Bear Report 2010

BEAR REPORT2010

[email protected]

AUTONOMOUS PROVINCE

OF TRENTO

FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE

DEPARTMENT

General coordination and supervision: Ruggero Giovannini - Director of Wildlife Office

Coordination:Claudio Groff

Edited by:Davide DalpiazCarlo FrapportiClaudio GroffRenato RizzoliPaolo Zanghellini

With the contribution of:Brown Bear Research and Conservation Group, Adamello Brenta Nature ParkTrento Natural History Museum

Layout and graphics: APT Wildlife Office - Publistampa S.N.C.

The information contained in this report may be quoted, citing:Groff C., Dalpiaz D., Frapporti C., Rizzoli R., Zanghellini P. (editors), 2011 -2010 Bear Report, Forestry and Wildlife Department of the Autonomous Province of Trento.

Cover page photoC. Frapporti

Photos:In the absence of captions: C. Frapporti (bears), C. Groff (landscapes)

Printed by:Print centre of the Autonomous Province of TrentoTrento, February 2011

CONTENTS

Presentation page 5

Introduction page 7

1. Monitoring page 8

2. Compensation and prevention of damage page 28

3. Management of emergencies page 33

4. Communication page 40

5. Training page 46

6. National and international links page 47

7. Research and conferences page 49

Appendix 1 - The lynx page 51

Appendix 2 - The wolf page 56

BEAR REPORT 2010

5

Presentation

Management of the brown bear in Trentino is carried out on the basis of policy and pro-grammes approved by the provincial government. It has assigned the Forestry and Wildlife De-partment with the task of acting as the organisation of reference in relation to carrying out therelevant programmes of action.

The Departments main partner at operational level is Adamello Brenta Nature Park, (ABNP)which promoted the Life Ursus project during the latter part of the 1990s. The park, which is anautonomous body funded by the Province, collaborates in various activities, particularly in the fieldof research, monitoring and communication. The institutional and technical-scientific partners in-volved in carrying out projects are the Ministry for the Environment and the Safeguarding of Landand Seas (MESLS) and the Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA).

Through the Autonomous Province of Trentos Bear Report, a technical document drawn upby the Wildlife Office, it is intended to pursue two important objectives. Firstly, to provide accu-rate, up-to-date and detailed information on the status of the bear population living in westernTrentino and neighbouring regions and countries. Secondly, it aims to record a range of infor-mation illustrating the management techniques implemented in a precise and analytical manner,making it possible for those in the field to make use of this data by consulting a document whichis as complete and exhaustive as possible.

The first objective falls fully within the context of the information campaign Getting toknow the brown bear, started up by the provincial administration in 2003, with the convictionthat the Bear Report represents one of the key aspects in this context. The second objective ismore specifically related to operational and management aspects. However, both respond to theneed to provide the technical staff and authorities concerned with better knowledge, allowingthem to make the right choices, guaranteeing the success of the project and hence the conser-vation of the bear.

This issue of the report refers to 2010 which, as is commonly known, was declared Inter-national Year of Biodiversity. Thus the report also sets itself the further and perhaps ambi-tious objective of making a specific contribution in this area, considering the very special biolog-ical value of the species and the geographical context the Alps in which the Trentino bearpopulation lives.

In the period considered there was a further increase in the number of bears present, accom-panied by an extension of the area occupied by the females, undoubtedly a positive sign. It waspossible to gain this knowledge thanks to a major commitment to monitoring activities and con-stant experimentation of new techniques.

In terms of management, it is necessary to record a decidedly less positive aspect, namely aconsiderable increase in damage and in social tension linked to such incidents, despite the fact thatthe critical situations emerging were not directly proportional to the damage caused, accordingto the definitions adopted in the special protocol.

It is therefore increasingly important to succeed in responding promptly and in an appropri-ate manner to the needs of the different categories concerned. This will be made possible by up-dating strategies over time and above all by the institutions of reference granting our adminis-tration, which we believe has demonstrated its competence and technical capacity in the field,greater management autonomy.

This will allow a more wide-ranging and long-term approach, paying due attention to main-taining the delicate balance with the activities and presence of man in the mountains. It will alsoavoid sparking off responses resulting in social sensitivity towards the project drifting away andto the manifestation of forms of rejection and unofficial action.

6BEAR REPORT 2010

To conclude, our heartfelt thanks must also go to all those, in particular Trento Natural His-tory Museum (MTSN), who in various ways have collaborated in order to realise the individualinitiatives in the programmes of action, but above all to the forestry and technical staff of theForestry and Wildlife Department, the forest wardens, park wardens, gamekeepers and volun-teers who have worked in the province in order to realise the projects and to gather the data with-out which this report could not have been written.

DOTT. MAURIZIO ZANINManager of APTs Forestry and Wildlife Department

BEAR REPORT 2010

7

The brown bear has never completely di-sappeared from Trentino, which is thus theonly area in the Alps that can proudly affirmthe continuous presence of bears.

However, protection of bears, which beganin 1939, has not eliminated the risk of theirbecoming extinct. Direct persecution by manand, to a lesser extent, environmental chan-ges taking place in the last two centuries, re-duced the original population, bringing it tothe threshold of extinction. At the end of the1990s there were probably no more than threeor four bears remaining, confined to thenorth-eastern Brenta area. However, justwhen all seemed lost, there was turn in fortu-nes, originating in the action taken by ABNP,which started up the Life Ursus, project toge-ther with APT and ISPRA (formerly INFS), co-funded by the European Union. Between1999 and 2002 this led to the release of 10bears (3 males and 7 females), giving rise tothe population to which this report refers. Therelease of the bears was preceded by a detai-led feasibility study supervised by ISPRA,which ascertained the environmental suitabi-lity of a sufficiently large area to play host toa viable bear population (40-60 bears), whichis the ultimate aim of the project. This areaextends well beyond the confines of the pro-vince of Trento, also involving neighbouringregions and countries.

Following the conclusion of the phase in-volving the release of the animals, the phasededicated to the conservation and standardmanagement of the bear population, perhapseven more demanding, began in 2002. For thispurpose the provincial government laid down

the operational guidelines on which these ma-nagement activities should be based in reso-lutions no. 1428 and no. 1988 of 26 June2002 and 9 August 2002. In particular, sixprogrammes of action were identified (moni-toring, damage management, management ofemergencies, staff training, communicationand national and international links), whichrepresent the underlying structure followed inthis report.

Introduction

8BEAR REPORT 2010

Monitoring of the bear has been carried outcontinuously by the Autonomous Province ofTrento for more than 30 years. Over time, tra-ditional survey techniques in the field havebeen supplemented by radiotelemetry (amethod first used in Eurasia, in the second halfof the 1970s), automatic video controls by re-mote stations, photo-traps and finally, in thelast few years, by genetic monitoring.

This last technique is based on the collec-tion of organic samples (hairs and scats) andtakes place using two methods commonly de-fined as systematic monitoring, based on theuse of traps with scent bait, designed to cap-ture hairs using barbed wire, and on oppor-tunistic monitoring, which is based on the col-lection of organic samples found in the areaduring routine service activities. In the last few

years, genetic monitoring has represented themost crucial technique for collecting informa-tion regarding the bear population present inthe province.

Since 2006, systematic monitoring in thearea constantly frequented by bears has takenplace in alternate years. Hence it took place in2008 and again in 2010. Bearing this in mind,the results of genetic monitoring this year canbe more accurately compared with the resultsfor 2008 rather than with those for 2009.

Genetic monitoring was coordinated for theninth consecutive year by APTs Forestry andWildlife Department, with the collaboration ofISPRA, ABNP and a number of volunteers.

It is nevertheless implicit that the monitor-ing techniques cited do not guarantee that allthe bears present will be detected.

Genetic Database A total of 681 organic samples were col-

lected in the province of Trento in 2010, ofwhich 514 in an opportunistic manner and167 using systematic monitoring, bringing thetotal number of samples collected and sub-jected to genetic testing since 2002 to 3,719.The fact that full scale genetic monitoring hasnow been carried out for 8 consecutive yearsmakes the Trentino case particularly inter-esting, as the medium-long term timescale forthese activities (generally difficult to keep upand hence rare), makes certain types of analy-sis possible which would be unthinkable withmore fragmentary monitoring.

The 681 samples were collected by thestaff of the Forestry Service of the Au-tonomous Province of Trento (FS) (421 61.8%), by ABNP (216 31.7%) and by vol-unteers (44 6.5%). A further 62 sampleswere collected outside the province (in theprovince of Bolzano, the Lombardia andVeneto regions and Switzerland), contributingtowards determining the total number ofbears identified.

