“Autopsy Confirms Cause of Death for Dead Brown Bear on Westbahn Tracks in Salzburg’s Pongau”

2023-05-25 10:53:43

After a dead brown bear was found on the tracks of the Westbahn in Salzburg’s Pongau, the animal’s autopsy ended all wild speculation regarding the cause of death: “The animal clearly died following the serious collision. Another cause of death or illegal killing can be ruled out,” shared State Veterinary Director Josef Schöchl on Thursday. The bear is a male, young, adult animal weighing 111 kilograms.

A train driver reported the collision with the bear on the railway line along the Salzach between the Schwarzach and Lend stations on Tuesday morning. The carcass was subsequently recovered and examined at the Research Institute for Wildlife Science at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna. “It has been shown that the injuries are dramatic. Pretty much everything that can be broken is broken,” said Schöchl to the APA. X-rays would have shown serial rib fractures, a fracture of the spine and fractures in the skull area. The animal also had severe internal bleeding in the chest and abdomen.

“Everything points to a massive trauma that occurred during the bear’s lifetime and not postmortem. No animal can survive something like that,” says Schöchl. And further: “For example, there is no evidence of gunshot wounds.” Schöchl also cleared up rumors and media reports that the animal might have been killed by hunters or farmers and then laid on the tracks.

The analysis of the DNA samples is expected for next week. They may then allow conclusions to be drawn regarding the origin of the bear and to confirmed DNA analyzes of bears that were recently taken from other locations.

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