A killer bear that disembowelled a jogger in Italy is to get a new home – in Germany.
The problematic bear, named Gaia by animal rights activists and JJ4 by the Italian authorities, eviscerated and killed Italian jogger Andrea Papi, 26, near Trento, a year ago in April 2023, before being captured alive.
A debate ensued in Italian media and on the political scene about what to do with the bear, and whether it should be put down or rehomed.
Now it has been decided that Gaia will be sent to a bear reserve in Thuringia.
Italian media said on Tuesday, 14th May, that it had been decided to send the bear to the Worbis alternative bear park.
Bears, wolves and other wild animal species live here.
The provincial government in Italy led by regional president Maurizio Fugatti had initially ordered the animal to be shot, but animal rights activists took the authorities to court.
The courts sided with the activists and now it has been decided to send Gaia to Germany, where her mother Jurka already lives, according to German media.
The Italian authorities are meeting at the end of the month to make a final, official decision on the fate of the bear and it will then take about four to five months to relocate the animal.
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