A local administrative court in the
northern autonomous province of Trento has suspended a second
order to put down a female bear that attacked and killed a trail
runner in woods near the Alpine town of Caldes on 5 April,
animal rights associations said on Tuesday.
Province of Trento President Maurizio Fugatti on Thursday signed
the new order for the bear tagged as Jj4 to be put down after
the same court suspended an initial culling order issued shortly
after the death of 26-year-old Andrea Papi, following an appeal
by the Anti-Vivisection League (AVL).
In a statement issued after Tuesday's ruling, animal rights
groups Enpa, Leidaa and Oipa said Fugatti's second order was not
only "absurd in content and inadequately motivated", but also
that it "represents a genuine challenge to the Environment
Ministry, which is opposed to the culling of Jj4, has set up a
'technical working group' to draw up a new strategy on bear
management and demonstrates that it is well aware of the
principle of protection of the environment, biodiversity,
ecosystems and animals enshrined in the new Article 9 of the
Constitution".
Papi was the first Italian to be killed by a bear in modern
times.
His death and the resulting order to capture and cull Jj4 and
another bear also known to be dangerous has sparked a tug-of-war
between animal rights groups and the local authorities.
Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin Putting has said
that he hopes Jj4 can be transferred to a safe place rather than
be put down and has requested the involvement of associations in
drawing up a plan to manage the bear population in Trentino.
Meanwhile, Jj4 has been captured and is being kept in an
enclosed area pending a final decision.
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