A wanted killer bear that beat a jogger to death and attacked two other people has finally been captured by authorities in Italy.
They have vowed to put the bear to sleep now despite her having three cubs — a decision likely to spark controversy.
Officials announced the capture of Jj4 — or Gaia as she is known — at a press conference on Tuesday and released a photo of her in a specially constructed bear trap.
The 17-year-old brown bear was identified as responsible for killing trail runner Andrea Papi, 26, who was disemboweled when he encountered the bear on a mountain near his home.
Following his death earlier this month, authorities in the province of Trento, northern Italy, ordered the bear to be ‘captured and killed’, but late last week Jj4 won a stay of execution after a regional court ordered a stay of execution.
Officials announced the capture of Jj4 – or Gaia as she is known – at a press conference on Tuesday and released a photo of her in a specially constructed bear trap (pictured)
The 17-year-old brown bear was identified as responsible for killing trail runner Andrea Papi, 26, (pictured) who was disemboweled when he encountered the bear on a mountain near his home
They ruled that the death sentence could not be carried out until they had more documentary evidence and postponed any verdict until next month, but Maurizio Fugatti, a resident of the province of Trento, insisted that they still commit the murder.
He outlined details of how Jj4 was found, he told a press conference: “We would have wanted to kill Jj4 where it was found, but we were unable to, but we will still push for her eradication.
“Jj4 was caught in a specially constructed tube trap around 11pm on Monday evening and I would like to thank everyone involved in the bear hunt over the last 10 days.
“The catch is very satisfying for us, but we remain saddened by what happened.
“The bear was very aggressive during the capture because she had three cubs, two were captured at the same time and a third escaped.
“The two prisoners weigh about 35-40 kilos and are two years old.”
After his death earlier this month, authorities in the province of Trento, northern Italy, ordered the bear to be ‘captured and killed’
In the photo: Andrea Papi. Raffaele de Col, head of conservation for the province of Trento, said: ‘Jj4 destroyed several camera traps we had set up to locate her and she also fled from two fruit-filled traps, so I just want to say this to show the bear’s aggressiveness ‘
In 2020 an order had been issued to kill Jj4 after she attacked a father and son but this was overturned and Mr Fugatti added ‘We wanted to break this news three years ago but we couldn’t.
“As I said before, the news of the capture fills us with bitterness and sorrow.”
Mr Fugatti said officials had provided paperwork to the regional court highlighting why the bear had to be put down, adding: “We would have wanted to kill the bear on the spot when she was captured but we couldn’t because of the ruling. ‘
Raffaele de Col, head of wildlife protection in the province of Trento, described Jj4 as “dangerous and aggressive” while tracking and capturing and revealed that she had destroyed several cameras set up to follow her through the woods on Mt Peller where she was caught.
He described how ‘three cubs’ were found near where Jj4 had been captured, but said they were ‘self-sufficient and autonomous’.
Mr De Col added: ‘This was not an easy operation as there are several bars around and we had to catch the right one and three cubs were also present.
“At the time of capture, Jj4 was very aggressive due to the presence of the three cubs, but she was sedated in the tube and taken away.”
Mr De Col added that he would not reveal the exact location where Jj4 had been captured as he wanted to avoid endangering the three cubs but said they were ‘away from populated areas in woodlands on Mt Peller’ was caught.
He continued, “Jj4 destroyed several camera traps we set up to locate her and she also fled from two tube traps laced with fruit, so I just want to say that to underline the bear’s aggressiveness.”
The bear was now kept in a special reserve in Casteller near Trento and Mr Fugatti said ‘additional security’ had been put in place around the site and around the provincial office in case of protest from animal activists.
Jj4 was identified from DNA found at the scene of Andrea’s death, which included his running gear and a stick he had used to defend himself.
Pictured: Authorities are investigating the area. While bear attacks are relatively few, officials say they are on the rise and are believed to be the first fatality in years
Pictured: Authorities are investigating the area. There are several signs scattered around the mountain warning hikers and runners about bears and what to do if they encounter one
Officials said about 100 bears live on the slopes of the forest around Mt Peller and two other bears are also considered dangerous and actively monitored.
Wildlife campaign group LAV has asked for Jj4 to be given to them so they can take care of it and have supported the campaign to overturn the track and kill order.
Andrea’s family have also said they oppose culling the bear, saying he “loved wildlife” and that “making the bear agile” won’t bring him back.
In a post on Twitter, alongside a photo of Jj4 in the tube, LAV said, “Jj4 captured and separated from her cubs.
“Maurizio Fugatti wants to kill at all costs, even Andrea Papi’s family doesn’t want her to die. We will monitor the bear’s condition and meet officials to prevent her from being killed.”
Andrea’s death was the first of its kind from a bear attack in Italy.