After the deadly bear attack in northern Italy, the Italian Ministry of the Environment wants to relocate some predators and thus reduce the population in Trentino. However, the plans are running into difficulties – none of the neighboring regions want to take in the bears.
The regions of South Tyrol, Veneto and Lombardy have already declined. The Ministry of the Environment is now looking abroad for opportunities to house the bears that have been proliferating as part of the EU-funded “Life Ursus” reintroduction project.
But the Italian neighboring country of Slovenia, where the parents of the problem bear JJ4 come from, also wants nothing to do with the predators from Trentino. The Slovenian authorities themselves are confronted with an overwhelming number of local bears. Slovenia has at least 200 bears too many, Italian media report. “Everyone wants to save the bears, but nobody wants to take them in,” said Italian daily La Stampa.
Resolution project ‘threatened to fail’
“Now the Italian government has to find solutions. Otherwise, the ‘Life Ursus’ project risks failing,” said Trentino Governor Maurizio Fugatti. The danger of further deadly bear attacks on humans is concrete.
Italian Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin wants to “start the necessary talks at diplomatic level to allow the bears to be resettled”. A round table has been set up to reduce the bear population in the area. For example, a maximum number of animals must be determined. The ministry spoke of the necessary “management of a calamity”. However, the minister spoke out against the murder of “JJ4”.
Wear striking before attacking jogger
Two weeks ago, a 26-year-old jogger was found dead on a woodland path in the Trentino commune of Caldes in Val di Sole, popular with walkers and tourists. A female bear that had attracted attention several times had killed the man. It is the sister of the “problem bear” Bruno, who was shot dead in Bavaria in 2006.
The fate of the predator, code JJ4, remains uncertain. After an attack in 2020, the bear should have been killed, a court ruled against the murder. The bear was captured last Tuesday and is in an animal protection center in Casteller near Trento. About 300 animal rights activists demonstrated in front of the center on Sunday against the killing of the bear.
Source: Krone
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