Danger averted: Late Monday evening, Italian foresters lured the bear Gaia, who killed jogger Andrea Papi, into a trap. She was taken to a wildlife park near Trento. But now there is a dispute over whether Gaia should be killed – or allowed to live.
Trento/Bayrischzell- The bear Gaia (abbreviation JJ4) was drugged after her capture and taken to the enclosure of the Casteller animal care center on the southern outskirts of the city of Trento, which was secured with high-voltage current. The keepers should be particularly careful when they approach the animal: “The aggressiveness of the animal is now very high,” warned the top civil protection officer in the province of Trento, Raffaele De Col. Gaia, sister of Bruno the bear who was shot near Schliersee in 2006, attacked and killed jogger Andrea Papi (26) in the forest not far from the village of Caldes on April 5.
The enclosure in Casteller has already housed many problem bears Gaia (JJ4)
In the Casteller enclosure is already M49, another captured “problem bear”. Two other “risk bears” – MJ5 (locals call him “Boss”) and M62 – are also to be captured. “Boss” attacked and injured a walker in March. Gaia’s mother Jurka – also Bruno’s mother – lived here after she was captured as a risky bear.
Trentino provincial president Maurizio Fugatti of the right-wing Lega Nord is delighted with the capture. But he says, “That’s a message we would have liked to have given in 2020 when we made the ordinances to launch JJ4.” At that time, a provincial shooting order was rejected by the administrative court, even though Gaia had attacked and seriously injured two hunters.
Provincial president insists on killing Gaia the bear (JJ4)
Even though Gaia no longer poses a threat to the populace, Fugatti persists in his orders to kill her. The administrative court of Trento does not want to bring forward the date for the hearing on May 11, in which Gaia’s further fate is to be decided, to April 20 – that was what Fugatti had requested. The still outstanding opinion of the highest Italian environmental institute ISPRA should be decisive for the verdict.
The animal protection association LAV now considers Gaia’s killing to be superfluous: “The capture of JJ4 has eliminated any pretext relating to the safety of citizens that would justify President Fugatti killing the bear.” of the bear to the protected area abroad identified by the Association”.
Is the problem bear Gaia (JJ4) coming to the Black Forest?
Gaia’s mother Jurka was transferred to a zoo in the Black Forest in 2010. Other bears captured in Trento also live there. Christopher Schmidt, spokesman for the park, confirms that the fate of the animal has already been investigated. However, there is currently no request and one wants to make a commitment: “As an animal protection organization, the animal is of course our top priority. What is ultimately best for Gaia can only be judged by the experts who are on site in Trentino and who know them. Because bears are strong in character and it is therefore important to assess each case individually.”
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