Press
A hiker encountered a bear in northern Italy. But while such encounters in the region have resulted in deaths before, this time it was completely peaceful.
Crovaina – The Val di Sole in the north of Italy is the area with the highest density of bears in Western Europe. Around Monte Peller, the number of brown bears is currently estimated at around 150 in a relatively small area. Only on the Balkan Peninsula and in the Carpathians is the density of bears in Europe higher than here in the immediate vicinity of South Tyrol.
Bears are becoming more and more widespread in northern Italy
At the end of the 1990s, brown bears were released into the Adamello-Brenta National Park when the local population of plant-walking animals was threatened with extinction. They have now multiplied more than the locals would like. Incidents such as garbage cans or beehives being plundered and livestock being killed keep happening. There have been several injuries after encounters with bears. The most dramatic, however, was the death of a jogger last year, who was killed by a female bear because she was apparently defending her cubs.
A resident of Val di Sole, which lies at the foot of Monte Peller, had an encounter on Friday (5 July) that not only ended peacefully, but touched the hearts of many Facebook-Users were touched. Andrea Corte Dei Toldi, who was driving along the alpine path in his car, observed a young bear eating and took videos and photos of the encounter.
Forest walker had been on the road hundreds of times and now met the bear
In a local Facebook group where he posted the pictures, Dei Toldi recounts the experience and stresses that he had the situation under control because he was in the car. Dei Toldi was on the mountain pasture called Malga Selva di Croviana, just a few dozen meters from the small church in the town. “I am a regular visitor to the forest, I have been there more than 200 times a year for 40 years,” writes Dei Toldi. “I am a passionate collector of herbs, sprouts, fruits, mushrooms and practically everything the forest has to offer.”
During all his “thousands of excursions” he often had encounters with wild animals, deer, foxes, hares, and stags. “But I often asked myself what my state of mind would be if I encountered a bear.” On Friday, the time had come. “After a long time, I met this young specimen in the Selva di Croviana mountain hut. I was able to film and photograph it.” He was in no danger. “The animal was very calm, even though I was no more than 20 meters away.”
Other locals are rather horrified by the encounter
While filming, the man also commented on the scenery. The nature observer concluded his post with the words: “In summary, I can say that I had a very exciting experience.” Facebook users from the region have mixed feelings about the encounter: “Beautiful, yes, without a doubt. But with the noise of the car and when you talk, a wild animal should flee quickly.” A woman wrote: “Anyone who goes into the mountains on foot is much more at risk. With the noise of the car, he will definitely have heard you, and the fact that he is not shy is worrying.”
Recently, residents not far from Lake Garda filmed a whole family of bears that had made themselves at home in their garden. A single animal was recently filmed wandering through the town of Malé in Trentino during a festival. During the European elections, a bear also besieged a polling station near Lake Garda.
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