Bears may be moved from Trentino to
other parts of Italy after the death from a bear attack of
runner Andrea Papi last week, the environment ministry said
Tuesday.
The Trentino bear population has surged from three to over 100
since they were re-introduced from Slovenia 20 years ago and
many animals are becoming increasingly bold, with close
encounters increasingly frequent.
The family of Papi, a 26-year-old man who was killed by a bear
while running in the woods near the Alpine town of Caldes,
intend to sue the State and the Autonomous Province of Trento.
The legal action would regard Life Ursus, the programme to bring
brown bears into the central Alps at the turn of this century to
stop the local population from going extinct.
It is estimated that there are now around 100-120 bears in the
province.
The action will reportedly focus on the fact that the project
was implemented without a referendum of the local population.
The family has already spoken to lawyers.
Several animal-rights groups and supporters, meanwhile, have
criticised the order by Province of Trento President Maurizio
Fugatti for the bear that killed Papi to be identified and
eliminated.
Environmental association Legambiente said that it is the first
lethal attack by a bear in 150 years in Italy and, while
conceding that the bear in question would now be killed, it said
there was no reason to stage a "witch hunt" against the animals
in general.
A plan for the mass transfer of bears from Trentino to other
areas is one of the measures that will be assessed by the
Ministry of the Environment and the Autonomous Province of
Trento after the attack on Papi, said a statement by the
Ministry, following a meeting in Rome Tuesday morning between
the minister, Gilberto Pichetto, and the president of the
province, Maurizio Fugatti.
The aim of the transfer will be to maintain a sustainable number
of specimens on Trentino territory.
A technical round table will be set up on bear management in the
Alps between the Ministry, the Province and environmental agency
Ispra.
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