Allgäu bears debunked: DNA test shows badger, not bear, in recent tracks

The Bavarian State Office for the Environment (Landesamt für Umwelt, LfU) reported that tracks discovered on July 21, 2026 in the Ostallgäu district of the Allgäu region could have been from a brown bear. The agency advised hikers and livestock owners to take precautionary measures while the evidence was examined.

A specialist laboratory later confirmed on July 27, 2026 that the sample was not bear DNA but that of a European badger (Meles meles). The LfU noted that badger scat can occasionally resemble bear droppings because of overlapping diets. The agency reiterated that no brown bear is currently roaming the Upper Allgäu, although a bear was last photographed in the district of Bad Hindelang in May 2023.

The LfU continues to recommend standard safety practices for hikers, such as making noise, avoiding dense underbrush, not leaving food waste, and keeping groups together.