The killing of a mother bear in Italy has ignited protests and criticism from animal rights groups and government officials.
The bear, known as KJ1, was shot by local authorities on Tuesday. She was deemed “dangerous” following an incident earlier this month in which a French tourist was injured.
Tracked via her radio collar, KJ1 was located in the northern Italian Alps. Maurizio Fugatti, head of the provincial authority in Trento, ordered to kill her.
Her killing was strongly condemned by Italy’s environment minister and various animal rights organizations.
“The killing of individual bears is not the solution to the problem,” said Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin. He expressed his disapproval to Fugatti and stressed the need for alternative measures.
Bear population in Italy
The Trento region has seen an increase in bear attacks in recent years. It is struggling with balancing wildlife conservation and public safety.
Bears were reintroduced to the area in 1999 through an EU-funded program to boost the local ecosystem and attract tourism.
Minister Fratin criticized the region for using the bear’s image to attract tourists while failing to implement sustainable coexistence strategies. He suggested sterilization as a potential method to control the bear population without resorting to lethal measures.
Italian animal welfare organization OIPA reported that KJ1 was approximately 22 years old and had three cubs. The organization expressed concern for the cubs’ survival without their mother and condemned Fugatti’s actions as part of an “anti-bear” strategy.
“Animals are sentient beings to be respected and looked after, not objects to be removed,” OIPA stated, highlighting the need for more humane wildlife management practices.
In May, Fugatti also wanted to kill mother bear JJ4. After protests against her euthanization by animal rights activists, the bear was saved from death but kept in captivity.
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