Overview
- Scientists at the Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde recovered Bert's carcass after his GPS collar sent a mortality signal on Sunday morning and sent it to the Leibniz‑IZW in Berlin for examination.
- The IZW autopsy identified heavy internal injuries consistent with blunt trauma but did not establish a single, clear cause of death.
- Researchers say two leading explanations are a physical fight with another bull during the rut or traumatic contact with cattle on a pasture where Bert spent the breeding season.
- Bert had been tracked nearly continuously since 2018 and his almost nine years of GPS telemetry provided rare data on elk movement, habitat use and interactions with roads and livestock in a populated landscape.
- With Bert gone the known Brandenburg elk count falls from five to four, and scientists say the loss raises questions about whether and how to deploy another collar given the logistical and financial costs.