Mother bear shot dead for attacking tourist, leaves cubs orphaned

The death of the bear, known as KJ1, was confirmed on Tuesday. The animal was shot by the local forestry corps, which tracked it with a collar used to monitor and track wild animals. Maurizio Fugatti, president of the province of Trento, said KJ1 was a “dangerous individual” who had come into contact with humans seven times recently.

On July 16, KJ1 repeatedly injured a French tourist who, during a morning hike, strayed off the trail at an altitude of about 500 meters and encountered a bear. The female injured the 43-year-old in the leg and arm. The man managed to escape and call for help. DNA analysis confirmed that KJ1 was behind the attack.

The killing of the bear has been met with a wave of criticism from the International Organisation for the Protection of Animal Rights (OIPA). The organisation points out that the court had previously suspended two orders to kill the female. The third was to be issued at night, which prevented the intervention of ecologists. As OIPA emphasises, KJ1 was the oldest brown bear in Trento and orphaned three cubs, which now “will have serious difficulties surviving”.

“Animals are sentient beings that need to be respected and protected, not objects to be disposed of,” OIPA said in a statement.

The Italian Minister of the Environment also commented on the matter. Gilberto Pichetto Fratin stated that “killing individual bears is not a solution to the problem”. The politician added that Italy is paying a price for using the image of the bear in the region's marketing activities aimed at attracting tourists. He added that sterilization could be a solution to the problem of the overpopulation of bears in the region.

Brown bears were brought to Trento in the 1990s from Slovakia as part of a European Union program. Initially, the population numbered around 50 individuals, but over the years it has grown significantly. Last year, a bear fatally injured a tourist in the province. In total, according to ABC, there have been nine cases of animal aggression towards humans.

In March, provincial authorities approved a decree allowing the culling of up to eight “problem” bears per year between 2024 and 2025, after the animals’ population increased significantly following their reintroduction to the area between 1996 and 2004, according to Italian news agency ANSA. The decree was opposed by animal rights groups.