Innsbruck, Austria - Signs of Bruno the bear have been found in a region northeast of Innsbruck, Austrian news reports said Sunday, as Finnish dogs were being brought in to track down the rogue beast that has raised the alarm on both sides of the Austrian-German border.

The reports referred to a damaged rabbit-hutch near Terfens and said two sheep had gone missing, although it was not clear whether the bear was responsible.

The Finnish bear-hunting team, comprising four specialist dogs and a marksman armed with a dart gun, were ready to pick the trail Sunday, the reports said.

The intention is that Bruno be taken to an enclosed nature conservation area in Bavaria across the German border.

The authorities have rescinded a shoot-to-kill order for the next two weeks.

The cost of the operation, put at 25,000 euros (31,500 dollars), is to be born by the states of Bavaria in Germany and Tyrol in Austria.

Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel expressed surprise at the consternation in Germany.

'In Austria, we are taking a more relaxed view. We have a bear- resettlement programme which looks after entire families,' he told the Sunday edition of the mass circulation Bild newspaper.

'They cause damage from time to time, and now and then a sheep is mauled, but this is compensated for and nobody gets excited,' Schuessel said.

Bruno was last sighted Friday near Imst, west of Innsbruck. A walker watched from from 1,500 metres as the bear bit off a hare's head. The man took the rest of the hare to police.

The bear, the offspring of northern Italy bears and code-named JJ1, is the first to roam German soil for 170 years.
CMN the bear costume isn't working anymore watch your back.