Bears dangerous for 98% of voters in Val di Sole referendum

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 28 - Over 98% of voters in a referendum organized in the Val di Sole region of Trentino said they consider the presence of bears and wolves in densely populated local areas to be a "grave danger to public security", according to results of the poll published on Monday.
    According to 98. 5% of the 7,842 residents of areas including Val di Sole, Peio and Rabbi who headed to the polls, their presence also "damages the economy and the safeguard of local customs and traditions".
    Turnout for the referendum organized Sunday in 13 municipalities of Trentino was 63.16%.
    The referendum was organized, at the request of local associations and residents, after the committee 'Together for Andrea Papi' - the 26-year-old killed by the Jj4 bear in Val di Sole in 2023, the first Italian to be mauled to death by a bear in modern times - had collected over 6,000 signatures requesting the vote.
    The bear was later traced to a forested area in the lower Val di Sole and put down - a measure blasted by animal activists as brutal.
    The outcome of the referendum will not lead to changes at the juridical level as bears and wolves are protected species.
    However, it represents a political sign, the president of the Comunità di Valle, Lorenzo Cicolini, said after the vote.
    (ANSA).