“Amarena” walking in the city/AP
2023.09.03 Sun posted at 13:42 JST
Rome (CNN) A 56-year-old local man has been handed over to police for shooting a female endangered Marsican brown bear near the national park of Abruzzo in central Italy.
Prosecutors are poised to indict him for unfairly slaughtering animals.
The bear, named Amarena, has died, the national park confirmed Wednesday. The park’s veterinarian worked with the emergency team, but was unsuccessful.
Marsican brown bears live in Italy, but less than 60 remain today. In a statement, the park said it was clear that Amarena had never harmed humans and there was no justification for the shooting.
If convicted, the man could be sentenced to four months to two years in prison.
He told police that he saw Amarena on his property and shot it instinctively out of fear, but had no intention of killing it, according to local CNN affiliates.
In 2021, Amarena’s cub, Juancarito, made headlines when he broke into a nearby bakery and ate hundreds of biscuits. Juan Carlito was hit by a car and died this year.
Amarena’s other cubs are being tracked down by park staff and are doing their best to keep them in the wild.
A man was killed by a bear while jogging in northern Italy in April. The bear was sentenced to death, but a court suspended the execution and he was captured.
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2023-09-03 04:42:00
