A grieving father whose son was killed by a bear has called for tougher action after the row over the cull in Italy intensified following three sightings in built-up areas in a week.
Carlo Papi’s son Andrea, 26, was mauled to death by a bear last year while jogging along a country path in an area where brown bears are allowed to roam freely.
He was targeted by a 17-year-old female brown bear, identified as JJ4, which had also been involved in another attack in 2020 and was initially said to have been put down after the fatality, but this was shelved.
Strict laws prevent bears from being culled because they are a protected species, but now, following the new sightings – including one just meters from a nursery school – there are demands to tighten controls.
Mr Papi said: ‘We have been let down, they said they would solve this problem and nothing has been done. My son passed away a year ago and nothing has changed.
Footage shows a bear sighting in the village of Male in the Sole Valley near Trento, northeastern Italy, early Sunday morning
Carlo Papi’s son Andrea, 26, was mauled to death by a bear last year while jogging along a country path in an area where brown bears are allowed to roam freely
Andrea was targeted by a 17-year-old female brown bear, identified as JJ4, who had also been involved in another attack in 2020
‘It has now reached the point where we are no longer safe in the woods near our homes, but also in our own homes.
‘Three sightings in less than a week and one just a few meters from a nursery school. What are we waiting for? It seems that bears are now better protected than humans.
“I think the time has come to get rid of them. “I’m not saying they should all be killed, but they should be removed from the area and placed in a zoo or safari park.”
About 100 bears are believed to live in the Trentino region of northern Italy after they were reintroduced in the late 1990s, but officials estimate the number could be even higher.
Municipal councilor Claudio Cia shared images of the latest sightings with MailOnline. One showed a bear walking through the village of Male in the Sole Valley near Trento, northeastern Italy, early Sunday morning.
It was spotted just as an end-of-term school celebration was wrapping up and people were walking home after Italy’s Euro 2024 match against Albania.
Filmed from the safety of a car, the bear is seen poking its nose through open gates and then breaking into a sprint before disappearing down a side road.
The animal is caught in the headlights of motorists, then looks towards them before slowly walking away along the road
Twenty-four hours later, another bear, believed to be the same one, is seen on a dual carriageway on the outskirts of town, with its head hanging over a guardrail.
The animal is caught in the headlights of motorists and then looks at them before slowly walking away along the road, towards the town of Commezzadura.
Local authorities are now calling for urgent intervention ‘to prevent painful and dramatic events in the future’, an apparent reference to the death of Andrea Papi.
Although bear attacks are relatively rare, officials said after Papi’s death — the first fatality in years — the number of attacks is increasing.
Councilor Cia said: ‘We know from a bear count that there are officially around 100 bears, but we think the number is much higher, possibly at least another half.
‘These increased sightings have now become almost daily and the bears are becoming increasingly bold, residents are concerned for their safety and it is also dangerous for the animal.
‘The one seen early on Sunday was seen shortly after a party. There were still stalls and people on the streets, but luckily no one was attacked.
“The problem lies outside its natural habitat. Bears are deadly. Outsiders see them as cute and cuddly with soft fur, but to us they are predators, and we have to deal with them.”
Mr Cia added: ‘When they were introduced 25 years ago as part of a rewilding programme, everyone was happy, but now locals have had enough, they are fed up.
“The bears attack sheep, goats and other animals, affecting farmers’ livelihoods.
‘They are increasingly moving into urban areas in search of food, because they have nothing to eat in their natural habitat.
‘What we are saying is that a select number of people should be humanely culled every year, but every time we ask for this there is an uproar and it is always people who live in the cities.
‘They see bears as sweet, cuddly creatures, like a cartoon character, but the reality is very different.
The cordoned off forest area near the town of Caldes after the death of Andrea Papi
“What also makes me angry is that when we cull deer, which we do about 7,000 a year, there is never any outrage, but when we talk about bears it is the end of the world.
“We have elevated bears to the same level as humans and turned humans into monsters just because we want to defend ourselves and control the bear population.”
Michela Vittoria Brambilla, president of the Italian League for the Defense of Animals and the Environment, said: ‘People like Councilor Cia must learn that they have to live next to bears.
‘The bear is a protected species and should not suffer any harm. It seems to me that as far as Councilor Cia is concerned, the only good bear is a dead bear.
‘Bears are not like deer, bears are a species in danger of extinction, so it is ridiculous to compare the potential cull of bears to that of deer. He has to understand the difference.’
Meanwhile, campaign group Hundred Percent Animalists staged a protest in Verona, declaring that ‘the summer offensive in defense of bears and wolves under threat of extermination has begun’.