From The Those Wacky Germans Department:

AFP: Bear reported in Germany, first for 170 years

A bear has been reported in Germany for the first time since 1835, police at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Bavarian Alps said, following the discovery of seven sheep carcasses.

The animal crossed into Germany from Austria, where about 30 bears live, and was spotted near the border on Thursday after destroying a beehive.

See, it's not even a German bear! Neville Chamberlain, call your office.

The German section of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature said that the last wild bear seen in Germany was one killed in 1835 in western Bavaria.

The regional authorities have mobilised teams to find the bear, anaesthetise it briefly, identify it and release it, a spokesman said.

Regional environment minister Werner Schnappauf said the bear "was welcome in Bavaria" and urged people not be afraid of it. Austrian experts who have been tracking the animal said it was unlikely to approach humans.

Hunters' associations said the bear's presence was "positive" but warned of the possible consequences for farmers.

Bavaria's wildlife inventory includes some 50 golden eagles, 20 adult lynx and a few wolves.