Bear Kj1 attacked a French tourist in a forest in the Trentino region.
The Italian authorities have shot bear Kj1, which attacked a French tourist on July 16 in Dro, in the Trentino region of Italy.
According to Rai News, the killing was ordered by the president of the region, Maurizio Fugatti, and has caused great controversy.
The main criticism came from the Italian Minister of the Environment, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin. "The elimination of bears is not the solution to the problem. I understand the feelings of the population and the local administration. Today we are experiencing the effects of a past mistake, due to the incorrect decision to exploit the image of bears in Trentino for tourism purposes 25 years ago."
Now, the minister says that the way forward is through "sterilization", a measure that "must be accompanied by correct education for citizens and new actions."
"President Fugatti never misses an opportunity and insists on his line of extermination of bears," the association 'Centopercentoanimalisti' said in a statement.
Meanwhile, MP Michela Vittoria Brambilla, president of the Italian League for the Defence of Animals and the Environment, went further: "President Fugatti sent his hitman to kill the bear! He signed the decree to kill Kj1 at night, when the Administrative Court could not intervene. What a shame, go away!"
Bear attacks have raised alarms in Italy - and in other European countries, such as Slovenia - in recent times. For example, remember the tragic death of Andrea Papi, 26, who was attacked by a bear called Gaia, on April 5, 2023, also in northern Italy.
