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A Bear, Five Dogs and the World Cup

Bruno the Bear, still in the news for terrorising southern Germany and northern Austria with his bloodthirsty craving for sheep, rabbits and chickens, is a clever old bear. The seven-foot, sixteen-stone problem bear is fitter than quite a few of the World Cup players, managing about 20 miles hiking a day through the Alps, and is smart enough to never return to the scenes of his crimes.

The Finnish experts brought five special Karelian bear dogs (see picture, above) with them for the job, so special that they have complex GPS systems on their collars and are renowned as the best possible trackers. The dogs were shaved practically naked first so they could survive the southern heat --but the onset of summer temperatures still had them hanging up their hiking boots early on Tuesday this week.

Really, this bunch of Finns and their pooches seem to be taking a long time to find Bruno: could it be that they're just trying to hang out in Germany while the World Cup's in full swing?

Related stories
Problem Bear Strikes Again [Spiegel]
Signs of Bruno in Austria [Monsters and Critics]