Forest rangers on Sunday continued the
search for the two cubs of a female bear called Amarena that was
shot dead late on Thursday by a man using a rifle on the
outskirts of the Abruzzo town of San Benedetto dei Marsi.
It is feared that the cubs will not be able to survive on their
own in the wild.
"The situation is not easy," said Luciano Sammarone, the
director of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park (PNALM).
"They run away (when approached)".
San Benedetto dei Marsi Mayor Antonio Cerasani called on the
public not to do anything that might hinder the search for the
cubs.
On Saturday the two cubs were spotted together and then one was
seen on its own, but efforts to capture them, including using
traps, have so far failed.
"It gets more difficult to find the two mammals with every day
that passes," said Cerasani.
"I invite everyone to cooperate by not getting in the way of the
search and alerting the emergency services to any sightings.
"There is still hope".
Amarena's killing has sparked widespread outrage in Italy.
The PNALM said the it was "unjustified" and had caused huge
damage, as it had taken out one of the park's most prolific
females ever, stressing that Amarena "had never caused any type
of problem to humans".
Abruzzo Governor Marco Marsilio described the killing as
"incomprehensible".
The 56-year-old man who killed the animal has been put under
investigation.
He said he had reacted instinctively after the animal frightened
him by appearing on his property.
Avezzano prosecutors have tasked two experts, a vet and a
ballistics specialist, with the job of establishing the dynamics
of the episode.
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