“Amarena,” a well-known and endangered bear in Abruzzo, was shot by a 56-year-old man who was quickly identified and said he found her on the grounds of his property.
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.
“Amarena,” often photographed walking with her cubs this summer, was one of the most popular brown bears in Abruzzo National Park. The film was shot on Tuesday in the streets of San Sebastiano Dei Marsi.
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.
No valid “justification”
According to Abruzzo National Park officials, Amarena “never caused problems for people” and “nothing justified” her shooting.
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.
Amarena’s death “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.