In the northern Italian province of Trentino, the suspicion of a bear attack has been confirmed after the body of a jogger was found. The 26-year-old Trentino was attacked and killed by a wild bear, the province of Trentino announced on Friday evening. This emerges from an autopsy ordered by the authorities.
The young man was found early Thursday morning in the municipality of Caldes in the Val di Sole valley, which is popular with hikers and tourists, near a forest path. He hadn’t returned from a jog in the woods on Wednesday, prompting his family to raise the alarm.
The man’s body showed serious injuries. Deep scratches on the body and face, bite wounds and a deep wound on the stomach had already raised the suspicion that it could be a bear attack. Corresponding DNA residues were discovered on the young man’s body, it was said. The bear is now to be identified and then killed, Trentino-Alto Adige regional president Mario Fugatti said at a meeting of the Public Order and Safety Committee on Friday.
“This bear must be removed to ensure public safety,” Fugatti said. According to him, all “problematic” animals should be killed. About 100 bears live in the wild in the mountainous and forested area. According to Fugatti, this is no longer acceptable. Bears have recently been sighted in the area. In early March, not far from Caldes, a man walking his dog was attacked by a bear and injured his head and arm.
In the area, there are regular warnings about possible encounters with wild animals such as bears, wolves or lynxes. Bears in particular are causing problems for the region. According to the province, their number is increasing. In 1999, as part of the EU’s “Life Ursus” project, a dozen bears from Slovenia were brought to and released from the region where the bear population was feared to be extinct at the time. A population of 50 animals was originally planned. According to Fugatti, action must now be taken against this “excess”.
