Came up to 2 meters close

Bear chased hiker on Lake Garda for minutes

(Bild: APA/dpa/A3502 Horst Ossinger)

Once again, a bear has come dangerously close to a sportsman in Italy: In the northern Lake Garda mountains, a hiker was chased by a brown bear for several minutes. The animal sometimes came within two meters of the man. Only after a quarter of an hour did the bear retreat back into the forest.

According to information from the province of Trentino, the dramatic encounter took place upstream of the town of Molveno. The incident took place last Saturday afternoon. The hiker was on a forest road. On the descent into the valley, he was surprised by the bear from behind. 

Man walked backwards to watch the bear
The man tried to keep the animal at a distance without losing sight of it. He therefore walked backwards along the road. He tried to scare the bear away - only after a quarter of an hour did the animal finally leave.  

The Italian authorities now want to use genetic analyses to determine exactly which bear it is and whether it has been conspicuous in the past. 

Bear debate after fatal attack a year ago
The case brings back memories of an incident last year that did not go so smoothly. In the same area, a 26-year-old jogger was attacked and killed by a female bear. The case sparked a debate about the coexistence of bears and humans in Italy. The animal, identified as JJ4 and named "Gaia", was captured.

A killing order from regional president Maurizio Fugatti called animal rights activists into action - the case even went to court. In the end, "Gaia" was not killed and was placed in an enclosure.