Bear that killed an Italian jogger, 26, had previously mauled two hikers and is still on the loose after catch and kill order was overturned by a court
- Andrea Papi, 26, died after being confronted by a female brown bear in Italy
- DNA from a stick that Andrea used to defend himself had identified the animal
A female bear that killed an Italian jogger in the first attack of its kind had previously mauled two hikers, DNA results have confirmed.
Tragically, Andrea Papi, 26, died after being confronted by the brown bear – identified as Jj4 through DNA samples – while on a trail run in hills by his home.
Officials said Andrea, a sports graduate who was working in a butcher, had run into the bear as he made his way along a blind summit at Caldes near Bolzano in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy where around 100 bears live wild.
Experts at the Edmund Mach Foundation, which studies bears, said that DNA from the scene and on a stick that Andrea had used to defend himself had identified the animal as the same one that attacked a father and son in the area last June.
In that incident Fabio Misseroni, 59, his son Christian, 28, were hospitalised after being attacked by Jj4, who is also known by the unofficial name Gaia, and suffering deep cuts and bite wounds on trails close to where Andrea was killed.
A female bear that killed Andrea Papi, 26, in the first attack of its kind had previously mauled two hikers, DNA results have confirmed
Christian Misseroni posted on Facebook: ‘There are no words …I’m so sorry Andrea’.
When contacted by Italian media and told the same bear that attacked him and his father was responsible for the fatal incident, Christian said he felt ‘disbelief and strong shock’ adding: ‘My dad burst into tears and I’m shivering.’
He went on: ‘If I had been alone that day I probably wouldn’t be here today. I saved myself because there were two of us and we defended ourselves in every way with all our might. All it took was one bite on the neck and I was dead.’
Recalling the attack Christian said: ‘My dad and I were walking in the same area where Andrea was attacked when I found the bear coming out of bushes in front of me. He attacked me in a split second, pawing my arm.
I fell on my back, she wanted to attack my neck and face but I managed to push her back with my boots. She bit me from below, my dad intervened and went after him. He broke his leg in two places, scratched him and cut open two fingers.’
Following that attack the provincial government had ordered a catch and kill order but that was later overturned by a court.
Jj4, a 17-year-old bear, was born in the region after two bears from Slovenia were used as mates to repopulate the dwindling population and an electronic tracker was put on her collar, but the battery went flat and was never replaced.
Following last week’s attack, the president of the Trento province where the attack happened, Maurizio Fugatti, issued another ‘catch and kill’ decree much to the annoyance of wildlife experts who called for calm.
Andrea had gone out for a run last Wednesday telling his mum Franca and girlfriend Alessia Gregori, that he would be back for dinner but when he failed to return, they raised the alarm with police.
Mountain rescue teams using tracker dogs found his dismembered body early the next morning and he was declared dead at the scene, with a 100m blood trail running along the ground and his ripped shorts and vest nearby.
Andrea’s family have said they will sue the local authorities for not doing enough to protect locals and have been joined by farmers who say livestock have been attacked by bears in recent months.
In a letter to her local newspaper Franca wrote:’ I wanted to tell you all that my soul and that of my family has been devastated by an immense pain that we cannot understand and reason with.
‘Knowing that Andrea was killed by a bear has devastated me, Andrea and Laura (daughter) were the reasons for my life and for this I would ask that this is respected.
Andrea had gone out for a run last Wednesday telling his mum Franca and girlfriend Alessia Gregori, that he would be back for dinner but when he failed to return
Mountain rescue teams using tracker dogs found Andrea’s dismembered body early the next morning and he was declared dead at the scene
Officials said Andrea, a sports graduate who was working in a butcher, had run into the bear as he made his way along a blind summit at Caldes near Bolzano
Andrea’s family have said they will sue the local authorities for not doing enough to protect locals
‘Andrea was born and lived here, he loved nature and he respected it, this was his territory, his roots and his trail runs were his life.
‘I ask all the people who live in the mountains and to the local authorities to make sure our voices are heard and that we are not abandoned and to not lower their guard because my family and I will fight until the end to get justice for Andrea.’
Alessia added she was in favour of the bear being put down and said:’ Andrea was a fantastic guy, he was polite and a real golden boy, who was infinitely patient and would never get angry.
‘But if a dog kills another dog, there is a rule that it must be put down, so if a person is killed by a bear, then I would like these same rules applied.’
Animal experts advise people who encounter bars to not make any sudden movements not to antagonise it and try and move slowly away.
Throwing stones or sticks is also discouraged and if the bear does attack try and lie down on the floor with your face downwards.
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