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A brown bear that attacked and killed a young man jogging in a village in the northern Italian Alps has once again avoided being shot.

The court of Trentino-Alto Adige in northern Italy halted the order to shoot a 17-year-old female brown bear known as 'JJ4' on the 14th (local time), according to the daily newspaper La Repubblica.

Photo by Pixabay [Image source=Pixabay]

According to the report, the court allowed the capture of 'JJ4' but ruled to postpone the shooting until May 11.

Maurizio Fugatti, the governor of the province, had ordered the capture and shooting of JJ4, who fatally attacked Andrea Papi while jogging on the 5th.

JJ4 has a prior record of attacking a father and son simultaneously in a similar area in June 2020. The provincial authorities attempted to shoot JJ4 then as well, but the court intervened.

Governor Fugatti said, "One person has died, yet the court made a surprising decision," adding, "Since citizens' safety is a concern, the capture operation will continue for now."

The Italian animal protection organization LAV welcomed the news on Twitter, stating, "Both the bears and the citizens of Trentino have the right to live peacefully."

The victim's family also opposed the shooting. After Andrea's funeral, his mother said, "It is neither the bear's fault nor my son's fault," and added, "Shooting the bear will not bring Andrea back."

However, Andrea Papi's family plans to file a lawsuit against the Italian government and provincial authorities for increasing the brown bear population to an uncontrollable level, which led to the tragedy.

In a statement, Papi's family argued, "Someone must be held responsible for the lack of protection and prevention, and they cannot escape accountability."

The brown bear population in Trentino-Alto Adige reached about 100 as of 2021.

Last month, another incident occurred where a person was attacked by a different bear, prompting calls in the region to control the bear population.

The media reported that the Trentino-Alto Adige authorities plan to release JJ4 in another area, including abroad, after capturing her.