In 2010 genetic testing was carried out by

1. Monitoring

technicians from the conservation geneticslaboratory at ISPRA. The samples collected(hairs and faeces) were sent to the laboratoryfor genetic tests, carried out using standardprotocols, while the data was validated usingpopulation genetics software. The organicsamples collected can be analysed in the stan-dard manner or in more urgent cases, using afaster procedure (results within a couple ofweeks from receipt of the sample). The meth-ods involved, in accordance with the provi-sions of the PACOBACE plan, provide for am-plification of ten different genomic regions(DNA microsatellites) and molecular sexing ofall hair and faeces samples collected by staffand sent to the institutes laboratory. The highrisk of error associated with analysis of sam-ples collected using non-invasive techniquesdemands the use of laboratory procedures de-signed to minimise the risk of genotyping er-rors. With this scope the multiple amplifica-tion approach was adopted (Taberlet et al.,1996). This involves repeating a series of testsuntil a genotype considered to be reliable is

obtained. Reliability was established using sta-tistical evaluation, carried out using the Re-liotype programme (Miller et al., 2002). Thiscalculates the probability of the particulargenotype observed effectively belonging to thepopulation, based on the allele frequency ob-served in the population of reference and onthe number of repeat tests providing concor-dant results. If the reliability of the genotypearrives at or exceeds 95% it is accepted andthe sample identified is added to the database.Following processing of the initial results ofgenetic tests, the combination of genotypesidentified is subjected to careful quality con-trol carried out subsequently, through com-parison of genetic data, sampling and datacoming from other activities in the field(telemetry, observations etc.) designed toidentify samples potentially subject to error.Further tests were used for these samples inorder to clarify any uncertainty.

The trend in relation to the number ofsamples collected in Trentino over the lastnine years can be seen below (Graph 1).

BEAR REPORT 2010

9

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Year

N o

f sam

ple

SystematicOpportunisticTotal

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 TOT.Opport. 45 125 319 193 228 205 290 311 514 2230System. 4 227 464 154 255 135* 83 - 167 1489

TOTAL. 49 352 783 347 483 340 373 311 681 3719N of traps 4 39 41 42 47 17* 57 - 57

* only within ABNP

Graph 1

N of organic samples collected by method

10

BEAR REPORT 2010

In 2010, for the first time, the Forestry andWildlife Department, with the support of a stu-dent researching a thesis and the collaborationof ABNP, also coordinated monitoring of rubtrees, namely plants on which bears leave signs

of their presence by leaving their odour andhair on the bark. The monitoring of rub treesis considered to be part of opportunistic mon-itoring, despite the fact that the controls aresystematic to a certain degree.

BOX 1 - Monitoring of rub trees

Monitoring of rub trees was promoted and coordinated by the Wildlife Office of APT, makingreference to techniques adopted in North America, techniques which it had the opportunity toobserve directly during training exchanges with colleagues working in the field of bear man-agement in the United States and Canada. The activity was set up and carried out in agreementwith leading experts working in this field for many years. It represents an innovation at bothnational and European level, in terms of the way it was carried out. The monitoring was madepossible thanks to increased knowledge regarding rub tree sites and the collaboration of park war-dens from Adamello Brenta Nature Park, the staff of the Forestry and Wildlife Department andabove all thanks to the work of a student researching a degree thesis on Forestry Science at theUniversity of Padova, who carried out field work and processed the data gathered.Monitoring was started with a group of 47 known trees, arriving at 73 rub trees by the end ofthe season. These were distributed in a relatively uniform manner in the area constantly fre-quented by bears (an area of around 300 km). The first step was to record the characteristicsof the sites, carry out georeferencing and equip them by attaching sections of barbed wire to thetrees. This made it possible to collect samples of hair from the animals rubbing against the tree.Samples of hair (132 in total) were collected from the barbs of the barbed wire every threeweeks from April to November. Using genetic testing it was possible to identify the animals mark-ing the trees. Genetic mon-itoring took place alongsidean initial experimentalphase of photographicmonitoring at a limitednumber of sites (those mostpopular with bears). Anumber of photo traps wereplaced at the sites makingit possible to obtain the firstimages and films (seePhoto 1). The photographicdocumentation was usefulfor integrating the knowl-edge coming from geneticmonitoring, among otherthings also allowing inter-esting observations regard-ing the use of the markingpoints by other species ofanimals.

Photo 1 - Brown bear photographed in the process of marking a tree(F. Rovero, Trento Natural History Museum)

Status of the population at the end of 2010

Processing of the data collected providedthe following information regarding the iden-tification of the bears sampled, the move-ments of individual animals and estimation ofthe population. It also made it possible to de-termine the genealogy of the cubs born andsampled in 2010.

It is recalled that starting from 2008, new-born animals and/or bears migrating to thearea have been identified with progressivenumbering preceded by the letter F for fe-males and M for males. At all events, infor-mation regarding the identity of the parents isknown and available in a specific database.

Definitions detected bears: bears whose presence

has been ascertained during the last year,

either genetically or on the basis of un-equivocal observations;

undetected bears: bears for which noevidence has been found in the last yearalone;

missing bears: bears certainly or mostlikely no longer present within the popu-lation, as they have been found dead,killed, taken into captivity or for which nogenetic evidence has been found in the lasttwo years;

cubs: bears aged between 0 and 1; young bears: males between the age of

1 and 5 and females between the age of 1and 3;

adults: males over the age of 5 and fe-males over the age of 3;

immigration: the arrival of bears fromanother population to join the bear popu-lation present in the province;

BEAR REPORT 2010

11

As expected, there weremore males involved (6bears identified), above allsexually mature males.However, a number of fe-males (3 bears identified)also made use of the trees.The males were mostly ac-tive in the spring, whereasthe females mostly markedthe area in autumn*.It is also intended to con-tinue monitoring in the fu-ture, in collaboration withAdamello Brenta NaturePark, attempting to extendthe network of points mon-itored and ensuring thatsuch activities take place in a systematic manner. This type of monitoring indeed seems to offera good cost-benefit ratio in terms of genetic identification of bears present in the area and is atall events interesting in terms of management.

* Detailed results more directly linked to aspects of scientific research involved in the monitoring carried out areavailable in the degree thesis written on the subject. This is available by contacting the Wildlife Office of the Forestryand Wildlife Department.

Photo 2 - Brown bear photographed while marking(M. Tiso, University of Padova)

12

BEAR REPORT 2010

emigration: the abandoning of the bearpopulation present in the province by oneor more bears in order to join another bearpopulation.

Overall 28 animals were detected genet-ically during 2010. All of them were detectedusing opportunistic genetic monitoring,whereas only 13 of these bears were identi-fied using systematic monitoring, so none ofthem using exclusively this method (in 20088 out of 24 bears were detected using sys-

tematic monitoring, of which one exclusivelywith this method). In the light of this data itwill be evaluated whether to continue with ge-netic monitoring using the systematic methodin years to come, bearing in mind the cost-benefit ratio offered by the method to date.

One female cub born in 2010 died andthus cannot therefore be included among thebears considered to be present at the end ofthe year. Hence there were a total of 27 bears;11 males and graph 2) (M-F sex ratio 1:1.45- n=27).

Once again this year it is likely that the geneticmonitoring carried out did not detect all thebears making up the population. Consideringthe presence of other individuals not detectedin the last year alone (4) as likely, and ex-cluding those missing for two or more years(13), the estimated population in 2010 isfrom 27 to 31 bears. It should be underlinedthat the minimum number (27) represents thenumber of bears certainly present, whereasthe maximum (31) is exclusively an evaluationof probability based on specific criteria whichto date have been shown to be valid but whichhave intrinsic limitations.

It is therefore essentially a minimum popu-lation estimate, which is different from agenuine population estimate, for which itis necessary to make use of statistical modelsfor capture, marking and recapture (CMR),which are currently being processed in col-laboration with ISPRA.The population trend therefore shows onceagain a slight increase in the last year (seeGraph 3). Indeed, the minimum number ofbears certainly present has increased by two.The average annual growth in the bearpopulation in the perio d 2002-2010 is15.2%.

15

14

13

12 Males11

10 Females9

8

7

6 Sexual maturity of males5

4 Sexual maturity of females3

2

1

Dan

iza

Gas

per

KJ1

KJ2

MJ2

DJ1

DJ3

MJ4

MJ5

BJ1

MJ2

G1

JJ5

JJ4

DG

3

M6

M2

M3

M4 F2 F3 M8 F5 M9 F7 F8 F9 F10

Age

(yea

rs)

Bears

Graph 2

Structure of the population at the end of 2010

BEAR REPORT 2010

13

ReproductionIn 2010 there were three litters geneti-

cally ascertained (photo 3), with a total ofsix cubs. KJ1 gave birth to three cubs (three

females), Daniza gave birth to two cubs (amale and a female) and BJ1 also had a litter(at least one female, which was born anddied during the year, as stated previously).

9 11 11

3

15 15

4

22

4

23

1

24

3

25

5

27

4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

not detected in the last yearpresent

911

14 15

19

2624

27

30 31

Graph 3

Photo 3 - Bear with three cubs photographed by photo trap in the municipality of Terlago (M. Vettorazzi APT Forestry and WildlifeDept. Archives)

14

BEAR REPORT 2010

It is thought that the female KJ1 actuallygave birth to 4 cubs, as suggested by twosightings made by several people and videofootage, albeit of poor quality. The sightingstook place on 25 and 26 April on the steepslopes of the Paganella above the Lamarlakes. However subsequently all the reportscoming from the area make reference to abear accompanied by three cubs, suggestingthat the fourth cub died. At all events, thelack of absolute certainty regarding the pres-ence of the fourth cub and the identity of themother mean that for all the data processed

in this report it is necessary to consider KJ1to be the mother of only the three cubs iden-tified genetically.

There have therefore been at least 21 lit-ters ascertained genetically in Trentino in thelast nine years, and at least 44 cubs havebeen born (22 males and 22 females seeGraph 4). The average number of cubs perlitter is 2.09 and the M-F sex ratio is 1:1(2002-2010, n=44).

