Enclosure not ready

Relocation of “problem bear” Gaia delayed

JJ4 still has to wait for the new enclosure.

(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

"Problem bear" Gaia, who killed a 26-year-old jogger in Trentino in northern Italy in 2023, was supposed to move to a high-security enclosure in the Black Forest this year. But its arrival has now been delayed ...

The animal's arrival at the Alternative Wolf and Bear Park in the Black Forest has been postponed until spring 2025. This is partly due to weather-related delays in the construction of the enclosure, said a spokesperson.

The 17-year-old bear, sister of "problem bear" Bruno, attacked and fatally injured a jogger in Val di Sole in northern Italy in April last year. She was then captured alive. She is to find a new home in the bear park - away from the crowds.

Animal rights activists prevented her being killed
Initially, Gaia was to be shot. However, after lengthy legal battles, animal rights activists managed to ensure that the animal, named JJ4, was allowed to stay alive. The bear park in Bad Rippoldsau-Schapbach had already agreed to take Gaia in some time ago. She is currently still living in an enclosure near Trento in Italy.

The one-hectare outdoor enclosure in the bear park will cost around one million euros and will be financed by donations. The area will be surrounded by electric fences around three meters high and will also be equipped with a so-called undermining protection, as the spokesperson went on to explain. This is intended to prevent Gaia from burrowing back into the wild under the fence.

Surveillance with cameras is also planned. A lot of rain had recently made the work more difficult. The site is also very wooded and mountainous.

Operators prefer killing
However, the bear park is not looking forward to the arrival of the wild bear. "It would have been better to shoot Gaia because she is used to freedom," said the spokesperson. "The fact that she now has to live in captivity is hell for her." While bears from the circus or from private husbandry experience a real improvement in their quality of life when they are relocated to the bear park, this is not the case for bears that previously lived in freedom.

Gaia will always try to escape and will not be happy in the bear park. "It means animal suffering and animal torture," said the spokesperson. In principle, it cannot be a concept to capture conspicuous wild bears and keep them in captivity. However, the bear park has always made exceptions when taking in such bears.

Solitary confinement for Gaia
Gaia will have no contact with visitors and will initially live alone in her enclosure. Depending on her development, however, other bears living in the bear park may be allowed to join her later. It is not clear when exactly Gaia will come to the Black Forest. No date has yet been set for the transport.

JJ4 is to move in with her mother.

(Bild: AFP)

The Alternative Wolf and Bear Park in the Black Forest is home to animals that have been rescued from emergency situations. Among them is the brown bear Jurka, Gaia's mother. In the summer of 2006, Gaia's brother Bruno was the first bear to set foot on Bavarian soil in 170 years. He was shot in the Bavarian Rotwand area.