Italy: Bear ‘mauls trail runner to death

Rome: A trail runner has been mauled to death in a suspected bear attack in the Italian Dolomites.

Keen athlete Andrea Papi, 26, was reported missing by his girlfriend after he failed to return home from a run.

Mountain rescue teams and police were alerted and his badly injured body was found early on Thursday morning in Caldes, near Bolzano.

Officials said Andrea was running on trails on picturesque Mt Peller. It is an area that is home to more than 80 bears and there have been several attacks in recent weeks.

Last month, a 39-year-old hiker cheated death after he was attacked by a bear in the area and he described how he had ‘fought for his life’ to escape.

Andrea’s body was found by mountain rescue teams using dogs and sources said he was dead at the scene and his body had ‘injuries consistent with being attacked by a wild animal’.

Local mayor Andrea Maini said: ‘To lose a young person in circumstances like this is tragic. Everyone is really shocked and our thoughts are with his family at this time.

‘All I know is that he had gone for a run on the trails in the mountain and his body was found by rescue teams. It will be up to investigators to establish exactly now he died.’

Several signs are dotted around the mountain warning hikers and runners about bears and what to do if they encounter one.

These include not ‘attracting bears in any way or leaving food for them’ while if one approaches ‘do not run but move away slowly’.

It adds: ‘If the bear attacks you, do not react, stay calm or lie down slowly with your face down. The bear will probably stay close to you without physical contact.

‘It is difficult to know if it is a fake attack or not. Playing dead before the contact gives the bear the feeling that you are not a danger.

‘Lie on the ground, interlock your fingers at the back of your neck and shield your head with your arms. Try to remain still until the bear stops the attack and moves away. Do not run, shout or try to hit the animal. If you are wearing a backpack, it can be useful to protect yourself.’

After last month’s attack the bear was identified as an 18-year-old male and the order was given for it to be put down, but it has not been found and it is not yet known if it was the same animal involved in the latest incident.

Following news of the fatality a local trail running group posted a tribute to him on Facebook which read: ‘Andrea loved running in the woods of his Val di Sole, in Trentino.

‘Yesterday, as he always did, he went out for his daily training, but he never came back.

‘They found his body full of wounds, perhaps he encountered a bear, perhaps another wild animal.

‘Andrea Papi was just 26 with a lifetime ahead of him. Fate can be profoundly cruel.’

His girlfriend Alessia Gregori reposted the trail group tribute, commenting ‘My life’.

Although bear attacks are relatively few, officials say they are on the increase and this is thought to be the first fatality in several years.

An official from the provincial government office in Trento said: ‘If confirmed as a bear attack this will be the first of its kind in the area.’

Although bear attacks are relatively few officials say they are on the increase and this is thought to be the first fatality in several years

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for LAV, Italy’s largest animal welfare organisation, told MailOnline it would be the first death caused by a bear attack in all of Italy.

They added: ‘There have been numerous incidents of bears attacking humans, but this is the first time that potentially an attack has been fatal.

‘I say potentially because we have yet to see the results of the autopsy to confirm how the man died and as an animal welfare organisation we have been asked to be informed as soon as this is completed.

‘In 99 per cent of cases bears will attack if they feel threatened or are in danger and usually it is because of humans misbehaving.

‘For example, we have had cases in the past where a dog walker has let their unleashed animal antagonise a bear which has resulted in an attack.

‘We also don’t know what the runner was doing in the moments leading up to the attack, he could have picked up a stick and so the bear felt threatened and reacted, but we should wait for the autopsy results before passing any judgment.’