Accident at night
Brown bear dies after collision with car in Spain
Authorities released images of the dead bear and the damaged car
© Gobierno del Principado de Asturias
An adult brown bear has been involved in a serious car accident in northern Spain. The occupants of the car were unharmed, the animal died.
An adult bear is from one in north-west Spain run over by car and killed. The accident happened on Saturday night around 1:30 a.m. on the AS-15 road between Zarréu and Degaña, the authorities of the province of Asturias said on the online service X, formerly Twitter. The occupants of the car survived the nocturnal collision unharmed.
In a photo released by authorities, the dead bear was seen lying in the grass by the side of the road. The front part of the accident car was completely crushed. The bear should now be autopsied, the message said.
According to animal rights activists, around 330 brown bears live in Spain in the Cantabrian Mountains. About 76 more have their habitat in the Pyrenees on the border with France.
Brown bear shot in Italy
The death of a brown bear in Italy caused a stir on Friday. On the edge of a national park, an animal was shot that was repeatedly walking among people in villages. The bear named Amarena (black cherry) was killed near the central Italian municipality of San Benedetto dei Marsi by a man who said he felt threatened. The Abruzzo National Park, where the bear lived, expressed regret over the death on Friday. In Italy, there is always a debate about how to deal with bears that come close to settlements.
Park management said there was “no reason” for Amarena’s death. Although it has caused damage to agriculture and animal husbandry in the past, it has never become a danger to humans. “She has never caused problems for people,” the statement said. Her offspring is now being sought.
About 60 brown bears still live in the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo Lazio e Molise. A few years ago it was 100. Earlier in the year, another brown bear from Abruzzo National Park was hit by a car and fatally injured.