The interior ministry supports the
introduction of a law allowing forestry police to carry special
repellent as a deterrent against aggressive behaviour by bears,
Minister for Relations with Parliament Luca Ciriani told the
Lower House on Wednesday.
Bear spray "is used in several countries in areas where bears
are present to avoid the use of firearms, which seems
excessive," said Ciriani.
The spray amounts to a weapon and should only be used by
specialized and specially trained personnel, the minister added.
Bear management in Italy became a hot topic last month after a
female attacked and killed a 26-year-old trail runner, Andrea
Papi, on Mount Peller in the northern autonomous province of
Trento.
His death and the response by the local authorities, which
ordered for the bear to be captured and put down, divided public
opinion and prompted tough questions about coexistence between
humans and wildlife.
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