Bruno, the European Brown Bear that's been terrorizing Bavaria was shot and killed by a hunter this weekend. It's kind of sad, but it was probably the best thing to do before he hurt somebody. Bavarian officials were concerned because the bear was getting closer to populated areas, and had eluded every effort at live-capture.
To review, Bruno had wandered into Bavaria from Austria. He was part of a re-introduction of the species to the Alpine areas of Italy. Some of them had moved to Austria but had not caused any problems there. Bruno's appearance in Bavaria was at first welcomed, but soon he acquired a taste for livestock, often killing them without eating them. Bavarian authorities had authorized professional hunters to kill Bruno. They also tried to capture him using traps and special bear dogs from Finland to no avail. The European Brown Bear is related to the North American Brown Bear, also known as the Grizzly, and grows to about the same size and has the same behavior.
Der Spiegel's article on Bruno's death: http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,423734,00.html
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