Only 2 of the 21 litters ascertained to date(9.5%) are the result of mating betweenblood relatives (father and daughter)

Reproductive animalsThere were three sexually mature males

present in 2010. A further two malesreached the age of five in January 2011, thusbringing the total number of sexually maturemales believed to be currently present tofive.

There were nine sexually mature fe-males present in 2010. A further two fe-males reached the age of three in January2011, thus bringing the total number of sex-ually mature females believed to be cur-rently present to eleven.

The average age of primiparous fe-males in the period 2006-2010 (n=6) is3.67.

The average gap between consecutivelitters for the same female, recorded in theperiod 2002-2010 (n=10 gaps, referring to 7females), is 2.2 years.

The number of litters ascertained alsomakes it possible to highlight how on aver-age the number of cubs per litter to datehas essentially been proportional to the ageof the mother, with less than 2 cubs for fe-males aged 3-4, around 2 for females aged

13

12 Litter11 Male cub10 Female cub9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

n o

f cub

s an

d lit

ters

2006 2007 20082002 2003 2004 2005 2010

Year

2009

Graph 4

BEAR REPORT 2010

15

5-7 and 3 for females aged 8 or over (seeGraph 5). For the first time this year a litterof less than three cubs was recorded for amother over the age of 8 (Daniza, aged 15,once again observed this year with two cubs,as confirmed by genetic tests). This singleitem of data could already highlight a de-crease in the prolificacy of older females, in

line with what has been observed for otherbear populations and with the biology of thespecies. The link between the average num-ber of cubs per litter and the age of themother is represented with a certain degreeof approximation by the red polynomial re-gression line in the graph, with a coefficientof determination of 0.76.

Bears absent in the past but detected again in 2010

During 2010, two bears which were ab-sent in 2009 were genetically detected: themale MJ5 and the female BJ1, both agedfive. Confirmation of the presence of BJ1 andher ability to reproduce (given that the cubfound dead was hers) is certainly positive forthe genetic variability of the population, con-sidering that she is the only surviving de-scendent of Brenta, a founding member ofthe community, who died in 2006.

Bears not detected in 2010Four bears present in 2009 were unde-

tected for the first year in 2010 (the twomales DG2 and KJ2G2, born in 2006, the fe-male KJ1G1, again born in 2006 and themale M7, born in 2009). They have not yetbeen classified as missing bears (see Defi-nitions on page 11), as there is a concretepossibility that they are still present.

Missing bearsIn 2010 it was possible to ascertain one

case of emigration (see BOX 2), involvingthe male bear M5, who arrived sponta-neously in eastern Trentino in 2009 and wasfitted with a radio collar in October of thesame year in Primiero, as is known.

R2 = 0,757

0

1

2

3

4

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Age of mothers (in years)

Ave

rage

num

ber o

f cub

s

(n=3)(n=2)

(n=1) (n=6)(n=1)

(n=2) (n=2) (n=1) (n=1)

(n=1)

Graph 5

Average number of cubs/mothers age

16

BEAR REPORT 2010

BOX 2 - The long journey of M5

In March this year, having terminated his hibernation in the Val Noana (TN) (photo 4), M5moved rapidly over the Belluno side of the Vette Feltrine mountains, subsequently roaming fur-ther, his movements being monitored using the GPS collar and taking him to the Asiago table-land (VI), the Vallagarina (TN) and the Adige valley. He moved south along the left side ofthe valley, until he reached the hills overlooking the city of Verona.

From here he journeyed once again into the zone at the foothill of the Alps, straddling theprovinces of Vicenza and Trento (Piccole Dolomiti area) and moved on to the Asiago tableland.From this point, on 14 May, the radio collar ceased to function. M5 undoubtedly remained inthe area for a few more days, his presence being demonstrated by numerous cases involvingdamage, above all preying on donkeys.The sudden halt in reportsfrom the Vicenza areastarting from the end ofMay coincided with report-ing of a bear by colleaguesfrom the State ForestryService in Tarvisio (UD),photographed on 2 June2010 by a photo trap notfar from the Slovenianfrontier. The animal hadyellow ear tags (Photo 5),which made it possible to ascertain his identity byreading the numbersshown on the tags.

Photo 4 - M5 outside his den in the Val Noana (C. Groff, APT Forestry and Wildlife Dept. Archives)

Photo 5 - M5 photographed by a photo trap in Tarvisio (UD)(UTB Tarvisio, Lynx Project, Italy)

BEAR REPORT 2010

17

It was then possible to doc-ument the subsequentmovements of the youngmale in Slovenia, this timethanks to our Sloveniancolleagues, who reportedrepeated sightings of alarge bear with a red radiocollar and yellow ear tagsby local hunters startingfrom September. His move-ments were again docu-mented by various photostaken using photo traps(Photo 6), and the bearprobably returned to thearea where he was bornand originated, namely southern Slovenia. Thus in 2010 M5 made a journey of around320 km as the crow flies, crossing the eastern Alps from West to East, from the hills of Veronato southern Slovenia. It is likely that he was in search of females during the mating seasonand it is believed that he probably made the same journey undertaken in 2009, but in theother direction. This is probably the longest journey ever documented in the Alps for a brownbear (see Figure 1).

Photo 6 - M5 photographed by a photo trap near Postumia (SLO)

Figure 1The movements of M5 documented in 2010

18

BEAR REPORT 2010

The calculation of missing bears in2010 must also include the death of the fe-male cub F6. The head of the cub was found(Photo 7) on 21 May 2010, not far fromMalga Arza (Denno). It was not possible todetermine the cause of death, although thefact that it took place during the mating sea-son makes it plausible that the cub was killedby a male bear, with the scope of making themother once again available for mating. In-fanticide is not rare among bears and hasbeen extensively described in literature re-garding the ethology of the species, but hadnot previously been documented in Trentino.

Finally, genetic monitoring confirmed theabsence of ten bears already missing in2009, in addition to a further seven bearsfound dead (4 cases), killed (2 cases) ortaken into captivity (1 case). Three furtherbears were added to those missing, giventhat for the second consecutive year in 2009no genetic traces of them were found.

Thus there were a total of twenty-two

missing bears at the end of 2010. As re-gards this figure, see the considerations inthe Survival rates section on page 20.

Graph 6 shows the relationship betweenmissing bears, bears undetected in 2010alone and bears present.

Graph 7 shows the balance betweenbirths-immigrating/missing bears year byyear. In 2010 there was a positive balance

(+1). This was the result of six births, 1 em-igrating bear and three new bears classifiedas missing.

25 27

7

15

22

20

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

Founders (1999-2002) Born in Trentino (2002-2010) Total

N o

f bea

rs

MissingNot detected in 2010Present

n=9

n=44

n=53

44

Graph 6

Bears present/missing

Photo 7 - The remains of the cub found at Malga Arza on 21 May2010 (R. Calvetti, APT Forestry and Wildlife Dept. Archives)

BEAR REPORT 2010

19

In the year of their disappearance themissing bears (n=22) were made up ofseven adults, ten young bears and five cubs(see Graph 8).

Of the missing bears, eight have died,one has been taken into captivity and thir-teen have not been detected genetically atleast in the last two years, (see Graph 9).

The dead bears (n=8) belonged to thefollowing age groups: cubs (4), young bears(3) and adults (1), the share being shown inGraph 10.

13

12 born-immigrating11 missing10 balance9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

+ 1+ 7 - 2 + 4 + 22005

+ 2 + 1 + 4 + 32010

Year

n o

f bea

rs

2006 2007 2008 20092002 2003 2004

Graph 7

Bears present/missing

Adults (7)

Cubs (5)

Young bears (10)

Cubs (1-3/5)Adults (>3/5)

Graph 8

Missing bears: age groups(2009-2010 n=22)

Not detected for at least 2 years

(13)

In captivity (1)

Deaths (8)

Graph 9

Missing bears: causes(2002-2010 - n=22)

Cubs (4)

Adults (1)

Young bears (3)

Graph 10

Dead bears: age groups(2002-2010 - n=8)

20

BEAR REPORT 2010

The deaths (Table 1)were the result of naturalcauses in three cases, un-known in one case and dueto human action in the otherfour cases (Graph 11).

Survival ratesThe new data available

makes it possible to updatethe survival rate for thethree different age groups(cubs, young bears andadults, as described in theDefinitions on page 11) ascompared to 2009, differen-tiated for the two sexes(Graph 12).

The data refers to a pe-riod of 9 years (2002-2010)during which it was possibleto record the survival ordeath of 47 bears with 161passages from one year toanother (161 bear-years),In addition to cases of cer-tain death (8), the mortal-ity category, considered inthe broader sense, also in-

year natural causesroad

accidentshot down duringmanagement

accident duringmanagement unknown

totaldeaths

2002 02003 1 12004 02005 02006 2 1* 22007 02008 1 1** 1 22009 0

2010 1 1

TOTAL 3 1 0 1 1 6

Table 1 - Mortality-causes (* in Germany - ** in Switzerland)

Natural causes (3)

unknown causes(1)

Human causes (4)

Graph 11

Dead bears: causes (2002-2010 - n=8)

90,9

95,5

72,2

84,6

75,0

87,9

89,790,9

73,7

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

95

100

cubs young bears adults

Age groups

% s

urvi

val Females

MalesGeneral

Graph 12

Survival rates by age group

BEAR REPORT 2010

21

cludes bears it has not been possible to detectfor at least two years previously (13 cases)and bears taken into captivity (1 case), con-firming the criteria used for the definition ofmissing bears. Thus the figures also includethe three bears shot/removed following man-agement decisions (JJ1, JJ3 and Jurka).

