An autopsy of a 26-year-old runner whose body was found in a forest in Trentino, Italy, on Thursday confirmed that the man was killed by a bear. The man was still alive when he was attacked by the animal, Italian media reported.
The body was discovered in a wooded area above the parish of Caldes by sniffer dogs next to the footpath. The search was initiated after the man’s companion contacted the police because his companion had not returned home.
The victim must have lived through terrible moments: a stick with bloodstains indicated that the passionate athlete could have tried to defend himself from the bear. Experts are now trying to figure out which of the bears that live in Trentino’s forests could have attacked the man.
In early March, a man was attacked and injured by a bear on a hiking trail in a forest in Trentino. The man was walking the dog when he was attacked. He had to operate on his arm.
Around 90 bears live in the wild in Trentino. Sometimes they invade residential areas and attack livestock. A dozen bears were brought to the region from Slovenia and released in 1999 as part of an EU-funded project. Over the past 20 years, 19 bears have been identified as having problems getting along with the community.