Over 98% of voters in a referendum
organized in the Val di Sole region of Trentino said they
consider the presence of bears and wolves in densely populated
local areas to be a "grave danger to public security", according
to results of the poll published on Monday.
According to 98.5% of the 7,842 residents of areas including Val
di Sole, Peio and Rabbi who headed to the polls, their presence
also "damages the economy and the safeguard of local customs and
traditions".
Turnout for the referendum organized Sunday in 13 municipalities
of Trentino was 63.16%.
The referendum was organized, at the request of local
associations and residents, after the committee 'Together for
Andrea Papi' - the 26-year-old killed by the Jj4 bear in Val di
Sole in 2023, the first Italian to be mauled to death by a bear
in modern times - had collected over 6,000 signatures requesting
the vote.
The bear was later traced to a forested area in the lower Val di
Sole and put down - a measure blasted by animal activists as
brutal.
The outcome of the referendum will not lead to changes at the
juridical level as bears and wolves are protected species.
However, it represents a political sign, the president of the
Comunità di Valle, Lorenzo Cicolini, said after the vote.
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