Bear kills jogger in northern Italy

In the northern Italian province of Trentino, the suspicion of a bear attack has been confirmed after the body of a jogger was found. Trentino, 26, was attacked and killed by a wild bear, the province of Trentino announced on Friday evening. This is evident from an autopsy ordered by the authorities.

The young man was found early Thursday morning in the commune of Caldes in the Val di Sole valley, popular with hikers and tourists, near a forest track. 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 marks and a deep wound on the abdomen had already raised the suspicion that it could be a bear attack. Matching DNA remains were discovered on the young man’s corpse, it was said. The bear will now be identified and then killed, Trentino-Alto Adige regional president Maurizio Fugatti said Friday at a meeting of the public order and security commission.

“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.

There are regular warnings in the area about possible encounters with wild animals such as bears, wolves or lynxes. Bears in particular cause problems in 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 and released to the region, where it was feared at the time that the bear population was going extinct. Originally, a population of 50 animals was planned. According to Fugatti, action must now be taken against this “surplus”. (sda/dpa)