Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash

An “aggressive” bear that terrorised a sleepy Italian mountain village for months has finally been captured by forest rangers.

The bear, three and a half years old and weighing 167 kilogrammes (26.3 stone), was captured in the mountains in the municipality of Tione in the northern Italian province of Trento.

After its capture, the bear, which was said to be in a healthy state, was taken to a nearby animal centre who plan to release it back into its natural habitat soon, according to local media.

The bear, named Papillon, had left a protected area in the mountains in July 2019 and had since been repeatedly entering urban areas where it broke into homes and even a mountain shelter, according to reports.

A spokesperson for the Coldiretti agricultural association said the animal’s capture has come as a “great relief” to villagers who were terrorised by the “aggressive” bear.

However, the animal rights organisation LAV disagreed with the bear’s capture and claimed that it was not aggressive.

A LAV spokesperson said: “An animal that walked hundreds of kilometres and never risked harming anyone will be sentenced to life just for eating food in mountain shelters.”

According to local media, the bear travelled through the provinces of Trento, Bolzano and Verona before returning to its home region in Trento.

Italian environment minister Sergio Costa said: “The main objective is giving the bear the best home possible.”

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