4.42pm – Wednesday 12 June 2024
Bears and emergencies: safety and actions envisaged by Pacobace. The cases of Molveno and Bozzana. The clarifications of the Wildlife Service. The case of “Bear intentionally follows people” is one of the most serious situations indicated in the scale of problems foreseen by Pacobace (Interregional action plan for the conservation of the brown bear in the central-eastern Alps) which suggests in these cases the removal of the animal (not dissuasion), regardless of the more or less correct behavior of those who find themselves experiencing these particular encounters. The Wildlife Service of the Autonomous Province of Trento reminds us of this, regarding the episode that occurred at the end of April along the Valle delle Seghe forest road, above the town of Molveno.
The bear that intentionally follows people is considered problematic and is positioned at level 16 out of 18 of the Pacobace and therefore cannot be underestimated. An example of this is the case of the M57 specimen which had followed people on several occasions and, in the summer of 2020, finally became the protagonist of the attack on a young man in Andalo. The Province intends to guarantee the maximum possible safety for those who frequent the woods and mountains of Trentino, without prejudice to the importance of educating citizens and guests regarding the most appropriate behaviors to adopt in the areas frequented by large carnivores, on which the Administration is highly committed.
For this reason the Province intervened firmly in Val di Sole, where last February M90 was removed after the latest worrying episode which saw the animal closely following a couple who were walking along a forest road. Also for this reason, and in application of the aforementioned Pacobace, the capture was decided for the purposes of applying the radio collar to the M91 bear, responsible for the Molveno chase.
Finally, we would like to remind you of the great effort made in the progressive distribution of anti-bear bins in inhabited centres, in agreement with the Valle Communities and the Municipalities of the various territories affected by the presence of plantigrades. Any bears present in inhabited centers must therefore attract the necessary attention and on this too the Pacobace table represents a solid reference: the episode that occurred last weekend in Bozzana in the municipality of Caldes therefore deserves all the necessary consideration. Should events of this type happen again, the Trentino Forestry Corps will continue to apply the interregional action plan for the conservation of the bear, adopting all the measures foreseen, without exception. It must be clarified once and for all that problematic bears can and will reveal themselves even after having adopted all the prevention measures and the most virtuous behaviors, which are capable of significantly reducing the risks associated with the presence of plantigrades, but not eliminating them completely. Prevention (always) and possible reaction are therefore both important and complementary tools, to be adopted in every situation keeping in mind the priority aim of people’s safety.
