Updated 9/1/23 at 10:09 p.m
A cruel gesture. An endangered brown bear was shot by a man near San Benedetto dei Marsi in Abruzzo, central Italy, an action condemned by animal rights activists on Friday.
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.
“Nothing justified” her being shot
According to Abruzzo National Park officials, Amarena “never caused a problem for people” and “there was no reason” to have her shot. 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” that we could slaughter such an animal that poses no danger, complained the president of the Abruzzo region, Marco Marsilio.
The Marsica brown bear, native to central Italy, is an endangered subspecies of brown bear.
The death of Amarena “represents a severe blow that reduces the chances of survival of these bears,” denounced the NGO World Wide Fund (WWF) Italy in a press release. WWF said it was considering a civil lawsuit against the perpetrator.