Christoph Paar was checking hives near Gries am Brenner on 29 October when he noticed broad paw prints pressed into wet earth beside a stone portal. The beekeeper followed them to a gap in the masonry and called a local ranger. Behind it, officials found an old mining tunnel running 2.4 km (1.5 miles) beneath the mountain and across the Italian border.
The tunnel, marked as sealed on local maps, had not appeared in either country’s wildlife records. Motion cameras installed after Paar’s discovery captured bears passing through on six occasions between 20 October and 1 November. Hair samples collected from the passage have so far matched at least three animals, according to the Tyrol wildlife office.
The route beneath the ridge
The disused gallery was dug early last century to reach a small ore deposit, officials said. Its main passage is about 2.8 metres (9 feet) wide and 3.1 metres (10 feet) high. A partial stone barrier at the Austrian entrance had been breached by water erosion, leaving an opening large enough for a bear to enter.
Annabell Durgan, a wildlife biologist advising the Tyrol office, said the find meant previous tracking had missed a route that bypasses the mountain’s visible passes. “A border on a map is not a barrier to a bear, and we have been measuring the wrong mountain,” she said. Officials are now comparing camera images with collar data gathered in nearby valleys.
A border on a map is not a barrier to a bear, and we have been measuring the wrong mountain.
Annabell Durgan, wildlife biologist
The passage matters because bear sightings are recorded separately by regional authorities, while farmers seeking compensation for damaged beehives or livestock must apply where the damage occurred. Italian officials had counted the northern slope as having no recent bear traffic; Austrian records showed only occasional movement through higher passes. The new evidence has reopened discussions over shared tracking and compensation rules.
Villages want a clear plan
Paar said he had not seen a bear at the tunnel, but its tracks were unmistakable to him. “I thought it was heading for the hives. Then the prints just disappeared into the wall,” he said. He has moved several hives farther from the portal while officials assess whether the bears are likely to keep using the route.
Residents in the valley say the discovery has made ordinary journeys feel less predictable, though officials report no encounters with people and no damage linked to the tunnel. Mathilde Nygaard, a local council member, said the area needs better warning signs and a reliable contact for residents, not an abrupt closure of the passage that could push animals towards farmyards.
A joint Austrian-Italian visit is planned for 12 November. Officials will inspect the tunnel, add cameras at both entrances and decide whether to keep the route open with monitoring or guide bears towards a safer passage farther from homes. Durgan said the first task was to establish how often animals use it; until then, neither country can say how many bears have crossed unseen.
