The government has given its backing
to identical amendments presented by coalition partners League
and Brothers of Italy (FdI) authorizing use by forestry police
in the northeastern regions of Friuli Venezia Giulia and
Trentino Alto Adige of pepper spray to defend themselves against
possible bear attacks, Ansa learned on Friday.
The amendments are to be included in a package of measures on
the public administration and will be put to the vote in the
Lower House Constitutional Affairs and Labor committees starting
next Tuesday.
Earlier this month the interior ministry said it supported the
introduction of a law allowing forestry police to carry special
repellent as a deterrent against aggressive behaviour by bears.
Bear spray "is used in several countries in areas where bears
are present to avoid the use of firearms, which seems
excessive," Minister for Relations with Parliament Luca Ciriani
told the Lower House, adding that the spray amounts to a weapon
and should only be used by specialized and specially trained
personnel.
Bear management in Italy became a hot topic in April after a
female tagged as Jj4 attacked and killed a 26-year-old trail
runner, Andrea Papi, on Mount Peller in the northern autonomous
province of Trento.
His death and the resulting tug-of-war between the provincial
authorities and judiciary over an order for the bear to be
captured and put down has divided public opinion and prompted
tough questions about the coexistence between
wildlife and humans.
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