“The risk of a bear attack exists, but perhaps the tragedy could have been prevented,” said World Wide Fund for Nature researcher Marco Antonelli after the funeral of the runner mauled by a bear. A 26-year-old man was killed on 5 April in the South Tyrol region of northern Italy by a bear known as Jj4.
Are bear attacks common in the Alps?
This was not the first time Jj4 had attacked humans; a previous incident was recorded in 2022. A similar event occurred just a few days after the runner's death.
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Why is implementing the “return of the bear” project important?
According to M. Antonelli, the project is important because bears were once an essential part of the region's ecosystem. “There were bears in the Italian Alps in the last century before they were eradicated,” he said. “Restoring a species that was once an integral part of the ecosystem is important.”
Before the reintroduction of bears in Trentino, researchers spent several years determining the socio-economic and ecological viability of the project.
In the late 1990s, public opinion was overwhelmingly in favour of the bears' return, with more than 70% of the population supporting it. “The facts have proven the studies to be correct, as there are now approximately one hundred bears living in the region.”