Controversial Killing of Bear Sparks Protests in Italy's Northern Alps

Local authorities killed a mother bear, KJ1, deemed dangerous after injuring a tourist. The incident, which spurred protests and criticism, raises questions about bear-human cohabitation in the region. Italy's environment minister called for alternative solutions, while animal rights groups condemned the action.

Local authorities in the northern Italian Alps killed a mother bear deemed to be 'dangerous' on Tuesday after she injured a French tourist earlier in July, sparking protests from animal rights groups and criticism from a government minister.

The local forestry corps shot the bear, known as KJ1, after tracing her via her radio collar—used for tracking and monitoring wild animals—on the orders of Maurizio Fugatti, head of the provincial authority in Trento. 'KJ1 was a dangerous specimen,' the local authority said, noting the bear had come into contact with people seven times, including the incident involving a French jogger.

However, Italy's environment minister joined animal rights groups in condemning the action. 'The killing of individual bears is not the solution to the problem,' Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin stated, adding that he had expressed his views to local leader Fugatti.

The area around the city of Trento, which has been re-populated with bears since 1999 under an EU-funded program, has experienced several bear attacks in recent years. This raises questions about how to achieve successful cohabitation with the animals. The minister stated that Italy was paying the price for using the image of the bear to market the region to tourists and suggested sterilization as a possible solution.

The International Organization for Animal Protection (OIPA) noted that the bear was around 22 years old and had three cubs who would struggle to survive on their own. 'Animals are sentient beings to be respected and cared for, not objects to be removed,' OIPA said, accusing Fugatti of pursuing an 'anti-bear' strategy.

Earlier this year, Trento authorities said another mother bear, who killed a jogger in 2023, was to be relocated to a sanctuary in Germany after culling orders were blocked by legal challenges from environmentalists.