Italian bears prowling, not hibernating

(ANSA) - Rome, February 2014 - An unusually warm winter in parts of Italy may be one of the reasons that bears have been spotted out of their dens and on the prowl, experts said Tuesday.
    While bears should be hibernating this time of year, employees at a ski resort in Campo di Giove in the central Abruzzo region warned visitors after a large brown bear was spotted near ski lifts.
    Forest rangers were called in to help.
    Meanwhile, bears have been spotted in the Molise area of southern Italy.
    Experts say that bears don't automatically hibernate in the winter months, if they are disturbed, the weather is too warm, or something they ate or did not eat has affected their rest.