After bear attacks

Petition to force referendum in Trentino

The bear population is recovering.(Bild: AFP/Armend NIMANI)

The brown bear is on the rise again in parts of Europe. In Italy, there have been isolated fatal encounters in recent months. A petition is now calling for the bear population in Trentino to be curbed.

6000 signatures have been collected in four days against the growing number of bears in Trentino in Italy. The petition was handed over to the municipality of Val di Sole in Trentino to organize a referendum on the issue of bears, according to local media reports.

Bears and wolves as economic damage?
The committee calling for the referendum asked residents: "Do you think that the presence of large predators such as bears and wolves in areas such as the Sole, Peio and Rabbi valleys poses a serious threat to public safety and is detrimental to the economy and the preservation of local customs and traditions?"

In April 2023, a female bear fatally injured a 26-year-old jogger in Caldes, Trentino. Trentino recently approved a draft law aimed at curbing the spread of the bear population. The bill provides for the possibility of killing up to eight animals per year. According to the latest estimates, there are more than 100 bears in Trentino.

Shooting as a political issue
Another female bear attacked and injured a French vacationer on July 16. After the attack, provincial governor Maurizio Fugatti twice signed a culling order against the female. This was suspended twice by the regional administrative court following an appeal by animal rights activists.