The bear Gaia after being captured in 2020. She was then released. © Autonomous Province of Trentino
The Administrative Court of Trento is hearing about the future of Gaia, the bear, who is said to have killed a jogger in Trentino. Can she be killed?
Update from May 25, 15:03 p.m.: The plan to move the bear Gaia to the bear sanctuary near Bad Füssing has apparently been well received at the hearing of the Administrative Court of Trento: "The judges have listened carefully to the proposal to transfer the bear to a foreign protected area," the lawyer of the animal welfare association LAV, Claudio Linzola, told ildolomiti.it after the hearing . He continued: "The protection of the environment and the protection of public safety are only apparently two opposing interests." The lawyers of the animal rights activists had emphasized the poor information policy of the population about the behavior towards the bears. Perhaps certain incidents, including the recent tragedy, could have been avoided with more comprehensive and serious information."
The Munich lawyer Arpád von Gaál, who is also chairman of the board of the trade union for animals, wants to take Gaia into his bear sanctuary. He is confident that Gai will be allowed to live: "Shooting down or euthanizing him is the last resort, the last possible solution, which does not correspond to a balanced and proportionate decision." The mildest remedy must always be used. Von Gaál: "From an objective point of view, the court cannot ignore our offer."
Trial on lethal injection for bear Gaia: Judge listens with interest to the plan to send her to Bavaria
Update from May 25, 13:40 p.m.: The hearing on the fate of the bear Gaia and the second bear MJ5 ("The Boss") was interrupted around noon after riots at the courthouse. Animal rights activists said they were not allowed into the courtroom. Nevertheless, there was a demonstration with around 50 participants in Piazza Venezia near the courthouse, demanding freedom for Gaia. The courthouse itself was cordoned off by heavily armed police officers, according to ladige.it. The opposing side was also on site: One of the mayors, who is in favor of killing the animals, is said to have insulted the animal rights activists with the words. "I hope they will be attacked by a bear one day."
Animal rights activists demonstrate near the administrative court of Trento. © Facebook Animaliberaction
Around noon, the trial was interrupted: "The outcome of the trial will not be decided until tomorrow morning," the lawyer of the animal welfare association LAV, Claudio Linzola, told the portal trentotoday around noon.
Jogger killed in Italy: Verdict on lethal injection for bear Gaia falls tomorrow – or will she come to Bavaria?
First reported on May 25, 11:24 a.m.: Trento - The case caused a worldwide sensation: On March 5, the jogger Andrea Papi (26) was killed by a bear on the outskirts of the village of Caldes in Trentino. The authorities in Italy assumed that it was the bear Gaia (abbreviation JJ4) who believed she had to defend her cubs against the alleged intruder. Gaia has been caught and is waiting for a lethal injection in the Casteller bear enclosure near Trento in Italy.
A second bear from Italy is also to be killed
Maurizio Fugatti of the right-wing party Lega Nord had ordered their killing, as well as another bear with the abbreviation MJ5, which the locals call "The Boss" in Val di Sole. He had attacked and injured a walker in the region in March.
The animal welfare association LAV appealed against the killing orders, the Administrative Court of Trento suspended them, and a second order of the province was also repealed. A first date for the trial has been postponed from May 11 to today.
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In the run-up, a forensic report by two veterinarians had caused a stir that the animal rights activists had commissioned: According to this, Gaia could not be responsible for the deadly attack, it said. The forensic report showed that the bite wounds of the dead jogger came from a male animal and therefore Gaia could not be responsible for his death.
Will the bear get asylum in Bavaria?
The Munich Trade Union for Animals, which runs a bear sanctuary in Bad Füssing near Passau, has offered to take Gaia. Provincial President Fugatti had rejected this with reference to the transport costs, but this would be taken over by the trade union for animals. The argument that the bear had to be killed for reasons of public safety would also be obsolete with a move to Bavaria.
According to local observers, the court's hearing will last for several hours.