trento Natural Science Museum
For the sixth consecutive year the TNSM
continued to offer a programme of tried and
tested educational activities on the subject of
brown bears in Trentino. The activities are kept
up-to-date thanks to coordination with the
Wildlife Office of APT, which also guarantees
consultancy on the content. The 2009-2010
edition of the guide to the educational activities of the museum also published all the educational initiatives realised in collaboration
with the Forestry and Wildlife Department, as
has taken place since the 2003-2004 edition.
Once again in 2009 the guide was subdivided
into three volumes, dedicated to three different stages in schooling (nursery schools, primary and middle schools, secondary schools
and over 14s). There were five types of activity offered:
Hands-on museum a 90' guided visit to
the mammals room, with particular emphasis on the bear and other large alpine
carnivores, with the opportunity to see and
touch particular types of materials (skulls,
casts of footprints, hairs etc.);
Laboratory, 3 hours of interactive activities, partly providing information on the
bear and other large carnivores (powerpoint, various materials) and partly practical (simulation of radio-tracking, realisation
of plaster cast of footprints, recognition of
different mammal hairs through the use of
educational worksheets);
Travelling Museum, an activity divided
into three sessions, two in the classroom
and one (the middle session) involving a
trip to an area frequented by bears to look
for any signs of their presence;
From the Museum to nature, a guided trip
lasting a morning to an area frequented by
bears to look for any signs of their presence;
Meeting the expert, a seminar taking a
more detailed look at the subject, in the

form of a 2.5 hour session reserved for secondary school pupils.

In the context of the existing agreement between the Forestry and Wildlife Department
and the Trento Natural Science Museum,
the museum organised the following educational activities in the period 1 January
2009 - 31 December 2009:
Interactive laboratories on the subject "The
bear and other large carnivores in the Alps,
with 198 pupils participating;
"travelling museum", with sessions in the
classroom and excursions in the province
for 90 participants;
excursions "On the trail of the brown bear,
with 57 participants.

A course for students aimed at illustrating

bear management methods in the province of
Trento was held on 8 May 2009 at the Istituto
Agrario in S. Michele allAdige.
In the context of activities for schools, the
Adamello Brenta Nature Park realised the initiatives listed below (the data on participation
will be available in the first few months of
2010):
The Bear Project, encouraging the return of
the bear to the Alps and peaceful coexistence with man (educational project: 2
classroom sessions and 1 trip to the Bear
Visitors Centre in Spormaggiore);
Large carnivores project (educational project: 2 classroom sessions and 1 trip);
A day with the bears (1 day visit to the Bear
Visitors Centre in Spormaggiore).
Furthermore, educational worksheets on
the brown bear were prepared to support the
environmental education projects undertaken
with classes in primary middle schools.

Web sites
The site www.orso.provincia.tn.it, also
available in English, was further updated and
all sections completed; monthly updating was
also guaranteed. It is currently organised into
210 pages and received 23,626 visitors in
2009. The site also contains this report and the
documents mentioned it.
43

2009 BEAR REPORT

2009 saw continuing implementation and

updating of the content in the section of
the Adamello Brenta Nature Park web site
(www.pnab.it) dedicated to the bear (20
pages overall).

Questions and motions

The following questions were presented regarding bears:
no. 648 of 23 July 2009,
Reintroduction of the bear to Trentino and
related costs;
no. 733 of 3 September 2009,
The Life Ursus project and damage caused
as a result of the bears present in Trentino;
no. 818 of 23 September 2009,
Presence of the bear and related damage
in the Primiero area;
no. 888 of 14 October 2009,
Presence of the bear in Val Canali and related effects on the area.

