Italy's JJ4 bear, which was separated from her cub about a month ago and "sentenced" to death for allegedly killing a man, may be saved from the anesthesia injection following a dramatic turnaround.
Protesters for the Italian Bear / Reuters
Human rights activists in boot country argue that she should be returned to the wild immediately after new pathological findings were published suggesting that the victim — 26-year-old Andrea Papi — was unlikely to have been killed by a bear, but only by a male bear.
Papi was brutally murdered while jogging on a mountain trail near his home in Caldas in northern Trento. Following the incident, investigators actually linked the bear through a branch found near its body, which allegedly had blood marks.
The province's president, Maurizio Poggiati, demanded that the bear, which authorities described as "problematic," be put to sleep and said he would like to shoot her, but the local court suspended his decision until it decided on the merits of the case.
"She will be killed when the court allows it," he declared. In fact, back in 2020, he issued an order to kill her after accusing her of assaulting two people, but the court prevented it.
But as mentioned, there has been a dramatic development. A local animal rights group, Leal, said Tuesday it had submitted two new pathology reports exonerating JJ4 to the district court.
The organization said DNA tests were conducted on Papi's mutilated body that showed the bite marks found on him matched only a male bear. "JJ4 is eligible," the organization said in a press release, explaining that for veterinarians, the marks left by teeth when bitten "are of the same importance as human fingerprints" and therefore science "refutes Fughatti's lies." They claim that the tests also show that the attacker "tried to move away from the victim and did not carry out a deliberate or premeditated attack."
The court is expected to deliver its verdict on the bear on Thursday, and in the meantime, demonstrations are taking place in the area of many activists who have been captivated by the bear's charm.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us