The Murder Of A Bear Mother That Is Considered Dangerous In Italy Causes Criticism From Activists And Ministers

Marsican brown bear or Apenne brown bear. (Wikimedia Commons/Marco Designated)

JAKARTA - The killing of a bear which is considered dangerous because it repeatedly intersects with humans, raises differences of opinion between authorities and activists in Italy.

Local authorities in the northern Italian Alps killed a bear carrier deemed "dangerous" on Tuesday after he injured a French tourist in early July.

However, the move sparked protests from animal rights groups and criticism from a government minister.

The local forestry Corps shot the bear, known as KJ1, after tracking it through a necklace of mine, which was used to track and monitor wild animals, on the orders of Maurizio Fugatti, head of provincial authorities in Trento.

"KJ1 is a dangerous specimen," local authorities said, adding that the bear had been in contact with people seven times, including an incident that left a French runner injured.

However, Italy's environmental minister joined animal rights groups in condemning the move.

"Individual bear killings are not a solution to this problem," minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said in a statement, adding he had conveyed his views to local leader Fugatti.

The area around Trento City, which has been re-inhabited by bears since 1999 under the EU-funded program, has experienced a number of bear attacks in recent years, raising questions about how to achieve successful cohabitation with the animals.

Minister Fratin said Italy paid the price for using a bear image to market the area to tourists. And, sterilization is one way to solve the problem.

Separately, the International Organization for Animal Protection (OIPA) says the bear is about 22 years old and has three cubs who will struggle to survive on their own.

"Animals are living things that must be respected and cared for and not objects that must be removed," the OIPA said in a statement, accusing Fugatti of pursuing an "anti-money" strategy.

Earlier this year, Trento authorities said another bear parent, who killed a runner in 2023, would be moved to a shelter in Germany after the extermination order for her was blocked by lawsuits from nature lovers.