Press releases
6 press releases regarding the bear were issued:
No. 55 of 14 Jan. 2009,
The results of genetic monitoring in 2008:
THERE ARE 24 BEARS IN TRENTINO;
No. 215 of 3 Feb. 2009,
Presentation of the 2008 report tomorrow
evening at the Natural Science Museum:
THE BEAR IN TRENTINO, THE CURRENT
SITUATION;
No. 229 of 5 Feb. 2009,
140 cases of damage reported, with compensation for 62 thousand euro. 77 prevention works funded: A YEAR WITH 24 BEARS:
PRESENTATION OF THE 2008 REPORT;
No. 297 of 12 Feb. 2009,
THE 2008 BEAR REPORT IN THE NEW
PAT-INFORMA;
No. 2323 of 16 July 2009,
Tomorrow at 20.30 at the district centre in
Sala Negrelli: INFORMATION EVENING
ON THE BEAR AT FIERA DI PRIMIERO;
44

No. 3374 of 15 Oct. 2009,

The action of the provincial Forestry and
Wildlife Department reaches a successful
conclusion over two nights: PRIMIERO
BEAR CAPTURED AND FITTED WITH
RADIO-COLLAR.

Other communication initiatives

Informative articles were prepared by the
Forestry and Wildlife Department of APT
and published in the following magazines:
A la conquete des Alpes su Salamandre (CH), no. 194 of October and November 2009;
Article in Lo scarpone, the magazine of
Club Alpino Italiano May-June 2009;
Key results of 2008 genetic monitoring
of bears in Trentino, Italy in International Bear Association - news, vol. 18
no. 1 February 2009.
The ABNP also produced the following
articles on the subject of bears (published
in periodicals, magazines web sites etc.):
The brown bear 2009 animal of the
year, at the site www.pronatura.ch,
January 2009;
Detective della natura, in La rivista de
Trekking, January 2009;
Lorso, in the magazine Focus, February 2009;
Lorso, at the site www.dolomitidibrentain.it, 10 March 2009;
Le fantome dEngadine, at the site
www.lqui.ch, 10 June 2009;
Au Trentin, le royaume de lours, in Le
Quotidien Jurassien, 12 June 2009;
Fauna delle Dolomiti - Casa Editrice
Panorama, June 2009;
Lorso bruno sulle Alpi. Status e
prospettive future, in the online magazine of www.agraria.org, no. 84 - July
2009;
26 maggio 1999 - 10 anni fa Masun, in
Adamello Brenta Parco, Anno XIII, no.
2 - July 2009;
Bears on the Alps, in the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, 11 August 2009;
Il Parco Adamello Brenta ringrazia il ri-

2009 BEAR REPORT

torno dellorso, in Il Sole 24 Ore, 26

September 2009;
A la conquete des Alpes, in Salamandre, October-November 2009;
The brown bear in Italy, at the site
www.medveke.sk, 24 November 2009;
Le tane degli orsi: uno studio pluriennale
del Parco, in Adamello Brenta Parco,
Anno XIII, no. 3 - December 2009.
Following direct requests from TV and
radio channels, the ABNP also participated (or
provided information for the realisation) of the
radio and television programmes listed below:
filming and interview regarding bears in
Trentino for the Swiss TV station Televisun Rumantscha, 21 April 2009;
interview on the Life Ursus project for the
programme Girovagando in Trentino, 15
May 2009.
As part of the exhibition The alpine hunter
from predator to manager, realised by the

Luserna Documentation Centre and open to

the public from 13 April 2009 al 6 January
2010, the Forestry and Wildlife Department
collaborated by loaning two stuffed brown
bears, on display with an information panel on
the subject prepared by the Forestry and
Wildlife Department. The two bears, a young
female and a cub, were among bears which
had died in Trentino and were prepared by experts, adopting an ethological approach.
During 2009, production of the bulletin
/newsletter I Fogli dellOrso continued
(this can be requested free of charge at
the address [email protected]), with the
drawing up of 34 articles and statements.
In addition to issue no. 19, sent at the beginning of the year, nos. 19 (an extraordinary edition coming out in May) and 20
(October) were also published. There are
currently 1,145 registered members.
In 2009, the Bear entre in Spormaggiore,
45

