The fate of problem bear “JJ4” aka “Gaia”, who was caught on Tuesday and killed a 26-year-old jogger in Trentino, northern Italy, splits Italy two weeks ago. While 63 mayors of Trentino municipalities join the provincial governor Maurizio Fugatti’s call for the bear to be killed, celebrities have launched a campaign to save “Gaia”.
The bear was caught on Monday evening by the Trentino forest authority with a large pipe trap and then placed in an electrically secured enclosure at the Casteller animal care center in the province of Trentino. There is another problem bear with “M49”. Known as the escape king, “Papillon” had killed livestock on several occasions and even managed to slip off his transmitter collar. In addition, he had already escaped twice from the animal care center. What will happen to “Gaia” will be decided by a courtWhat will happen to “Gaia” is unclear, her life was once on the razor’s edge. Because the province of Trento had ordered the killing of the animal two weeks ago after the fatal attack on the jogger. But the administrative court in Trento overturned the shooting order after animal welfare organizations had appealed. According to the decree, the order was initially suspended until May 11th. Then there will be a court hearing to decide the fate of the bear. Trentino governor Fugatti says he wants to continue to work to ensure that the court releases the bear to be shot. 63 mayors of Trentino municipalities joined his appeal to kill the bear. “Aggressive and dangerous bears should be killed,” it said in a letter. Mayors identify damage to tourism the European strategy for the reintroduction of brown bears in the Alps. The local leaders also complain about problems for tourism. Several planned vacations in Trentino’s Val di Sole, where the jogger was killed, have already been cancelled. The damage to tourism is great. The assessment of animal rights activists is different: they criticize the plans to kill the bear and advocate the establishment of wildlife corridors and sensitization of the population in dealing with wild animals. The bears are part of the Alps. You have to try to live together. The animal protection association LAV demanded that “JJ4” be accommodated abroad. The WWF has criticized Governor Fugatti, saying it is “short-sighted and ideological” to continue to propose removing dozens of bears. That would turn the clocks back more than 50 years. “Putting the bear down would be crazy.” Celebrities also joined the animal rights activists’ appeal. Among them is the actress Ornella Muti. “There are many organizations that can take the bear to safety, it would be really crazy to euthanize her,” said the actress, who took part in an anti-hunting demonstration in Rome last Saturday with her daughter Naike Rivelli. A group of parliamentarians sent a request to Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, demanding that “JJ4” not be killed.
source site-12