Italy wants to deport the bears that live in the northern region of Trentino – South Tyrol. In early April, a 26-year-old jogger was killed after being attacked by a bear in a popular hiking area near the village of Caldes. Since then, controversy has raged about bears.
The bear that killed the jogger is currently being held in a wildlife sanctuary. A committee has also been set up to consider measures to control the expansion of the bear population in the area.
But this is not enough, says Italian Environment Minister Gilberto Becchetto Frattin. He will talk to other countries about relocating bears.
It is estimated that about a hundred bears live in northern Italy. In 1999, the bears were released from Slovenia as part of a European Union program to return the animals to the Italian Alps.
The bear that killed the runner had previously injured a father and his son in the same area. The Trent County Chief initially wanted to kill the 150 kilograms of animals, but after a complaint from animal activists, the judge stopped it.
The bear’s fate will be decided at a hearing on May 11th.