2009 BEAR REPORT

a museum entirely dedicated to the history and biology of the bear, was visited
by a total of 10,425 people (period considered: 12.06-27.09.2009).
In the context of the Adamello Brenta Nature Park 2009 summer programme, the
"Bear trails" initiative was realised in two
different valleys in the park (Val Brenta
and Val di Tovel, with 6 meetings involving 117 participants and 13 meetings involving 212 participants respectively).
Bear live: a single act play on the brown
bear in the Alps. Theatrical monologue
from a text by Roberta Bonazza, directed
by R. Bonazza and Alessio Cogoj. Actor
A. Cogoj. Staged in Spormaggiore on 24
October 2009, during the Open Park
event.
The stand A park for the bear was used
in 2009 on the following occasions: - Trophy Exhibition 2009, Pinzolo, 26-26 April
2009;
- Visitors Centre, Orobie Valtellinesi Park,
Alberedo per San Marco (SO), 1-31 August 2009;
- XIX regional fair of mountain products
from Lombardia, 16-18 October 2009.

46

2009 BEAR REPORT

5. Training
Correct management of the bear population is inextricably linked to the availability
of specially trained staff, prepared to deal
with any problems of a technical and nontechnical nature that may arise during activities in the field, above all as regards the
management of emergencies, dealing with
damage and, to a lesser extent, monitoring.
Training represents one of the six programmes of action referred to in the previously mentioned resolution of the provincial
government no. 1988 of 9 August 2002.
APTs staff are given specific training
which is constantly updated. The training
initiatives realised during 2008 are illustrated below.

Meeting to coordinate, update and train

those working in the field of livestock
farming (Mattarello, 24 April 2009),
during which it was also possible to obtain technical information about electric
fencing, provided by experts in the sector (Photo 8). The meeting was also
opened up to supervisory staff from
Veneto.
Photo 8

Main training initiatives for APT

staff
Refresher training session for the staff of the

province, the Adamello Brenta Nature Park

and the Associazione Cacciatori Trentini on
the status of the population at the end of
2008 and organisation of activities in 2009,
held in Casteler on 13 January 2009.

47

2009 BEAR REPORT

Training session for staff from Primiero,

Casteler, 8 July 2009. A theoretical/practical training day was held on the criteria to be exercised for the dissuasion of
problem bears, linked to the presence of
the bear known as M5.
Exchange of experience on the training
of bear dogs (Casteler, 13-16 October
2009). The Trentino team is the only
dog unit specialising in bears in the
whole of the alpine area. There is another in the French Pyrenees, which has
successfully used this type of dog for several years. Hence an important exchange
of experience between French and
Trentino colleagues has developed,
through the scheduling of reciprocal visits.
Four dogs and their handlers visited the
Forestry and Wildlife Department last October. After their arrival, there was an initial
welcoming session, followed by four days of
intense activities in the area; the Trentino and
French handlers and their dogs followed numerous trails in the most beautiful and spectacular areas of the Brenta mountains, the

48

heart of the area most frequented by bears.

They looked for traces, developed friendships
and exchanged experience on the character
and training of dogs, methods for their use
and the results obtained. The visit ended with
a round table at the Casteler centre, with the
exchanging of images, movie clips and data on
the management of bears (and dogs) in their
respective countries of origin.
Meeting in Bergamo, 23 March 2009. In the
context of collaborative initiatives provided
for by the Plan of Action for the Conservation of the Brown Bear in the Central-Eastern Alps (PACOBACE), a training day directed at supervisory personnel from the
Province of Bergamo, Sondrio and the Orobie Valtellinesi Park was held in Bergamo
on 21 March 2009,
entitled: The organisation of emergency
teams and methods of dissuasion for problem bears.
Meeting with staff from Abruzzo dealing
with the capture of bears, during the workshop Techniques for the capture of chamois; comparing experiences (Pescasseroli,
14-16 July 2009).

