The bear that killed 26-year-old
Andrea Papi while he was out jogging in countryside in the
province of Trento last week has been identified as a female
animal named Jj4, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
The bear was identified via the analysis of genetic material
carried out by the Edmund Mach Foundation.
In June 2022 Jj4 attacked two people, a father and son, on Mt.
Peller.
The provincial government had issued an order for the animal to
be killed but it was overturned by a court.
A radio collar was put on the bear but its battery is flat and
no longer transmits signals regarding Jj4's whereabouts.
The 17-year-old animal was born in Trento after the mating of
two bears brought to Italy from Slovenia in 2000 and 2001 as
part of the Life Ursus programme to repopulate the area's
then-dwindling brown-bear population.
The Trentino bear population has since surged to around 100 and
many animals are becoming increasingly bold, with close
encounters increasingly frequent.
The family of Papi, 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 over Life Ursus.
Bears may be moved from Trentino to other parts of Italy after
the death of Papi, the environment ministry said Tuesday.
Province of Trento President Maurizio Fugatti last week issued
an order for the bear that killed Papi to be identified and
eliminated.
Photo: an archive image of a bear.
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