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Bruno Vs The World

The countdown's running in hours now and most of Germany is ready for Friday's kick-off in Munich, Bavaria, when Germany plays Costa Rica in the opening match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. But those who aren't quite in the spirit are focused instead on the meanderings of our favorite bear, officially named JJ1 but dubbed Bruno by the German media. His rampages in Bavaria in recent weeks turned especially nasty yesterday when his insatiable appetite for sheep and chickens extended to rabbits.

Not to worry--experts are on the way. Bear specialists are arriving in Bavaria more frequently than soccer teams these days. Finland has provided Olympic-standard anesthetic dart shooters, while the US has shipped in a specially modified tube-shaped bear trap. A German spokesman from WWF described the state of play:

If you want to catch a bear you need experience, endurance and decent equipment. The new trap in which you can also transport bears, and the new bearmobile will help us a lot.

And we thought getting World Cup tickets was a hard slog.

Related stories:
World Cup Mascot No Sheep Killer [Jaunted]
Bear Trap for Bruno [Spiegel]