Excluding the three bears shot or removedfollowing management decisions and refer-ring thus exclusively to natural causes ofdeath, one can note an increase in the sur-vival rate for young males (from 87.9% to93.5%) and adult females (from 90.9% to92.6%).

Cubs are therefore confirmed as the cate-gory with the lowest survival rate (fewer than3 out of 4 cubs reach their first birthday). Fur-thermore, it should also be considered that itis very likely that the calculation excludes anumber of cubs not arriving at their first

birthday whose presence is not detected bygenetic monitoring. The survival rate foryoung and adult bears (around 90%) insteadshows that around one out of 10 individuals(young and adult bears) disappears from thepopulation each year.

The survival rates recorded are notmarkedly different from those highlighted inthe literature for other bear populations (inparticular, as regards the survival of cubs, forpopulations in the Pyrenees and Austria, E.Knauer, unpublished data).

Structure of the populationAt the end of 2010 the population ascer-

tained was made up of sixteen adults (elevenfemales and five males), six young bears(one female and five males) and five cubs(four females and one male). Graph 13 showsthe trend for the 2002-2010 period.

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010adults 9 8 9 9 9 9 11 11 16Young bears 0 2 1 5 3 11 6 11 6Cubs 2 1 5 4 10 3 7 3 5Total 11 11 15 18 22 23 24 25 27

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Year

N o

f bea

rs

Graph 13

Age groups

The percentage of bearsin the three age groups(adults, young bears andcubs) in the period 2002-2010 is shown in Graph 14.For the third year in a rowthere was an increase in thepercentage of adults in termsof the overall population,going from 39% in 2007 to59% in 2010. This figure con-firms the evolution underway,with movement towards amore mature population,whereas there continues to befluctuation in terms of thenumber of cubs and youngbears, the latter being closelylinked to the former (and suc-ceeding them chronologi-cally).

It is also interesting tonote the volution in the aver-age age of the bear popula-tion over the nine year periodexamined, also differentiatedby sex (see Graph 15); in2010, for the fourth consecu-tive year, there was an increasein average age (now 4.89).

22

BEAR REPORT 2010

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010Year

%

AdultsYoung bearsCubs

Graph 14

Age groups by percentages

6,50

4,894,52

4,153,83

3,45

4,284,53

5,365,00

4,45

6,00

3,60 3,25

2,90

3,553,77

3,64

5,19

4,63

5,11

5,00 5,10

3,92 4,08

4,54

5,07

2

3

4

5

6

7

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Year

Ave

rage

age

GeneralMalesFemales

Graph 15

Average age of bears

Use of the territoryAll the 27 bears detected in 2010 were

present within Trentino. The presence of sixof these animals was also detected with cer-tainty in the province of Bolzano (MJ4,MJ5, MJ2G1, M2, M3 and M8), two also inLombardia (M6 and M2), two also inVeneto (MJ4 and M4) and one also in Ene-

gadina, Switzerland (M2). All the 8 bearsalso identified outside the province weremales.

The 524 area localizations related tothe presence of bears collected within theprovince during 2010 (indicators of presenceshown in the weekly reports, genetic moni-toring data, other) are shown in Figure 2.

BEAR REPORT 2010

23

Figure 2Reports of bears in the province of Trento in 2010

Along with the Giudicarie valleys, the Brentaand neighbouring Paganella-Gazza mountainsstill represent the core area for the small popula-tion, whereas the neighbouring areas on the lefthand side of the River Noce, the central andupper Val di Sole, the Presanella, Ledro Alps andBondone-Stivo and Altissimo mountains saw rel-atively sporadic frequentation.

It should however be noted that the area fre-quented by female bears has expanded consider-ably as compared to 2009, both to the north (upto the upper Val di Non, close to the frontier withthe province of Bolzano) and to the south-east

(in particular Bleggio, up to the Ballino pass).There were very few reports regarding east-

ern Trentino. These few certainly concern themale bear M5 in the period after hibernationin Val Noana (Primiero), before departing forthe long journey described in BOX 2 and themale bear MJ4 who left the Brenta mountainsin May, crossing the Adige valley and movingfirst to the same Primiero area frequented byM5, without leaving intermediate traces, andthen to the province of Belluno, at least up tothe autumn, mostly in the valleys near Piave, tothe north of Longarone.

24

BEAR REPORT 2010

Area occupied by the populationConsidering also the longest journeys

made by young males during 2010, thepopulation of brown bears present in thecentral Alps, which is mainly centredaround western Trentino, in 2010 fre-quented a theoretical area stretching outover around 15,135 km. The area occu-pied by the females in a stable manner(Figure 3) is decidedly smaller (1,450

km), still situated within the province, butconsiderably larger than in the previousyear (955 km in 2009). The areas occupiedwere estimated using the minimum convexpolygon method, applied to 100% of thefixes available. This also leads to the inclu-sion of vast areas which are not suitableand/or not actually used, especially withinthe macro-area including the movements ofyoung males.

Density of the populationThe density for the area frequented by

the bears in a more stable manner in 2010was 1.7 bears/100 km2 (25 bears identifiedgenetically within the area occupied by thefemales in a stable manner in 2010, namely1,405 km). This is in line with the data pre-sented in the bibliography in relation to thealpine environment and the forecasts of thefeasibility study which preceded the LifeUrsus project.

RoamingIn the period 2005-2010 it was possible to

document roaming (understood as movementoutside western Trentino) involving fourteenbears (all young males). Nine of these werestill present in 2010: most of them have al-ready returned (although it is not possible tosay whether definitively or not), two were shotdown following management decisions in for-eign countries, one disappeared in 2005 inthe frontier area between Engadina (CH) and

Figure 3Area occupied by the bears in the central Alps in 2010 (in blue), highlighting the area within this occupied by females in a stable man-ner (in pink)

Total bear territory

2010

males 15,135 km

females 1,450 km

BEAR REPORT 2010

25

the province of Bolzano and two have not beendetected in the last year.

It should be underlined that the fate of afurther six males aged one to three, who have

disappeared, is not known. They may havemoved into other areas. To date no roamingof females born in Trentino has been docu-mented.

Other monitoring activities in 2010

As will be explained inmore detail in the chapterregarding emergencies, on22 October 2010 the fe-male bear DJ3 was recap-tured and fitted once againwith a radio collar (as theold collar had stoppedworking on 24 June 2010),her behaviour making moreintense monitoring of hermovements necessary. Fur-thermore, the movementsof the male bear M5 werealso monitored using ra-diotelemetry up to 14 May2010, when his collarstopped working at somepoint in the province of Vi-cenza. The 2010 home-ranges of DJ3 and M5, cal-culated using the minimumconvex polygon method(MCP), stretched respec-tively over 278 km and2,383 km (respectively442 and 942 GPS fixesavailable for the periods 1January - 23 June and 1January - 13 May) and areshown in figures 4 and 5.

The genetic monitoringconducted without inter-ruption since 2002 hasmade it possible to followmost of the bears in a con-tinuing manner, confirm-ing their presence overtime and, at least partially,the home-ranges used.These are recorded year by

Figure 4Home-range of DJ3 in 2010 (MCP)

Figure 5Home-range of M5 in 2010 (MCP)

26

BEAR REPORT 2010

year for each individual animal. As an ex-ample, below we give the home-ranges

(MCP) of the male Gasper and the femaleDaniza from 2004 to 2010 (figures 6 and 7).

Monitoring of densIn 2005 Adamello Brenta Nature Park

started up a the research project called denmonitoring, with the aim of understandingthe characteristics and discovering sites usedby brown bears for hibernation in theprovince. Starting from 2008, analysis of mi-croclimatic conditions inside dens was startedup, along with comparison of the parametersmeasured in potential dens or caves suitablefor hibernation but which had not yet beenused for the purpose. DS1923 HygrochronTemperature/Humidity Logger iButtons wereused to gather data.

In 2010 44 of the 47 sensors installed in

2009 were recovered (photo 8): of these, 21were recovered from inside dens actually usedby bears and 23 from potential dens. In addi-tion to recovering the sensors installed in2009, a further 41 buttons were installed: 14in dens already used by bears and 27 in po-tential dens.

The ultimate goal of this phase of the re-search is to monitor all known hibernationsites by 2011, together with a significant num-ber of potential caves, in order to gain moreinformation about climatic conditions in themonths during which the bears hibernate. Fur-thermore, the search for and monitoring ofnew hibernation sites and potential caves con-

Figure 6Home-range of Gasper in the 2004-2010 period

Figure 7Home-range of Daniza in the 2004-2010 period

BEAR REPORT 2010

27

tinued. In 2010, 8 new po-tential caves were discoveredand added to those discov-ered during exploration ofthe territory (1988-2009)over a period of 22 years,bringing the total number ofpotential caves to 87, along-side the 65 hibernation sitesalready known in westernTrentino. The usual analyti-cal description of the 8 newpotential caves was carriedout and temperature and hu-midity sensors were placedin 7 of them.

