Bruno Finds Final Resting Place in Germany

German officials said the body of Bruno the bear will be staying in the place where he led out his final happy days of feeding on sheep, goats, rabbit and poultry and eluding the hunting teams on his tracks.

"The bear is the property of the state of Bavaria," the state's Environment Minister Werner Schnappauf told reporters Thursday, adding that the animal's remains would be used for "scientific purposes."

Bruno born into troubled den

Animal experts said Bruno's mother, originally from Slovenia, had failed to raise him as she should have. But Bruno proved capable of overcoming his troubled life as a cub and entering a life of stardom. Not even being labeled a "problem bear" by Bavarian officials was enough to stop him from expanding his international fan-base into his adopted German home.

He was the first bear to be spotted in Germany in 170 years. His death -- some say brutal murder -- infuriated animal lovers, who put up crosses and laid teddy bears near the spot where he was shot.

A German toymaker is producing a limited edition of 2,000 teddy bears, adorned with black ribbons, in memory of Bruno.

The two-meter (six foot six inches), two-year-old bear became a household name in Germany thanks to extensive media coverage before he was declared a menace and shot on June 25.

Italians only interested in remains

In May, the bear absconded from the Adamello-Brenta nature reserve in Italy's northern Trentino region, where Italian authorities recently reintroduced the species, and crossed the border.

"We had the problems because Italy did not frighten the bear (of humans) properly," Schnappauf said. "Now only once he is dead do they want to have him again."