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Brown bear seen in Switzerland for first time in two years
Jun 4, 2007, 16:00 GMT
Bern - A brown bear was spotted in Switzerland for the first time in two years, hunting authorities confirmed Monday, adding they believed it had crossed over from neighbouring Italy.
There had been several sightings during the weekend close to the Zernez National Park in the canton of Graubunden. Traces were clearly visible in the snow.
A bear last wandered into Switzerland in July 2005, killing a number of sheep, before disappearing. It follows the reintroduction of the bear into northern Italy from Slovenia in 1999 to 2002 where they are now thriving.
Bears were hunted to extinction in Switzerland a hundred years ago.
Farmers in the area have been put on alert. The federal authorities came up with a bear strategy in 2006 following the killing of Bruno the bear in neighbouring Austria. Bears are protected but can be killed if they lose their fear of humans and become dangerous.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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