Photo 8 - Recovery in summer 2010 of a sensor installed during the 2009 monitoring ses-sion (F. Zibordi, Adamello Brenta Nature Park)

28

BEAR REPORT 2010

By now APT has gained more than thirtyyears experience as regards compensation andprevention of damage caused by brown bears.Indeed, since 1976 100% of the material valueof assets damaged are being reimbursed and itis possible to acquire preventive works (mostlyelectric fencing), either with funding coveringup to 90% of costs or through a system of gra-tuitous loans. The relative regulations, dealtwith in article 33 of provincial law no. 24/91,have been revised several times and updatedover the years, most recently with ProvincialGovernment resolution no. 2296 of 3 Novem-ber 2006, also on the basis of the directives im-posed by the Provincial Government in the pre-viously mentioned resolution no. 1988 of 9August 2002. The regulations regarding worksfor the prevention of damage were instead lastupdated with resolution no. 232 of 5 May 2006of the Manager of the Forestry and Wildlife De-partment.

Compensation for damage causedby bears

In 2010, 256 notifications of damagecaused by wild predators and attributed tobrown bears were forwarded to the Forest andWildlife Department (248 in western Trentinoand 8 in eastern Trentino), with an increase of111% as compared to 2009. All the damagein eastern Trentino concerned a single bear(MJ4).

237 claims for compensation were re-ceived by the department, of which 230 havebeen processed (224 accepted and 6 re-jected), 7 are currently being examined,whereas 19 notifications were not followed upby the claimant.

In 82% of cases of damage, specific in-spections were carried out by forestry staff,who were responsible for drawing up a report.

Overall, 118,075.87 compensation fordamage caused by brown bears was paid.

The considerable increase in the numberof cases of damage as compared to the previ-ous year is related to a combination of factors,including the following: the natural numerical increase in the bear

population; the natural fluctuation in the availability of

natural foodstuffs, which in years of short-age (as in the case of 2010) leads bears touse food sources deriving from human ac-tivities more frequently;

the specific behaviour of certain bears, re-sponsible for causing more damage;

the presence in spring of young roamingbears frequenting certain areas (e.g. the Val-lagarina), where certain resources, particu-larly bee-hives, were not completely pro-tected, leading to numerous cases ofdamage;

the particular situation arising last winterwith some bears not going into hibernation,leading, for the first time in the last tenyears, to a number of cases of damage tobee-hives in the Val di Non and the Val diDaone also during January and February.

In 82 cases, namely around 35% of allcases of damage recorded, genetic monitoringmade it possible to determine the identity ofthe bears involved with certainty. The ani-mals causing most damage were three males:M6 (responsible for around a quarter of allthe attributable damage), JJ5 and M2, fol-lowed by the two female bears Daniza andDJ3 and the male bear MJ5. The six bearsmentioned above were responsible for around60% of the damage for which the author wasidentified.

Graph 16 shows the trend for damagecaused by brown bears and for which com-pensation has been paid over several years,whereas graphs 17 and 18 show the chrono-logical distribution of this damage in 2010and in the period 2002-2010.

2. Damage compensation and prevention

BEAR REPORT 2010

29

-

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Year

Euro

0

50

100

150

200

250

N o

f inc

iden

ts

Euro

N of incidents

Graph 16

Damage for which compensation was paid from 1990 to 2010

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov DecMonth

N o

f inc

iden

ts LIVESTOCKBEE-HIVESCROPSOTHER

Graph 17

No. of incidents ascertained by type in 2010

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

N o

f inc

iden

ts LIVESTOCKBEE-HIVESCROPSOTHER

Graph 18

No. of incidents ascertained by type in 2002-2010

30

BEAR REPORT 2010

Figure 8Geographical distribution of damage caused by bears recorded in 2010

The geographical distribution of the dam-age recorded can be seen in Figure 8.

Prevention of damage by bearsIn 2010, 115 applications for funding

were presented for prevention works pro-tecting assets from damage by brown bears;

2 applications were withdrawn by the appli-cants, 2 were rejected as they were re-quested for areas in which the presence ofbears is very sporadic, 107 have been

Type of damage in 2010

livestock

crops

bee-hives

other

BEAR REPORT 2010

31

processed and 4 have not yet been con-cluded (the users have not yet collected thematerial). Overall 120 works (electricfences) were distributed, of which 66 de-signed to protect bee-hives and 54 to pro-tect livestock, with overall expenditure of 30,500; almost all of these involved thestipulation of gratuitous loans.

Five further fences (4 for livestock andone for bee-hives) were purchased directly

by those concerned and funded with a con-tribution of between 60% and 90%, de-pending on the extent of the asset protected,with an overall cost of 3,602.09.

Below it is possible to see the trend in thedistribution of prevention works over a num-ber of years (Graph 19) and the differenttypes of works in the period 2002-2010(Graph 20), with reference to livestock andbeekeeping.

-

5.000

10.000

15.000

20.000

25.000

30.000

35.000

40.000

45.000

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Year

Euro

-

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

N o

f wor

ks fu

nded

EuroTotal n of works

Graph 19

Prevention works funded from 1989 to 2010

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Year

N o

f wor

ks fu

nded

Bee-hivesLivestock

Graph 20

Prevention works funded from 2002 to 2010 by type

32

BEAR REPORT 2010

The geographical distri-bution of the works set upin western Trentino in 2010can be seen in Figure 9.

Support for animalhusbandry

As in previous years, inspring 2010, two prefabri-cated structures weretransported by helicopterto the mountains in orderto allow shepherds to re-main close to two largeflocks throughout themountain grazing season(at Prada and Valandro, re-spectively in the municipal-ities of Dorsino andStenico). These were takenback down to the valley atthe end of the season. Inthe Valandro area the De-partment is in the finalphase of reconstructing anold mountain dairy, whichin the future will offer asatisfactory base for shep-herds working in the area.Once again this year, de-spite moments of tensiongiven the presence of sev-eral bears in the area, in-cluding a female bear withthree cubs, the number ofanimals lost in these twolarge flocks (which in-cluded more than 2,000animals in total) due to theaction of bears was extremely limited.

In the context of activities designed tomitigate conflict between bears and animalhusbandry activities, in 2010 eleven highpower electric fences were distributed toshepherds (fences with 2.5 joule nominalpower, fuelled by rechargeable 80 Amp bat-tery and supported by a 25 watt solar

panel). One example of intervention by thedepartment took place in the Daone valley,where following the killing of 12 sheep froma herd of 1,000 animals by the female bearDJ3, the two shepherds present in the areawere given high power electric fences whichmade it possible to avoid new raids by thebear.

Figure 9Location of prevention works over 2010

Prevention works in 2010

Bee-hives

Livestock

BEAR REPORT 2010

33

The Law of 11 February 1992 no. 157 in-cludes the brown bear among the speciesgranted special protection (art. 2, paragraph 1).

The D.P.R. of 8 September 1997 no. 357(subsequently amended and supplementedby D.P.R. 120/03), implementing the92/43/EEC directive regarding the conser-vation of natural and semi-natural habitatsand wild flora and fauna, includes thisspecies in enclosure B (species of communityinterest, whose conservation requires thedesignation of special areas of conservation)and D (species of community interest whichrequire strict protection), thus consideringthe brown bear as a priority species.

The current national legal framework there-fore forbids the disturbing, capture and killingof large carnivores (D.P.R. 357/97, art. 8).

However, action may be taken to controlproblem bears in critical situations, in accor-dance with the provisions of national regula-tions (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),regional and provincial regulations.

Indeed, in order to avoid conflict withhuman activities and for reasons of publicsafety or for other compelling reasons of rel-evant public interest, the possibility of an ex-

ception to the ban on the capturing or killingof animals is provided for, subject to the au-thorisation of the Ministry for the Environ-ment, Land and Seas, having consultedISPRA, on condition that there are no otherpracticable solutions and that departure fromthe rules does not prejudice the satisfactoryconservation of the populations of the pro-tected species, (D.P.R. 357/97, art. 11 para-graph 1).

In the province of Trento the manage-ment of emergencies represents a field of ac-tion in which it has only been necessary tooperate in the last few years, given the con-siderable expansion in the bear populationand more specifically as a result of the pres-ence of a few animals considered to beproblematic.

In 2003 the Ministry for the Environment,Land and Seas and the Autonomous Provinceof Trento prepared the protocol for actionregarding problem bears and intervention incritical situations.

This protocol provides the technicalguidelines on the basis of which the Forestryand Wildlife Department, which representsthe provincial organisation of reference, hasidentified, trained and equipped the staff incharge of intervening in these situations. Op-

3. Management of emergencies

34

BEAR REPORT 2010

erational management in Trentino is based onthe use of staff from the provincial forestryservice (PFS), to which the Forestry andWildlife Department makes recourse, throughthe setting up of a special unit which is oncall.

This has been operational since 2004 andis active each year from March to November.In 2010 it was made up of 9 coordinators,who have the support of an emergency teammade up of two people, also on call in turnwithin a group of specially chosen and trainedstaff made up of 14 members. When neces-sary the team is joined by veterinary stafffrom the provincial health services (given spe-cial training since 2008) or from outside theadministration.

Activities of the emergency team

In 2010 the activities of the emergencyteam took place from 1 March to 12 Decem-ber, the season lasting slightly longer thanin 2009 due to bears also remaining activeat the beginning of December. However, nofurther cases of damage were recorded fromthe last ten days of November until the endof the year.

In 2010 the emergency team was calledon 34 times (Graph 21), in most cases fol-lowing reports of damage or the sighting ofbears close to inhabited areas. Their actionwas mostly limited to protecting and in-forming the population, while in only twocases were they called on to intervene di-rectly to dissuade the animal. In one casein particular, dissuasive action was put intoeffect using an exploding dart and beardogs.

