Bears Get Around: Switzerland

Brown bears were once widespread in the Alps, the mountain range that makes up over half of the country of Switzerland.

This is a view from Mount Pilatus, near the city of Luzern.

And here is the Matterhorn, near Zermatt.

The capital city of Switzerland, Bern, is said to have been named in our honour nearly a thousand years ago: “Bären” is the German word for “bears.” The city’s official symbol, or “coat of arms,” is a really cool-looking bear. 

 
For nearly 500 years, Bern maintained a colony of bears in the Bärengraben, or “Bear Pit.” The city’s much-loved bears now live in a nice new park, the “BärenPark Bern,” that opened in 2009.

Wild brown bears, though, were hunted to extinction in Switzerland over a hundred years ago. People were often afraid of wild bears (who can be pretty fierce when they feel threatened, after all – you should never go near a wild bear yourself).

People also didn’t want bears raiding their beehives, or hunting their cattle, sheep, and other livestock. While brown bears are mostly vegetarian – they get up to three-quarters of their food from plants –they’re not above catching an easy meal if they can, and even raiding garbage cans if humans don’t store their trash carefully.

It’s complicated. Wild bears need to eat, but how do you balance what wild bears need with what people need? What do you think?

The ancient and beautiful Swiss city of Basel is on the banks of the Rhine River. 

This is Basel's City Hall.

Imbergässlein Street is so steep, it has stairs.

In Basel, you can visit an entire museum devoted to us teddy bears. I loved it! It’s called the Puppenhausmuseum Basel.

 

This beautiful bear is a great ambassador from the world of us teddy bears. Her name is Beate (you pronounce that BEE-A-TA; it means “blessed” in Latin).

Wild bears are being seen again in Switzerland from time to time, wandering in from a national park in northern Italy. Just a few years ago, the World Wildlife Fund asked people in Switzerland if they wanted bears to live in the Alps again. 85% of them said yes!

Recent studies show that there is enough wilderness in Switzerland for wild bears to live peacefully, without upsetting any human neighbours. It all looks promising – so stay tuned.

Bern crest courtesy Wikipedia
Story © S. Clouthier
Photos © S. Clouthier and D. Wei