An endangered brown bear was shot dead by a man near San Benedetto dei Marsi in Abruzzo, central Italy, an action condemned by animal rights activists on Friday, reports AFP.
Shot dead by a 56-year-old man
Often photographed walking her cubs this summer, ‘Amarena’ was one of the most popular brown bears in Abruzzo National Park.
She was shot dead by a 56-year-old man who was quickly identified and said he found her on the grounds of his property outside the national park, police said.
Amarena “never gave people any problems” And “nothing justified” felled according to Abruzzo National Park officials.
“Incomprehensible”
The animal was one of 60 brown bears in the national park and its two cubs, now without a mother, are being actively sought.
It is “incomprehensible” The president of the Abruzzo region, Marco Marsilio, complained that such an animal, which poses no danger, should be slaughtered.
The Marsica brown bear, native to central Italy, is an endangered subspecies of brown bear.
The death of Amarena “Represents a blow that reduces these bears’ chances of survival”denounced the NGO World Wide Fund (WWF) Italy in a press release.
WWF said it was considering a civil lawsuit against the perpetrator.