Deadly attack on jogger: Bear JJ4 was captured

About two weeks after the fatal attack on a jogger in northern Italy, forest rangers caught wild bear JJ4.

The female bear was caught overnight by the Trentino forest corps using a large pipe trap and prepared for later transport to a game reserve, Trentino-Alto Adige regional president Maurizio Fugatti told journalists on Tuesday. “The capture of JJ4 now brings more peace and security to the area.”

Around 11 p.m. at night, the emergency services in Val Meledrio, a connecting valley near Val di Sole in the northern Italian province of Trentino, managed to get hold of him. According to the information, the bear had a total of three cubs about two years old.

During the capture, two of the three boys became entangled in the siphon, but were released a short time later. The boys are already weaned and completely independent and are therefore separated from JJ4, said Raffaele de Col, who is responsible for civil protection in the region.

The bear was then placed in an electrically secured enclosure at the Casteller Animal Care Center in Trentino province, where another “problem bear” is already housed, M49. In addition to bears, lynxes and wolves are also found in the mountainous and wooded area.

Fugatti said that after the capture of JJ4, the search for two other “dangerous bears”, MJ5 and M62, would continue. According to him, the danger of bears in the area has not completely passed.

A 26-year-old jogger was found dead in early April along a forest path in the Caldes commune of Trentino, in a valley (Val di Sole) popular with hikers and tourists. His body and face were covered in deep scratches and bite marks.

Bruno’s sister

The bear JJ4, who had already attracted attention several times, had attacked and killed the man. A DNA comparison later revealed that she was the sister of the ‘problem bear’ Bruno, who was shot dead in Bavaria in 2006.

The 17-year-old female bear JJ4, also known as Gaia in Trentino, is no stranger to the area. The animal attacked two people, a father and his son, on Monte Peller around the summer of 2020.

Kill command canceled

Even then, the province issued the shooting order for the bear. However, the responsible administrative court overturned the decision moments later and arranged for JJ4 to be fitted with a radio collar, which eventually stopped working.

After the attack on the Trentino jogger two weeks ago, the province ordered another killing of the animal. But again the administrative court in Trento overturned the firing order after animal welfare organizations appealed.

According to the decree, the order will initially be suspended until May 11. Then there will be a court hearing to decide the fate of JJ4. Fugatti says he will continue to work to ensure that the court allows the bear to be shot.

A heated discussion ensued

After the death of the young jogger, a heated discussion broke out in Italy about the coexistence of bears and humans. Since the “Life Ursus” settlement project “Life Ursus”, about 100 bears have lived in Trentino. Fugatti reiterated on Tuesday that bear numbers should be halved and aggressive and dangerous bears killed.

He was saddened by the discussion: “The problem is not JJ4, but that in view of the death of a young man we are talking about a bear and not a human life.”

Animal rights activists, on the other hand, criticize the plans and advocate the construction of wildlife corridors or public awareness of how to deal with wildlife. The bears are part of the Alps. You should try to live together – bear and human. (sda/dpa)