Abstract 990 – European Brown Bear Conservation: A Continent-wide Assessment of Bear Intervention Teams

Djuro Huber, Aleksandra Majić-Skrbinšek, Jon Swenson, Linas Balčiauskas, Tomasz
Zwijacz-Kozica, Gerard Baars, Klemen Jerina, Duško Ćirović, Michael Schneider, Ovidiu Ionescu,
John Linnell, Alexandros A. Karamanlidis, Michal Haring, Aleksandar Stojanov, Diana Zlatanova,
Maryna Shkvyria, Claudio Groff, Andres Ordiz, Jānis Ozoliņš, Sven Signer, Aleksander Trajce,
Peep Mannil, Ilka Reinhardt, Javier Naves, Peter Sunde, Mateja Blažič, Julien Steinmetz, Luigi
Boitani, Robin Rigg, Javier Naves, Martin Duľa, Haris Hadžihajdarević, Aleksandra-Anja
Dragomirović, Konstantin Tirronen, Dejan Radošević, Miradije Gerguri, Aleksandar Perović,
Agnieszka Sergiel, Marek Pasiniewicz, Ioan Mihai Pop, Slaven Reljić, Ilpo Kojola

We present findings from a comprehensive survey conducted in November 2023, engaging 40
experts from 30 European countries, to explore the operational landscape of Bear Intervention
Teams (BITs). BITs are specialized groups trained to manage bear-related incidents, including
conflicts between humans and bears, as well as situations where bears are in distress. Among
the surveyed countries, 18 reported having operational BITs, albeit with variations in their
jurisdiction and protocols. Notably, only 9 countries reported having an approved protocol for
BIT operations. The organizational structure of BITs varied widely, with governmental agencies,
forest management authorities, environmental NGOs, police-hunter collaborations, and
national parks all playing roles in different contexts. Compensation for BIT members ranged
from full-time employment to voluntary service. Mandates of BITs primarily focused on
surveying, reporting, and acting in bear-related incidents, with interventions ranging from non-
lethal methods (e.g., rubber bullets) to euthanasia as a last resort. The frequency of
interventions varied significantly, with some units handling only a few cases annually while
others managed thousands, indicating the diverse nature and intensity of bear-related issues
across regions. Common reasons for BIT interventions included bears entering human
settlements, traffic accidents involving bears, as well as cases of injured, sick, or orphaned
bears. Additionally, BITs addressed a vast array of challenges, from bears feeding on garbage to
illegal killings. In administrative units without a designated BIT, bear-related issues were typically resolved on a case-by-case basis by people with less training. Public acceptance of bears is often influenced by whether local people see prompt and professional response to an incident, or they are left alone to cope with the situation. BITs appear to be very useful in fostering human–bear coexistence through 3 key components of the Species Conservation Cycle: “Assessing” the situation, “Communicating” locally and nationally, and “Acting” on spot.