2009 BEAR REPORT

6. National and international links

Links with neighbouring regions and countries take on a strategic importance in the
management of such a highly mobile species
as the brown bear. Bearing this in mind, even
before the start of the Life Ursus project, official contact was made with neighbouring regions, it being clear that the area of western
Trentino was not sufficiently large to house a
viable population of bears. Over time these relationships have been strengthened and consolidated, with regard both to the territorial
expansion of the small population, which has
effectively concerned neighbouring regions
and states and the effective policy coordination implemented by the Provincial Government with the previously mentioned resolution no. 1988 of 9 August 2002.
Following this, links transcending provincial boundaries were institutionalised and
with the input of the Ministry for the Environment, Land and Seas and the coordination
of APT the Action Plan for the Conservation
of the Brown Bear in the Central-Eastern
Alps (PACOBACE) was approved by all the
partners (lastly by Lombardia and Veneto). In
addition to the Autonomous Province of
Trento, this has also involved the Autonomous
Province of Bolzano and the Lombardia,
Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia Regions.
Activities designed to guarantee transnational coordination also continued, in the
light of the numerous cases of young bears
moving into neighbouring areas over the last
few years.
In the context of international collaboration, the following meetings with colleagues
from other regions or nations took place:

Bolzano, 6 April 2009. Joint meeting

with the Autonomous Province of
Bolzano and the Tyrol to prepare an
agreement for cooperation regarding
bear management. This agreement then
became part of a wider agreement between the Autonomous Province of
Trento, the Autonomous Province of
Bolzano and Land Tyrol in the context of
the transfrontier collaboration initiative
known as Euregio.
Zernez (Switzerland), 4 - 5 June 2009.
Workshop on management of the brown
bear in the Alps organised within the
context of the Arge Alp "Large Carnivorous Mammals in the Alps Project", attended by representatives of the relevant
departments for the management of
large carnivores in the Arge Alp member
regions. The next meeting, in 2010, is
scheduled to take place in Trentino.
Stubaital (Austria), 5 June 2009. Informative meeting on the bear, organised
by Land Tyrol and directed at local representatives, at which the Forestry and
Wildlife Department gave a presentation.
On 12 March 2009 the Adamello Brenta
Nature Park was nominated to represent ALPARC (Alpine Network of Protected
Areas) at the Large Predators Alpine Convention. This platform was set up during the
10th Conference of the Alps, which took
place in Evian (France), and has the scope
of encouraging international collaboration,
the exchange of experience and knowledge
and standardisation of management methods and plans.

49

2009 BEAR REPORT

7. Research and conferences

Research and experimentation
During winter 2008-09 two new types of
bear traps (a tube trap and a M-15 foot
snare trap) reflecting models used in
Canada to capture bears were prepared by
the Wildlife Office. In order to test their efficacy, in view of possible future use, these
were set up in the area (Val Algone and
Nembia - S. Lorenzo in Banale) from 17 May
to 16 June and furnished with bait, mainly
by the staff involved in the capture team.
Photo 9

50

Checks on frequentation of the capture sites

by bears were carried out using digital photo
traps and by positioning barbed wire for the
collection of samples of hair to be used for
genetic testing. The tube trap was visited by
three different bears in the Val Algone
(Gasper, KJ1 and DG3) and by one at Nembia (JJ5); all the animals were photographed and identified genetically. The
bears entered the trap completely and in
some cases repeatedly (Photo 9).

2009 BEAR REPORT

The M-15 foot snare trap was positioned

in the Val Algone and was frequented by two
bears (Daniza and KJ1), who consumed the
bait inside the tube, gaining access in an
erect position and using their front paws,

with the method provided for to ensure the

correct functioning of the trap (Photo 10).
Once again both bears were photographed
and identified genetically. The experiments
showed clearly that both traps were poten-

Photo 10

tially suitable for the capture of bears, simplifying capture procedures and reducing the
commitment in terms of personnel.

