Brown bear “Amarena” (“black cherry”), who has been spotted with her offspring in villages in the central Italian Apennines in Abruzzo, was shot dead in the vicinity of San Benedetto dei Marsi in the province of L’Aquila on Friday evening.
The man who killed the bear has been identified, authorities of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise said. About 60 brown bears live in the park. The investigation into the case is ongoing.
‘Bear was never a problem for people’
“There is no reason to justify the incident. Although ‘Amarena’ caused damage to agriculture and livestock, it was always compensated. The bear walking with her cubs was never a problem for humans,” says the park management .
It was not until Saturday that ‘Amarena’ surprised the inhabitants of San Sebastiano Dei Marsi in Abruzzo. She roamed the city of L’Aquila with her descendants (see video above).
The death of ‘Amarena’ raises questions about the often problematic coexistence of bears with populations in mountain communities. The topic is also relevant in Trentino Alto Adige. Fifteen bears have been killed in central Italy since 2010, three of them in the parks of Abruzzo.
Living together is not easy, but it is possible
“The news of the shooting of the bear ‘Amarena’ is a serious gesture against the whole region of Abruzzo and causes sadness and anger. Over the years, the communities outside and inside the parks have always shown that coexistence with the bears is possible,” said Marco Marsilio, President of the Abruzzo Mountain Region.
In January, a brown bear known as Juan Carrito, who had become a social media star for his forays into the mountain town of Roccaraso in Abruzzo, was hit by a car and fatally injured. The 150-kilogram bear was four years old and allegedly broke into a pastry shop and the kitchen of a well-known three-star restaurant in Roccaraso to get food.
Source: Krone
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