Italian animal protection organizations are protesting plans by the autonomous province of Trento to hunt the troublesome bear, which is said to have attacked and killed a 26-year-old runner on Wednesday. Animal protection organizations asked the Ministry of the Environment to discuss measures to improve the management of the bear population in the region together with the province of Trento. It is important to avoid a “witch hunt” against bears.
The environmental association Legambiente emphasized that it was the first case of a deadly bear attack in Italy in the last 150 years. According to the Italian Association for the Protection of Animals and the Environment (Aidaa), it is necessary “to get to the bottom of the investigation and reconstruct exactly what happened”. The runner would have defended himself against the bear with a stick, which may have provoked the animal’s reaction.
Meanwhile, voices against the bear’s death are growing on social media. “We have been burning and cementing forests, taking more and more space for wildlife. Killing animals is not a solution to guarantee people’s safety. Imagine a forest or a wooded area without animals,” wrote the head of Verde Italiano Angelo Bonelli in the Twitter .
The young runner was found on Thursday morning near a forest path in the municipality of Caldes, in the Val di Sole valley, which is popular with hikers and tourists. He had not returned from a run in the woods on Wednesday, prompting his family to raise the alarm. The man’s body had serious injuries.
Deep scratches on the body and face, bites and a severe wound to the stomach already suggested a bear attack was involved. Matching DNA residues were discovered on the young man’s body, it was said. The bear must now be identified and then killed, said Trentino-Alto Adige regional president Maurizio Fugatti.
“This bear must be removed to ensure public safety,” Fugatti said. According to him, all “problem” animals should be killed. About 100 bears live in the wild in the mountainous and forested area. According to Fugatti, this is no longer acceptable.
The “Life Ursus” resettlement project started in 1999 with the support of the European Union. Ten bears from Slovenia were transferred to the Trentino region. Brown bears in Trentino have multiplied and killed several animals in recent months. The autonomous province of Trento demanded more freedom to capture and kill dangerous specimens.