Survey into man-bear encounters

On the basis of the 256 encounters between bears and men analysed, the survey
carried out since 2007 by the Wildlife Office
of ABNP (see also the 2008 Bear Report) has
shown:
that the predominant reaction of the bear
(in around 60% of encounters) was to
move away from the person sighted;
that no cases of attacks have been reported;
that only one case has been reported of a
bear reacting actively, albeit not in a men-

acing way and thus not corresponding

with a "false attack" in the genuine sense
of the term;
in a third of encounters (36% of the overall samples) the bear did not move away:
this behaviour would seem to be linked
both to the presence of cubs (a resource
to be supervised and protected by females) and to the bear's failure to perceive the presence of humans. At all
events, the subsequent reaction of the
bears to the encounter with man (after
having remained at the site) is mainly (in
78% of cases) to move off;
females with cubs tended to manifest less
precipitous behaviour and greater vigilance as compared to bears without cubs.
51

2009 BEAR REPORT

the bear's reactions to the encounter with

man would not seem to be influenced by
the distance from the observer, at least
until a "security distance" is reached: at
greater distances (over 100 metres), the
bears did not consider the encounter as
an immediate danger, reacting with relative tranquillity;
the behaviour of the bear at the time of
the encounter would not seem to be conditioned by the greater or lesser degree of
silence adopted by the observer before
the encounter;
in the presence of dogs, the bears tended
to act less precipitously, both due to a
greater perception of the visitors (who
were thus "avoided" in advance) and due
to the inadequacy of the reaction to flee
in a similar situation;
in the dark the bears were more likely to
react to encounters with man by fleeing
as compared to encounters during the
day or at dusk.

Conferences
The Department participated at the following conferences, using its own funds:
Second international workshop on genetic research into brown bear (Ursus arc-

52

tos) populations in the Alps, Dinaric Alps,

Pindus and Carpathian mountains - Zagreb (Croatia), 9-10 May 2009;
International conference Integrating
population genetics and the biology of
conservation - Trondheim (Norway),
23- 26 May 2009;
Workshop Biology and the Conservation
of Large Carnivores Casentino Forests
National Park S. Sofia (FO), 30 September-1 October 2009.
The ABNP participated at the following
conferences, using its own funds:
Conference on bears, wolves and lynxes
in the Alps and Carpathian mountains Mittersill (Austria), 13 March 2009 Presentations: The Adamello Brenta Nature Park's Bear Project and The brown
bear in the Alps: situation and future
prospects;
Alpine-Carpathian International Colloquium Large carnivores: management,
research and public relation strategies for
protected areas - Nizke Tatry (Slovenia)
- Presentation: Bears, wolves and lynxes
in the Alps: current situation and future
perspectives. The role of the ALPARC
large carnivores working group.

2009 BEAR REPORT

Appendix 1 The lynx in Trentino in 2009

The young male Eurasian lynx weighing
24 kg and known as B132, entering the territory of Trentino on 23 March 2008 (see the

2008 Bear Report), remained essentially

within the home-range used in the previous
year (Figure 1).

Figure 1
Home-range of lynx B132 in the Brenta mountains from 1/1/2009 to 9/10/2009, calculated
using the Minimum Convex Polygon method (MCP)

53

2009 BEAR REPORT

In the early months of the year monitoring continued thanks to the satellite fixes supplied by colleagues in the Swiss National Park.
On 10 April 2009 the battery of the GPS transmitter ran out and monitoring was therefore

continued by the staff of the Forestry and

Wildlife Department using traditional radiotelemetry (VHF) (Figure 2). This second
form of transmission was also exhausted on 9
October 2009.

