The wandering brown bear that has killed livestock and eluded authorities for weeks in southern Germany and Austria has been shot and killed, a regional official said Monday.

Manfred Woelfl, Bavaria's government bear specialist, gave no further details ahead of a news conference.

The bear, a fugitive from Italy named JJ1 but dubbed Bruno by German media, rambled into Germany last month, becoming the first wild bear seen in the country since 1835. He was part of a program in northern Italy to reintroduce the animals in the Alps.

The 220-pound bear had not harmed any humans, but had killed sheep and rabbits and looted beehives. Officials said he was a hazard because he came near homes and appeared to have lost his fear of people.

Austrian authorities on Saturday gave hunters permission to kill the bear if they encountered it. Bavarian officials said they would consider a similar move as early as Tuesday; it wasn't clear whether the shooting was authorized.

Authorities originally proposed permitting the bear to be shot, but backed away after public protest. They tried to capture him alive and put him in a nature reserve but were unable to catch him.

Even a team of Finnish tracking dogs was unable to corner the bear so he could be shot with a tranquilizer.