A rescued bear in the sanctuary: Gaia is now also settling © in Bavaria Sepp Haeusl/Gewerkschaft für TIere e.V.
A female bear killed a jogger in Italy in April. A lawyer could save Gaia's life - once again.
Munich/Trento – The Munich lawyer Dr. Arpad von Gaál has already saved the life of Gaia the bear twice. On Thursday, the Administrative Court of Trento will finally decide whether the animal that killed the jogger Andrea Papi will be euthanized or whether Gaia will start a new life in the Bärengnadenhof Bad Füssing near Passau.
Von Gaál is chairman of the board of directors of the Gewerkschaft für Tiere e. V., founded by TV presenter Andreas Grasmüller (Alles oder nichts, † 2005). The association, which is financed by donations and membership fees, runs the farm animal sanctuary Gut Streiflach near Germering - and the bear sanctuary Bad Füssing (district of Passau).
Dr. Arpad von Gáal, Chairman of the Board of the Animal © Union
There, 14 brown bears are currently enjoying a bread of grace. "We take care of battered bears there," explains van Gaál. These are former circus bears or animals that were kept in enclosures that were far too small.
Death sentence for Gaia the bear? "The tragic event arose from a very unfortunate situation"
The fate of the Trentino bear Gaia (official abbreviation JJ4), who killed the jogger Andrea Papi, has moved the animal rights activist from the very beginning: "JJ4 has not previously attracted attention through aggression. During the tragic attack on the jogger, she had her two cubs with her. The jogger's quick movements must have frightened her. "The tragic event arose from a very unfortunate situation," says van Gaál.
The Bärengnadenhof in Bad Füssing offers guided tours every Thursday Leonie © Lorenz badfuessing.de
The President of the Privine of Trento, Maurizio Fugatti of the right-wing Lega, had issued a killing order against Gaia after the fatal incident. JJ4 was caught and taken to the Casteller bear enclosure near Trento.
Bear Sanctuary has stopped Gaia's killing twice
"We immediately submitted a declaration of intent to the administrative court that we would take the bear into our bear sanctuary," reports von Gaál. The Administrative Court then suspended Fugatti's killing order by urgent decision, and a second culling order was also suspended.
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The reasoning of the court was: Since Gaia is imprisoned, she no longer poses a threat to the general public. Fugatti's argument that the Italian state would have to bear the costs of the transfer, which could not be justified, was also undermined by the trade union for animals: "We would not only pay for the maintenance of the bear but also finance the transport," von Gaál told our editors. The Bear Sanctuary is in a position to take Gaia. Von Gaál: "We already have 19 years of experience with bears."