There were however some problems re-ported in relation to the female bear DJ3,who was responsible for numerous cases ofdamage to bee-hives and livestock (sheep)close to towns or even within them, as in2008, manifesting overconfident behaviourin relation to man.

Once again, it was possible to ascertainthat most of the problems can be attributedto individual bears displaying problematicalbehaviour in terms of causing damage ordisplaying excessive confidence.

As regards the prevention of critical situ-ations, it should be recalled that in 2010 afurther 100 120 litre bear-proof wastebins were ordered and distributed through-out the area.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010Year

N o

f cas

es o

f int

erve

ntio

n

(1)

(5)

(0)(7)

(15)

(2)

(6)

The number of cases of direct intervention on bears is given in brackets

Graph 21

Emergency team call-outs in the period 2002-2009

BEAR REPORT 2010

35

The location of intervention by the emergency bear team in 2010 is shown in Figure 10.

CaptureIn the context of emergency management,

there is a capture team made up of staff spe-cially trained for these activities. They aresupported by veterinary staff in relation tohealth aspects.

In 2010, bearing in mind the particularly

damaging and overconfident behaviour ofthe female called DJ3 and considering theprovisions of the plan for the capture of prob-lem bears, it was considered opportune tocapture her once again, in order to replaceher radio-collar, as the previous one was nolonger functioning.

Figure 10Location of intervention by the emergency team

Location of intervention by

the emergency team in 2010

36

BEAR REPORT 2010

For this purpose a tube trap was posi-tioned in the area frequented by the bear.This method did not prove to be effective,perhaps also because when first capturedthe bear was kept in the trap in the phase ofrecovery. Indeed the bear, while frequentingthe site, was very wary and never fully en-tered the trap.

A second attempt was made in July in theDaone valley (at Malga Bissina), whereAldrich snares were prepared, using as baitsheep carcasses previously preyed on byDJ3. In this case, although returning to feedon two consecutive nights, the bear man-aged to elude the snares.

On the evening of 22 October 2010 inthe municipality of Praso (at Malga Pozze),the team succeeded in capturing DJ3 usingan appropriately modified Aldrich snare(Photo 9). The 7-year-old female weighed 130 kg and

was in excellent health. She was fitted witha radio-collar operating using the VHF andGPS system. All the attempts at capture were only initi-ated once it had been established with cer-tainty, through the use of photo traps, thatthe site was frequented by the bear in ques-tion and not by other bears.

Photo 9 - Modified Aldrich snare(P. Zanghellini, APT Forestry and Wildlife Dept. Archives)

BOX 3 Veterinary aspects related to the capture of bears

The capture of DJ3 on 22 October 2010 took place using procedures developed and con-solidated by recent experience, with operating methods, materials and sedation and ma-nipulation procedures which are as standardised as possible. Recourse to codified oper-ating methods is essential for guaranteeing the success of capture, avoiding operating inan improvised manner without objective assessment. While the scope is to allow the fit-ting of radio-collars or the transfer of the animal, the first priority is to guarantee thesafety of the team personnel and the animal itself. Veterinary support for the capture team was guaranteed by a veterinary surgeon from theVeterinary Public Health and Safety Unit of the provincial health services.(Photo. 10).No significant changes to anaesthetising procedures have been made from the first experi-ences to the present day: bears captured in the last few years have been sedated with amixture of a sedative-myorelaxant (an 2-adrenoceptor, xylazine) and two general anaes-thetics (a dissociative agent, tiletamine, and a benzodiazepine, zolazepam) in well-definedproportions. These have been adjusted only slightly during the various captures which havetaken place. The literature frequently reports the use of medetomidine (another 2- adreno-ceptor) instead of xylazine, the latter being a dated but still widely used substance: in Italya medetomidine-based drug suitable for the purpose is not currently commercially avail-able, so recourse to xylazine, albeit in very low doses, is practically obligatory. The use ofmore than one active ingredient is justified by the fact that in this way it is possible to re-duce the respective doses, resulting in a greater safety margin for the animal: during thecaptures taking place to date, no anaesthetic accidents have taken place.

BEAR REPORT 2010

37

Manipulation of the se-dated animal, which inany case must not takeplace within fifteen min-utes of administering thedrugs, must be carriedout using standardisedprocedures, in so far asthis is possible, also bear-ing in mind the peculiar-ities of each case: thedrugged animal is nor-mally placed on flat ter-rain, in dorsal recumbentposition with all fourlimbs extended and witha special mask over itseyes; one limb is attachedto a tree with an Aldrichsnare and a piece of woodis placed at the back of itsmouth, for reasons of se-curity and in order to as-sist with inspection of theteeth and the oral cavity.The animal is constantly monitored by the veterinary surgeon, who pays particular at-tention to respiratory function, through visual checking of the frequency and depth of res-piration with the use of a pulse oximeter, to check oxygenation of the blood. Other vitalparameters to be monitored are cardiac frequency, through evaluation of impulses, aus-cultation (preferably), or using a pulse oximeter. Body temperature is another parame-ter, often undervalued, to be kept under control: as described in the literature there havebeen more cases of hyperthermia (over 40C), even in the coldest seasons, than of hy-pothermia.Having terminated all procedures involving the animal and removed the safety restraints(snare around the limb), the veterinary surgeon proceeds with administration of the spe-cific antidote (atipamezole) for the 2-adrenoceptor; the recovery time (to standing onfour feet) can vary from 30 minutes to several hours.During the recovery phase the animal is not subjected to tactile and sound stimulationand on the basis of the experience gained, it is normally preferred to leave the animal torecover in a closed tube trap: this avoids the possibility of the bear, which is still partiallysedated, causing itself any harm, or worse still representing a hazard for the safety ofstaff and any other people who may be present in the area.In the event that recovery instead takes place in the natural environment, in the open,the animal is placed on flat terrain, in such a way that is it visible from afar, so it canbe checked at regular intervals in total safety: this is the most delicate phase in terms ofthe safety of staff, as a recovering bear may act aggressively to an approaching humanrather than moving away as it would normally do.

Photo 10 - Veterinary procedures during the capture of DJ3(P. Zanghellini, APT Forestry and Wildlife Dept. Archives)

38

BEAR REPORT 2010

The following table summarises capturestaking place in the period 2006-2010.

Road accidentsDuring 2010 two road accidents were re-

ported (at Fa, near Cles and in the vicinity of

Vigolo Baselga), bringing the number of inci-dents reported to date to 13, as shown inTable 3.

* the identity of the bear was ascertained through genetic testing

** an immediate inspection took place with dogs, suggesting that the animal hit moved off autonomously

Table 2 - Captures taking place in the period 2006-2010

No. Date of capture Location BearMethod of capture Scope of intervention

Period of radio

monitoringMethod of release Sex Age Weigh Notes

1 23/08/2006Malga Grum (Terzolas)

Jurka (1st)

Free ranging

Fitting of GPS radio-collar

23/8/0628/6/07

On site without dissuasion F 9 140

Female with 3 cubs

2 28/06/2007Rifugio Genzianella (Terres)

Jurka (2nd)

Free ranging

Fitting of GPS radio-collar - F 10 130 No cubs

3 02/07/2007 Maso Dos (Pinzolo) DanizaFree ranging


2/7/075/5/08

On site without dissuasion F 12 106 No cubs

4 13/06/2008 Molveno (Molveno) KJ2G1Free ranging

Fitting of GPS radio-collar - F 3 95

Died by drowning in Lake Molveno

5 13/07/2008Loc. Mangio (Castel Condino)

DJ3 Free rangingFitting of GPS radio-collar

13/7/0823/6/10

On site with dissuasion (dogs + rubber bullets)

F 5 95 No cubs

6 27/09/2008 Loc. Pineta (Molveno) KJ1G1Aldrich snare


27/9/085/4/09


F 3 130 No cubs

7 15/10/2009 Val Canali (Tonadico) M5Aldrich snare


15/10/0913/5/10


M 3 -5 175

8 22/10/2010Malga Pozze(Praso)

DJ3 Aldrich snareFitting of GPS radio-collar 22/10/10

On site without dissuasion F 7 130 No cubs

Table 2 - Road accidents reported in the period 2002-2010

No. Date Location Bear/s involved* Sex and age Fate of the bear

130 August 2001at 00.50 Laives (BZ) (A22 motorway) Vida Female aged 4.5 Injured quite seriously but survived

2 4 November 2005 at 6.45 Preore (prov. road n 34) DJ3 Female aged 2 Survived and reproduced

3 28 June 2006 at 00.30 Fai (prov. road n 64) MJ2 Female aged 3.5 Survived and reproduced

4 28 October 2006at 3.00 Caldes (main road n 42) Unknown Unknown Unknown**

5 29 October 2007at 23.25 Ciago (prov. road n 18) Unknown Unknown Unknown**

6 18 July 2008at 4.00 Villa Rendena (prov. road n 34) Daniza + 3 cubsFemale aged 13 with 3 cubs born that year 1 female cub died

7 18 July 2008at 4.00 Nembia (prov. road n 421) KJ1G1 Female aged 2.5 Survived with no consequences

8 16 August 2008at 23.45 Strembo (prov. road n236) Daniza + 2 cubsFemale aged 13 with 2 cubs born that year 1 cub injured, probably survived

9 15 October 2008at 00.30Bus de Vela (main road n 45 bis ) Unknown Unknown Unknown**

10 9 April 2009at 23.00Passo Palade (BZ) (main road n 238) Unknown Unknown Unknown**

11 9 December 2009 at 19.30 Tione (prov. road n 37) Unknown Unknown Unknown**

12 25 May 2010at 22.30Strada del Fa (prov. road n 43) Unknown Unknown Unknown**

13 22 October 2010at 6.30Vigolo Baselga (prov. road n 84) Unknown Unknown Unknown**

BEAR REPORT 2010

39

In both cases the impact was relativelyminor, the drivers of the vehicles were not in-jured and inspections carried out subse-quently with bear dogs suggested that thebears moved away from the site of the acci-dent immediately

Bear dogsDuring 2010 two new Russo-European

Laika bear dogs purchased in Germany wereassigned to their handlers, joining the two

dogs already available (photo 11), and thuscompleting the unit as planned. The first twodogs are now fully mature and have been usedon various occasions, in particular to check theareas where the two road accidents occurred,in at least two cases for dissuasion of bearscausing damage and to check areas frequentedby females with cubs in order to obtain organicsamples for genetic monitoring.

