Mother bear kills 100 chickens

L'AQUILA, Italy, July 31 (UPI) -- Farmers near L'Aquila, Italy, said a Marsican brown bear from a nearby national park has killed about 100 chickens in the past few days.

The bear, named Gemma by staff at the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, has broken into two chicken coops with her cubs in tow, ANSA reported Thursday.

Park officials said they are working to dissuade the mama bear from teaching her bad habits to her cubs.

''We've taken a census of all the nearby chicken farms and protected them with iron doors and windows in addition to the electric fencing we've given in recent years to farmers and beekeepers,'' said Luciano Sammarone of the local forestry corps' biodiversity department.

''We'll also put a radio transmitter collar on Gemma to follow her movements during the night and avoid any other possible raids,'' he said.

The affected farmers said a local charity has offered to replace their lost chickens.