Figure 2
Monitoring techniques for lynx B132 in 2009

Photo 1

Photo 2

54

After this date it was

nevertheless possible to
confirm the presence of the
animal, both thanks to
tracks left in the snow
(Photo 1) and through
photos taken in the field
(10 July 2009 at Casinati in
Val delle Seghe, Molveno Photo 2 and 14 November
2009 above Lake Molveno
Photo 3).
Currently, (December
2009) B132 is still in the
woods in the eastern
Brenta mountains, around
200 km away from its place
of birth.
The fact that the radiocollar ceased to function
last October makes it more
difficult to follow the animal's movements: for this
reason the Forestry and
Wildlife Department intends to recapture the lynx
to fit it with a new collar to
make monitoring possible.
With this scope activities directed at recapturing
the animal in question
were started up in August
by the Forestry and Wildlife
Department, using two box
traps realised by them, sim-

2009 BEAR REPORT

ilar to the one illustrated in

Photo 3.
In December a third
trap, similar to the others,
was positioned in the field,
in order to increase the
chances of capture during
the winter months, considered to be most suitable for
the purpose.
The additional phase of
intensive monitoring which
would be made possible by
capture would provide extremely interesting information about recolonisation of new areas by the
species (a phenomenon
which has been only partially investigated), also in
relation to the possible
presence of other animals.
As regards this, the idea
that there may be a second
lynx in the area frequented
by B132 was borne out by
further elements during
2009.
In particular, in the late
afternoon of 25 July, there
was a presumed sighting of
a lynx by a hunter in Val
delle Seghe (Molveno),
precisely at a time when
the male B132 was located
by the staff of the Forestry
and Wildlife Department in
Val di Tovel, through radio
tracking.
On 27 November a park
warden of the Adamello
Brenta Nature Park instead
followed lynx tracks in the
snow in Val di Tovel, for
some considerable distance
(Photo 4). These would
seem to belong to two decidedly different animals (front
paws with a diameter re-

Photo 3

Photo 4 (E. Dorigatti)

55

2009 BEAR REPORT

spectively of 7-8 and 10-11 cm survey data

in Figure 3), thus providing further support
for the theory that a second lynx is present.
Finally, as highlighted in Figure 4, once
again in 2009 the home-range of the lynx is
included within the area occupied by the
brown bear population in a stable manner.
Figure 3 (M. Zeni)

Figure 4
Comparison of the home-range of lynx B132 (in blue) and the core-area of the brown bear population in 2009

56

2009 BEAR REPORT

Appendix 2 First signs of the presence of

wolves in Trentino after more
than 150 years
Photo 1
Wolf photographed in controlled conditions (wildlife area)

During the summer,

hunters from Varena informed the Cavalese district
forestry office of the Autonomous
Province
of
Trento that they had found
the remains of a canine not
far from the Oclini pass in
Val di Fiemme in Autumn
2008. This was subsequently shown to be a wolf
(Canis lupus) (Photo 2) and
is the first confirmation of
the presence of the species
in the province of Trento,
more than 150 years after
its disappearance.

Photo 2
The site where the remains of the wolf were found.

57

2009 BEAR REPORT

The finding would appear to confirm a

number of reports made in the area in the last
few years which had not previously been corFigure 1

The death of the wolf, due

to unknown causes, is thought
to date back to Autumn 2007.
Although coming to an unfortunate end, the animal reminds us that wolves are not
far away (in a biogeographical
sense) and their return to the
Trentino mountains is only a
question of time. The confirmation that the remains actually belonged to a wolf, as the
bones recovered appeared to
suggest (Photo 3), only came
following genetic testing carried out by ISPRA.
58

Photo 3
The wolf skull found

roborated, such as possible sightings (Autumn

2006 and January 2007) and probable preying on goats (summer 2007) - Figure 1.

