Bear who killed Italian jogger relocated to German sanctuary

A female brown bear who killed a jogger in the Italian Alps in 2023 has reached Germany and is resting in the sanctuary where she is due to stay.

The bear, known as JJ4 or Gaia, has been transferred to a high-security enclosure at the Alternative Wolf and Bear Park in Germany's Black Forest in the south-west of the country.

Accompanied by a team from the park, Gaia reached Germany at 6 am (0400 GMT). Her journey from Italy went well, staff said. "She is being cared for, has eaten and is behaving calmly."

She initially rested in the box she was transported in and was due to leave it in the course of the morning to explore the area where she is due to live, staff said.

The bear attacked and killed a jogger on a popular mountain path in the northern Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige in April 2023.

The animal was captured and taken to an enclosure near the city of Trento. Regional president Maurizio Fugatti ordered Gaia to be killed, but courts stopped the decree after petitions by animal rights activists.

Gaia was set to be transferred to Germany in 2024, but construction of the €1 million ($1.1 million) enclosure, funded through donations, faced significant setbacks due to heavy rainfall in the mountainous, wooded terrain.

Jurka, Gaia's mother, has been housed at the animal sanctuary since 2010.

Gaia is also due to be renamed, as a wolf at the sanctuary has the same name.

The date of her transfer from Italy was initially kept secret amid fears of protests.