ITALY – Juan Carrito, the young Marsican bear who became a ‘legend’ for his raids in mountainous Abruzzo, is dead. He was run over and killed in Castel di Sangro by a motorist. I am shocked – Luciano Sammarone, director of the Abruzzo Lazio and Molise National Park told Adnkronos – it is as if a family member had disappeared. The accident in Castel di Sangro, in the L’Aquila area. In a stretch – says the director – where there were fences and everything needed for the protection of these animals. We were working for him, until recently.
WHAT HAPPENED – On State Road 17 before the Galleria G. Fiore, outside the Park, the bear was run over and died after a few minutes of agony due to the trauma sustained in the impact with a passing car. Fortunately the person driving does not appear to have suffered any injuries. On the spot intervened for first aid, Guardiaparco, Carabinieri, Carabinieri Forestali and the veterinarian Dr. Scioli of the Veterinary Service of Castel di Sangro. The animal recovered by the PNALM staff was transported to the Zooprophylactic Institute for necropsy. There are no words for what happened. J. Carrito was a problematic bear but at the Park we did everything, against everything and everyone, to give him a chance and keep him free. Now he has left us …., reads the Park’s Facebook page. Tonight we are all a little poorer because one of the family has passed away, declared the President of the Park, Giovanni Cannata. I learned with great pain the news of the mortal investment of Juan Carrito, the most famous and loved Marsican bear in Abruzzo, which took place on the state road 17 near Castel di Sangro. The bear was run over by a local resident. The president of the province and mayor of Castel di Sangro, Angelo Caruso, informed me of the event, sending me videos in which the heavily injured bear was seen. His loss saddens not only Abruzzo but the whole world that discovered Abruzzo and the beauty of bears through the numerous videos that portrayed him as a puppy with his brothers and the bear Amarena, says the president of the Region Abruzzo, Marco Marsilio.