The training of the two adult dogs and oftheir handlers continued according to a spe-

cial programme, while the main trainingphase for the other two dogs will take placein 2011, given their young age, also with thecollaboration of specialist trainers.

In order to improve the use of the dogsthe Criteria for the use of bear dogs, rep-

resenting the reference document for coor-dinators and handlers in all possible operat-ing situations (wounded bears, road acci-dents, overconfident bears, dissuasion duringpost-capture release etc.) was implementedand partially reviewed.

Photo 11 - The four bear dogs with their handlers (C. Groff, APT Forestry and Wildlife Dept. Archives)

40

BEAR REPORT 2010

Communication is considered by the provin-cial administration to be an aspect of funda-mental importance in the management of bearsand represents one of the six Programmes ofaction referred to in the previously mentionedresolution of the provincial government no.1988 of 9 August 2002.

Considering this, starting from 2003 a spe-cific information campaign was started upcalled Getting to know the brown bear, whichhas seen numerous initiatives in the past and isstill active. This report, which among otherthings also has an informative role, is one ofthe initiatives designed to allow the wider pub-lic to better understand this animal, with theconviction that only knowledge can lead to har-monious coexistence with the bear in themedium to long-term.

With regard to these communication activ-ities, the Forestry and Wildlife Department hasalways been supported by Adamello Brenta Na-ture Park, which has been active in this field formany years in its own area, and by the TrentoNatural Science Museum, which has offerededucational activities related to bears forschools from the very beginning.

The main activities undertaken during 2010are summarised below.

Evening sessions and meetings Table 4 lists the eleven meetings/evenings

organised within the context of the informa-tion campaign Getting to know the brownbear (some of which promoted by AdamelloBrenta Nature Park when relevant to its area,with around 530 participants overall). Some ofthese meetings were specifically organised inresponse to local situations and requests for in-formation, linked for example to situations aris-ing when certain bears caused special concern

4. Communication

Table 4 - Public meetings held within the context of the Gettingto know the brown bear campaign

Place Date No. of participants

Trento Natural Science Museum

(with presentation of the 2009 Bear Report)

3 February 95

Mezzano(for bee-keepers) 30 March 20

Parco Natura Viva (VR) 11 April 40

Vezza doglio (BS)(per Legambiente) 8 June 55

Roveretofor bee-keepers) 21 June 40

Daone * 5 August 40

Brentonico 6 August 50

Vallarsa - Festival Tra le rocce e il cielo 19 August 50

Bosco Chiesanuova (VR)

Lessinia Film Festival 27 August 50

Magras 7 October 50

Trento Natural Science Museum 3 November 40

* Evening organised in collaboration beetween APT and ABNP

BEAR REPORT 2010

41

because of the number of in-cidents involving damage.Further evenings were heldwithin the context of theAdamello Brenta NaturePark 2010 summer pro-gramme. A detailed list isgiven in Table 5.

Accompanying activities

In the context of theAdamello Brenta NaturePark 2010 summer programme, the followinginitiatives were offered: A stroll with thebears, Invitation to the reign of the bear andGuided tour of the bear house and Spormag-giore wildlife centre (in collaboration withSpormaggiore wildlife park) - see Table 6.

Informative material producedand distributed

The third Bear Report (2009 Bear re-port) was issued, representing both a validmeans of communicating and raising publicawareness and a useful working tool for thedepartment.

In 2010 around 3,000 copies of thebrochure In the land of the bear (6,000copies printed) were distributed. Furthermore1,000 new posters entitled The bear: part ofour history were printed, of which 800 weredistributed.

During 2010 Adamello Brenta Nature Parkcontinued to issue the bulletin/newsletter IFogli dellOrso (which can be requested freeof charge at the address [email protected]), withtwo issues coming out during the year. Cele-brating its 25th edition, I Fogli dellOrso haspublished a total of 259 articles over a period

of eight years, involving 117 authors, includ-ing internal departmental staff and externalcontributors. There are currently 1,164 regis-tered members.

In spring the Park also finished drawingup the 4th volume dedicated to bears in theDocumenti del Parco, the 18th in the seriesdevised in 1993 in order to disseminate theresults obtained within the context of re-search promoted by Adamello Brenta NaturePark.

The book, entitled Limpegno del Parcoper lorso: il Progetto Life Ursus recalls thehistory of the bear in Trentino, with particularreference to the project for the reintroductionof the bear promoted by the Park at the end ofthe 1990s. 2,000 copies were printed.

Communication project for schools: Getting to know the brown bear, in collaborationwith Trento Natural History Museum

For the seventh consecutive year theMTSN continued to offer a programme oftried and tested educational activities on thesubject of brown bears in Trentino. The activ-ities are kept up-to-date thanks to coordina-tion with the Wildlife Office of APT, whichalso guarantees consultancy on the content.The 2010-2011 edition of the guide to the ed-ucational activities of the museum also con-tained all the educational initiatives realisedin collaboration with the Forestry and WildlifeDepartment, as has taken place since the2003-2004 edition.

Table 6 - Summary of accompanying activities offered by ABNP

Initiative Total participants

A stroll with the bears 218

Invitation to the reign of the bear 141

Guided tour of Spormaggiore wildlife centre - bear house 107

Invitation to Spormaggiore 179

Table 5 - public meetings about bears held by ABNP

Place Date Title No. of participants

Spormaggiore 17 MarchThe fauna park: activities carried out within the context of the Giulietto

Chini grantn.a.

Adamello Park - Breno (BS) 23 April The return of the great carnivores 11

Adamello Park - Ponte di Legno (BS) 23 June The return of the great carnivores 6

Tione 8 July The bear: Lord of the woods 38

Pinzolo 22 July The park animals: the great return 200

San Lorenzo in Banale 28 July The park animals: the great return 30

Pinzolo 12 August The bear: Lord of the woods n.a.

42

BEAR REPORT 2010

Once again in 2010 five types of activitywere offered: Hands-on museum a 90 guided visit to

the mammals room, with particular em-phasis on the bear and other large alpinecarnivores, with the opportunity to see andtouch particular types of materials (skulls,casts of footprints, hairs etc.);

Laboratory, 2.5 hours of interactive ac-tivities, partly providing information on thebear and other large carnivores (usingpowerpoint and various materials) andpartly practical (simulation of radio-track-ing, realisation of plaster casts of foot-prints, recognition of different mammalhairs through the use of educational work-sheets);

Travelling Museum, an activity dividedinto three sessions, two in the classroomand one (the middle session) involving atrip to an area frequented by bears to lookfor any signs of theirpresence;

From the Museum tonature, a guided triplasting a morning to anarea frequented by bearsto look for any signs oftheir presence;

Meeting the expert, a

seminar taking a more detailed look at thesubject, in the form of a 2.5 hour sessionreserved for secondary school pupils.

In the context of the existing agreementbetween the Forestry and Wildlife Depart-ment and the Trento Natural History Mu-seum, the museum organised the followingeducational activities in the period 1 January2010 - 31 December 2010: interactive laboratories on the subject The

bear and other large carnivores in the Alps,with 164 pupils participating;

travelling museum, with sessions in theclassroom and excursions in the provincefor 84 participants.

In the context of activities for schools,through its Communication Department theAdamello Brenta Nature Park carried out theusual activities relating to the brown bear.The statistics for the 2009/2010 school yearare given in Table 7.

Table 7 - Educational initiatives on the bear carried out by ABNP for schools

Title Number of schools Number of classes Number of pupils

Bear Project, the return of the bear to the Alps and peaceful coexistence with man (educatio-nal project: 2 classroom sessions and 1 trip to the Bear Visitors Centre in Spormaggiore)

19 28 425

A day with the bears (1 session: Bear Centre at Spormaggiore) 15 34 627

Large carnivores project (educational project: 2 classroom sessions and 1 trip) 6 6 89

BEAR REPORT 2010

43

In addition to these activities, the Park alsocarried out a project at the Istituto TecnicoCommerciale e per Geometri (high school tech-nical institute) in Cles entitled The brownbear in the Central Alps, with 650 partici-pants. Furthermore, educational worksheetson the brown bear were prepared to supportthe environmental education projects under-taken with classes in primary and middleschools.

