Today, 13 April 2025, a group of hikers found the body of a Marsican brown bear on the border between Ortona dei Marsi and the Sirente Velino Regional Natural Park.
Initial investigations carried out on the spot by authorised personnel, which included a patrol of Carabinieri Forestali, the veterinary staff of the local health authority, and the specialised units of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park (PNALM) in support of the regional park’s technicians, revealed that it was a male specimen of around 8-10 years of age.
On the animal’s body, there do not seem to be any signs that can be traced back to gunshots, but the causes of death can only be defined after the examinations, provided for by the appropriate protocol, have been carried out at the University and the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Teramo, where the competent public prosecutor’s office has ordered the transfer of the carcass, and where toxicological and diagnostic tests will also be carried out to ascertain any pathologies.
The fear, in fact, was that it was poisoning, an eventuality for which PNALM specialised personnel also intervened on the spot, including Dr. Latini (biologist), Dr. Di Pirro (veterinarian) and the Anti-poison Dog Unit, who inspected the area to ascertain the possible presence of bait and poisoned baits. A possibility that, at the moment, does not seem to have been found, since nothing suspicious was found. However, checks of the area with poison control dogs will continue in the coming days.
Incidents like today’s highlight the importance of projects such as Life Bear Smart Corridors, whose main objective is to promote coexistence and improve living conditions for bears through the creation and protection of dispersal corridors where sightings have increased in recent years. These include the corridor linking the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park and the Sirente Velino Regional Nature Park.
In addition to this, there is the work of preventive monitoring and reporting of any poisonous baits. For this, in 2024, Salviamo L’Orso has equipped itself with an anti-poison dog, the female Malinois we have named Wild and which is currently being trained.
A genetic check will also be carried out on the bear found in the municipality of Ortona dei Marsi to see if the specimen is registered in the database.
In the meantime, we hope that clarity will be shed as soon as possible and that episodes like this will soon become just a bad memory.