Killer bear escapes death penalty after beast 'disembowelled' jogger and attacked family

Italian officials have suspended an order to kill a bear which has previously killed a jogger and allegedly attacked a father and son who were out hiking.

An order had previously been out in place to kill the bear, which is referred to as JJ4, following the horrifying attacks.

One of these saw 26-year-old jogger Andrea Papi ‘disembowelled’ while out for a run in Val di Sole in Trentino, Northern Italy.

Now regional courts, called the TAR, in Trento have suspended an order to kill the bear following the brutal incident on April 5.

This the second time that officials in the city have stopped such an order regarding JJ4, with the first order being suspended on June 24, 2020, following the attack on a father and son.

Local MP Maurizio Fugatti has issued an appeal against the decision, saying: “The decision of the court is surprising in the face of a person dying.

“For our part, what worries us is the security of the civilians and the choices made until now go in that direction.

“We can ask for the revocation of the decision by providing the requested documentation.”

Andrea Papi, 26, was mauled to death by a bear in Italy (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

Rescue teams found his badly savaged body on Thursday in Val di Sole, Trentino, North Italy, hours after he was reported missing by his girlfriend Alessia Gregori (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

It was confirmed following a meeting with officials in Trento that authorities currently consider three bears to be a public safety risk in the area.

These are JJ4, a female, and two males with the references MJ5 and M62.

The revocation of the order to kill the bear has been welcomed by the National Animal Protection Body (ENPA).

Up to 100 bears are thought to live in the woods in Trentino (Image: Press Office of the Autonomous Province of Trento)

A spokesperson for Enpa said: “The court’s suspension undoubtedly represents a glimmer of light, but for JJ4, like for all the other bears in Trentino, it is still a near escape.

“We don’t want, as a result of this evident failure, someone to seek revenge and proceed to kill JJ4, perhaps using the pretext of ‘proven’ danger for the staff involved in the operations to capture the bear, or towards residents.

“If this were to happen we will seek prosecution for the crime of murder of animals.”

This article by Kit Roberts was first published by The Daily Star on 15 April 2023. Lead Image: The bear had attacked and killed a jogger (stock image) (Image: Getty Images).

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