Web sitesThe site www.orso.provincia.tn.it, also avail-able in English, was further updated and allsections completed; monthly updating wasalso guaranteed. It is currently organised into210 pages and received 30,160 visits by16,747 visitors in 2010. The site also containsthis report and the documents mentioned it.2010 saw continuing implementation and up-dating of content in the section of theAdamello Brenta Nature Park web site(www.pnab.it) dedicated to the bear (20pages overall).

Questions and motionsThe necessary information was provided in

order to respond to the following questionsraised regarding bears:

Question for written reply no. 1233/XIV of25/01/2010Insurance for damage caused by bears

Question for immediate oral reply no.1250/XIV of 28/01/2010Presence of the bear in Primiero andawarding of compensation for the damagecaused

Question for written reply no. 1417/XIV of5/03/2010Life Ursus Project and compensation fordamage caused by bears

Question for written reply no. 1991 of23/08/2010Life Ursus Project and sustainability studyordered by the provincial administration

44

BEAR REPORT 2010

Question for written reply no. 2118/XIV of4/10/2010On the presence of bears in Trentino anddamage caused by them to livestock

Question for written reply no. 2126/XIV of06/10/2010Presence of bears in the area and episodesof aggression towards man

Question for immediate oral reply no.2143/XIV of 14/10/2010Damage caused by bears to animal hus-bandry and bee-keeping sectors

Press releases

7 press releases regarding the bear wereissued by the Forestry and Wildlife Depart-ment with the support of the Press Office:

No. 231 of 1 Feb. 2010PRESENTATION OF THE 2009 BEAR RE-PORTWith the participation of Claudio Grofffrom the provincial administrationsForestry and Wildlife Department

No. 253 of 3 Feb. 2010BEARS: A SUMMARY OF THE SITUATIONTHIS EVENING AT 20.30 AT THE NATU-RAL SCIENCE MUSEUMThe Forestry and Wildlife Department willpresent an update on the status of the bearpopulation and related activities.The 2009 Bear Report will be presentedand distributed on this occasion.

No. 1033 of 14 Apr. 2010THE SITUATION OF BEARS IN THE ALPSAT A WORKSHOP ON 21 AND 22 APRILAppointment at the forestry and nurserycentre at CastelerThe meeting is promoted by Arge-Alp andorganised by the provincial administra-tions Forestry and Wildlife Department

No. 2738 of 20 Aug. 2010CONSERVATION OF THE BROWN BEAR:ACTION TAKENFollowing the indications of President

Lorenzo Dellai, the government has ap-proved the projectThe province ratifies the financial contri-bution decided by the European Union

No. 2795 of 25 Aug.2010JURKA THE BEAR GOES TO GERMANYTransfer of the animal made possible by theagreement between the Forestry andWildlife Department and the German BearFoundation

No. 2825 of 27 Ago. 2010JURKA IN CAPTTIVITY, CLARIFICATIONOF CERTAIN ASPECTSNote from the Autonomous Province ofTrentos Forestry and Wildlife Department

No. 3248 of 2 Oct. 2010BEAR AT MAGRAS: PROTOCOL PROCE-DURES SET IN MOTIONCapture is also possible in the event of be-haviour which may cause social alarm

The following press releases were issuedby Adamello Brenta Nature Park:

19 March 2010SPORMAGGIORE-CAVEDAGO-PARK COL-LABORATIVE AGREEMENT SIGNED

July 201018TH VOLUME IN THE SERIES DOCU-MENTI DEL PARCO

October 2010A NEW LIFE PROJECT FOR THE BEAR

BEAR REPORT 2010

45

Other communication initiatives

Radio-TV broadcastsAPTs Forestry and Wildlife Department

and ABNP took part in the following radio in-terviews and television broadcasts (Table 8):

Newspaper and magazine articlesAPTs Forestry and Wildlife Department and

ABNP supervised the production of articles (sci-entific or informative articles) and granted in-terviews (supplying content and iconographicmaterial) in the following publications (seeTable 9):

Table 8 - List of broadcasts on the bear with the participation of APT or ABNP during 2010

Radio/TV station -programme Subject Data Type of broadcast

RTTR * Coexisting with the bear 8 FebruaryVideo filming and

interview

TCA - Prevention and health feature

Coexisting with the bear 19 February

Video filming and interview

RAI 3 Regionale (Trento station): The bear broadcast on 2 FebruaryVideo filming and

interview

Canale 5: TG5 ** The bear 19 June Video filming and interview

Televisione suisse romande: TG** The bear 29-30 June (broadcast 5 July) Interview

Radio RAI International ** Bears and wildlife in the parkJuly 2010 (broadcast

in autumn) Radio interview

Juventus Channel ** The bear 14 July Interview

RAI 3 Geo&Geo *** The bear 5-6 August Interview

BBC * The bear 16-17 November Video filming and interview

* with the participation of APT; ** with the participation of ABNP;*** with the participation of APT and ABNP

Table 9 - List of articles published in 2010

Title/subject Newspaper/magazine Data/edition

Status of the brown bear population in Trentino, central Italian Alps, at the end of 2009 * IBA Newsletter February 2010

Ursus live: un grido di libert ** Adamello Brenta May 2010

Lo stato dellorso trentino ** www.ambientetrentino.it May 2010

Management of the bear population in the Alps Reisemagazin - Germania Settembre 2010

Gli orsi in Trentino: ambiente naturale e habitat politico ** www.ambientetrentino.it November 2010

* produced by APT; ** produced by ABNP

46

BEAR REPORT 2010

Correct management of the bear popula-tion is inextricably linked to the availabilityof specially trained staff, prepared to dealwith any problems of a technical and non-technical nature that may arise during activ-ities in the field, above all as regards the man-agement of emergencies, dealing withdamage and, to a lesser extent, monitoring.Training represents one of the six Pro-grammes of action referred to in the previ-ously mentioned resolution of the provincialgovernment no. 1988 of 9 August 2002.

APTs staff are given specific trainingwhich is constantly updated. The training ini-tiatives realised during 2010 are illustratedbelow.

Main training initiatives regarding bears

APTs Forestry and Wildlife Departmentorganised the following training courses: Casteler, 26 January 2009. Meeting to

provide updates on 2009 figures and planwork in 2010 for provincial staff involvedin the management of bears;

Casteler, 25 February 2010. Training ses-sion for new staff from the province in-volved in the management of bears;

Piana del Cansiglio (BL), 1 April 2010.

Training session for staff from provincialadministrations in Veneto and other in-terested organisations;

Candriai, 19 April 2010. Training sessionfor aspiring Area Tour Guides on bearsand other large carnivores;

Trento Natural Science Museum, 7 May2010. Training course on large carnivoresfor teachers from secondary schools;

Casteler, 28-29 June 2010. Training ses-sion for staff from the State Forestry Serv-ice in the Friuli Venezia, Giulia, Veneto andAbruzzo regions;

Casteler, 26 October 2010. Meeting to ex-change experience on the management ofthe wolf and the bear with Slovenian col-leagues;

Casteler, 18 November 2010. Trainingsession for the four bear dog handlers.

ABNP organised the following trainingcourses: work experience for two students from the

Istituto Agrario di S. Michele allAdige; seasonal workers at the Park (information

points and valley offices): training sessionon the wildlife in the Park and projects un-derway, with particular attention for mat-ters linked to the bear.

5. Training

BEAR REPORT 2010

47

Links with neighbouring regions and coun-tries take on a strategic importance in themanagement of such a highly mobile speciesas the brown bear. Bearing this in mind, evenbefore the start of the Life Ursus project, offi-cial contact was made with neighbouring re-gions, it being clear that the area of westernTrentino was not sufficiently large to house aviable population of bears. Over time these re-lationships have been strengthened and con-solidated, with regard both to the territorialexpansion of the small population, which haseffectively concerned neighbouring regionsand countries, and effective policy coordina-tion implemented by the Provincial Govern-ment with the previously mentioned resolu-tion no. 1988 of 9 August 2002. Followingthis, links transcending provincial boundarieswere institutionalised and with the input ofthe Ministry for the Environment, Land andSeas and the coordination of APT the ActionPlan for the Conservation of the BrownBear in the Central-Eastern Alps (PA-COBACE) was approved by all the partnersand printed in 2010. In addition to the Au-tonomous Province of Trento, this also in-volved the Autonomous Province of Bolzanoand the Lombardia, Veneto and Friuli VeneziaGiulia Regions.

Activities designed to guarantee transna-tional coordination also continued, in thelight of the numerous cases of young bearsmoving into neighbouring areas reported overthe last few years.

In the context of inter-regional and inter-national collaboration, the following meetingsand workshops with colleagues from other re-gions or nations took place: Bologna, 1 February 2010. Joint meeting

with other regions from the Italian Alps re-garding the genetic monitoring of the bearover the next few years, held at ISPRA of-fices;

Zernez (CH), 10 March 2010. Meeting onmanagement of the alpine bear population;

Casteler (TN), 20 and 21 April 2010. Sec-

ond meeting on management of the alpinebear population, in the context of ARGEALP.Adamello Brenta Nature Park, repre-

senting ALPARC - Alpine Network of Pro-tected Areas, took part in the work of theLarge Carnivores and Wild Ungulates plat-form, set up within the context of the Con-vention of the Alps to encourage internationalcollaboration, the exchange of experience andknowledge and standardisation of manage-ment methods and plans i

Documents

Bear Report 2010