Bears disappeared from Switzerland over 100 years ago. But they have started to return in recent years, much to the surprise of the locals.
Their comeback is exciting for nature lovers, but it also makes some people nervous. After all, bears are strong, wild animals, and while it’s still rare to see one, their presence adds both wonder and a little danger to Switzerland’s mountains and forests.
So, what do you need to know about bears when you visit Switzerland?
History Of The Brown Bear In Switzerland
Brown bears once roamed freely across Switzerland, but by the 1500s their world was shrinking fast. As villages expanded and farmland spread, the bears were pushed further into the mountains. Over the next few centuries their numbers dropped sharply in the north, and by the 1800s the last bears in the Northern Alps had disappeared.
In the wilder southern cantons of Grisons and Ticino, bears held on a little longer. But in 1904, the last known bear in Switzerland was killed. A brief, mysterious sighting followed in 1923, yet the animal vanished without a trace—and with it, the presence of bears in the Swiss Alps seemed to be over for good.
Or so it seemed. More than a century later, the story has taken a surprising turn: bears have begun to return. So what does that mean for Switzerland today?
Reintroduction of Bears In The Alps
At the turn of the 21st century, brown bears began to make their comeback, not in Switzerland but just across the border. Between 1999 and 2002, a reintroduction program in Northern Italy released several bears into the wild. Before long, their territory began to stretch northward.
In 2005, the first brown bear in over a century was spotted in Switzerland. It made national news and surprised many people who thought bears belonged only to history books and folklore. Since then, sightings have become almost yearly, especially in the southern cantons of Ticino and Grisons near the Italian border. These wild and mountainous areas, along with the remote Swiss National Park in eastern Switzerland, offer the perfect conditions for wandering bears.
Over the past two decades, more bears have crossed into Switzerland, and while encounters are still rare, their presence is no longer a one-off event. Today, it is not unusual to hear of a bear being tracked in the Alps or even wandering across the border into Austria or Germany. I have not seen one myself, but knowing they are out there adds a new thrill to the idea of wild Switzerland.
Killing Of Bears In Switzerland
The challenge of bears coming into Switzerland today is that it is vastly more populated, farmed and visited than ever before. The population is not used to living with bears and often they interact with farm animals in ways that farmers cannot accept.
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It is a complex situation that no one has an easy solution to. Unfortunately, it has often led to brown bears being shot in Switzerland.
M13 – Switzerland’s Wild Bear
Back in 2011, there was a bear that came to live in Switzerland for a number of years. He was designated as M13 and followed carefully as he roamed about Switzerland, Italy and Austria.
The Swiss government was obviously concerned that he would enter human settlements and this happened finally in 2013. In order to safeguard the community around Pochiavo he was unfortunately shot.
The Bear Park In Bern
Of course, if you really want to see bears in Switzerland your best bet is the Bear Park in Bern. Here, three bears call Bern home, with a large open park area to roam, complete with their own swimming pool.
Sure, it is not the real wilds of Switzerland, but more like a mini-zoo just for bears. In a place that has been associated with bears for centuries!
Header image – Eurasian Brown Bear via Wikimedia
FAQs
What kind of bears live in Switzerland?
Brown bears are sometimes found wild in Switzerland and are also easily seen in the warmer months in the Bern Bear Park.
Are there any wild bears in Switzerland?
Although the last wild bear was killed in Switzerland in 1904, wild bears have started to return to Switzerland. In 2005, the first wild bear was spotted in the south of Switzerland, and more have been seen since.
Are there any Grizzlies in Switzerland?
No, there are no Grizzly bears in Switzerland. Grizzly bears are not found on the European continent. Instead, a different, but very similar sub-species called the European brown bear can be found there.
Are there bears in Zurich?
There a currently no wild brown bears in canton Zurich, however, you can see captive brown bears in the Langenberg wildlife park.
