Mother bear kills 100 chickens

Published: July 31, 2008 at 6:55 PM

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.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
The almanac (17 min)
Empty Nest: If it's Tuesday it's NoHo
Fed presidents says zero interest needed
NHL: San Jose 4, Nashville 3
Hamburg reassures doctors on H1N1 vaccine
NBA: Sacramento 101, Oklahoma City 98
AMA body calls for medical pot review
fark
Man threatens 9-year old girls with a nail-gun unless they play 'spin-the-bottle' with him. Prosecutor:...
If you're in Brazil and can read this, congratulations, you're not in the half of that country that's...
United Airlines pilot E. Vermont Washington charged with being in a drunken state (or two) at Heathrow...
Middle school food fight leads to 25 arrests. FOOD FIGHT
High Fructose Corn Syrup raises hypertension risk 87%. Put down the Mountain Dew and back away slowly...
News: Man robs home. Fark: He leaves behind part of his nose