Bear 'Daniza' dies during capture

(ANSA) - Trento, September 11 - A rare brown bear who cuffed a mushroom picker in Italy's northern Dolomites in mid-August died on Wednesday night during an operation to capture her.
    Daniza, as the bear was known, did not recover from the sedation administered for her capture, Trento provincial authorities said.
    The order to capture Daniza came after she attacked Daniele Maturi, 38, who came between her and her cubs while foraging for mushrooms on the August 15 national holiday.
    He said the bear seemed "crazy" but environmentalists said Daniza, 18, was likely only trying to defend her cubs by scaring the intruder.
    Through a program called Life Ursus, about 10 brown bears were reintroduced to the northern area of Trento, near Italy's borders with Switzerland and Austria, about 20 years ago after being driven out of the forested region.
    The program has been controversial, with some local farmers and herders complaining that the bears are a threat.
    The August incident sparked heated debate between those who wanted Daniza removed and those who thought capture would be detrimental and unjust. An autopsy would be carried out on the bear on Thursday, provincial authorities said.