The body of a bear has been found in Trentino, northern Italy. Hikers found the already decomposing body in an inaccessible area between Lake Molveno and the small community of San Lorenzo Dorsino, the province of Trentino announced on Sunday.
The animal is therefore M62 – a bear that has already attracted attention in the region and is classified as “problematic”. The identity of the animal could be determined from the ear tags. The Trentino forest corps assumes that another adult bear was attacked based on the wounds – in an examination of the carcass, the exact cause of death should now be found out, as the province further announced.
Clashes between bears can therefore occur throughout the year. In the mating season, which has already begun, this risk increases. M62 was considered “problematic” because the animal had shown less and less fear of humans over time. Animal protection organizations have already come forward and demanded to be involved in further clarification of the cause of death.
The area in the Trentino-Alto Adige region, which is popular with hikers and tourists, has not calmed down since a “problem bear” fatally attacked a 26-year-old jogger. After the female bear JJ4 killed the young man in early April, a heated debate broke out about the coexistence of bears and humans in Italy.
JJ4, who is also known under the name Gaia and is the sister of the “problem bear” Bruno who was killed in Bavaria in 2006, was caught in mid-April and has been in a locked game reserve ever since. The provincial government ordered the killing of the bear for the second time on Friday. However, the administrative court of Trento will decide on their fate on May 11th.