2009 BEAR REPORT

The report from the genetics laboratory

confirmed that the wolf was not of Italian origin (not Canis lupus italicus) and that the
sequence of the mitochondrial DNA control
region coincided with the W3 haplotype present in the Croatian population. It is therefore considered likely that the animal originated in the Balkans, although at the moment
there is no certainty as regards this, nor is it

certain that it will be possible to ascertain this

in the future.
At all events, principal components analysis (PCA) realised by ISPRA (Graph 1) shows
clear attribution of sample TN2C (relative to
the animal in question) to a group of wolves
coming from Croatia, therefore excluding the
possibility that it was of Italian origin or that
it could be attributed to a dog.

Graph 1
Principal components analysis carried out using GenAlex v6.1software
The two axes (coord. 1 and coord. 2) represent 64.56% of the genetic variability observed between individuals. The blue points represent wolves in the Italian population, the red points wolves from the Croatian population, the yellow triangles domestic dogs and the
green square is the TN2C sample, whose genotype was genetically similar to the Croatian samples (source: ISPRA).

Graph of the main coordinates

Domestic dogs

Coord. 2

Italian wolves

TN

Croatian wolves
Coord. 1

Thus the wolf, capable of travelling even

hundreds of kilometres, is likely to have arrived
in Trentino from a population present in Slovenia (around 50 wolves, linked to a Croatian population of 200-250). Although this cannot be
excluded altogether, it is very unlikely that the
animal originated in captivity.

2009: the year of contact between

the Italian and Balkan wolf populations
As is known, recolonisation of the alpine
area by the wolf began from the west, in the
1990s, starting from the northern Apennines, where it probably never disappeared
altogether. Its natural expansion into the
Alps (where the wolf has always been present as an autochthonous species belonging

to the alpine ecosystem) led to establishment of a population in the area straddling

the Piemonte region and France, currently
numbering around 150 animals. Some
wolves have also reached the Valle dAosta,
Lombardia, Switzerland and, most recently,
Austria and it can be surmised that this expansion towards the east will continue. The
eastern part of the alpine area has seen the
appearance of the first animals from populations found in Croatia and southern Slovenia, as well as in Poland (Carpathian mountains).
Recent data from Austria (genetic analysis of samples collected at places where animals had been preyed on or wolves sighted)
highlighted contact between the two
metapopulations of Italian and Balkan
59

2009 BEAR REPORT

wolves for the first time. In particular, surveys carried out in Austria (A. Kranz, pers.
com.) show how during 2009 it was possible to ascertain the overlapping of the territories of "Italian" and "Balkan" wolves on
at least two occasions.
In the first case in August 2009, a wolf of
Italian origin was reported in the area of
Spittal, on the River Drava in Carinthia; another wolf, this time of Croatian/Slovenian
origin, was reported in the same area,
specifically at St. Veit (Carinthia), from February to September 2009 and perhaps even
subsequently (Figure 2, point A). Checks of
biological samples from the animal of Italian origin are still underway, according to
information from our Austrian colleagues.
In the second case there was a overlapping of territories even further east, in the
Weiz district of Styria, where in September

2009 a second wolf of Italian origin was

identified; in April 2009 the presence of an
animal of Carpathian origin was reported in
the same area (point C). A fifth wolf, of
Croatian/Slovenian origin and observed in
April 2009 at Knittelfeld in Styria (point B),
can be added to these four wolves.
What is more, at the end of October a
wolf of Italian origin was identified in the
Pitztal area, near Innsbruck (Tyrol point
D); it is not known whether this was one of
the two previously mentioned animals, or a
third wolf (M. Janowsky, pers. com.).
All this paints a relatively lively picture,
which together with the Trentino data, albeit referring to the presence of a wolf in
2007 (point E), highlights a rapid acceleration in the process of recolonisation of the
Alps by the wolf (it is not possible to predict whether this will also be long-lasting).

Figure 2
Reports of wolves recorded in Austria and Trentino in 2009 (A. Kranz, amended and supplemented)

60

NOTES