GORIZIA. “I do the rider and I deliver meals at home. I was riding the scooter and, in Peteano, I saw a bear crossing the road. For a while, I ended up on the ground. I got a huge fright. I’m telling the truth”.
This is the tenor of a telephone call received in recent days by the Carabinieri of Gradisca d’Isonzo. It was in the evening. And the delivery boy was shocked by that close encounter. He accelerated and managed to get away but immediately called the military to tell them about his misadventure.
And the carabinieri did not underestimate the report, as explained by Barbara Salvo, commander of the Gradisca Company. “We know it is not unlikely that you will encounter bears in that area. A gazelle reached the sighting site, along the road that leads from Sagrado to Savogna d’Isonzo, but there was no longer any trace of the plantigrade.
They move a lot and certainly don’t stay on the street for long. I take this opportunity to tell those who frequent the Karst areas to keep their eyes open anyway ».
Exactly one year ago, another bear was sighted on the Vallone state road 55. And those who do not have a short memory will also remember the case of the specimen taken in 2015 while crossing the parking lot of the “Tiare shopping” commercial park in Villesse.
Such sightings, if they always create great amazement among citizens, do not surprise the insiders. Stefano Filacorda, researcher and coordinator of wildlife studies at the University of Udine, was able to explain that a proportion of bears never hibernate.
«We are talking about 10-15% of the total, it is mainly young specimens around 3 years old. They can roam all winter. The bears follow the karst ridge, which is quite linear. They come from Divaccia to us, then there is an effect that we can call “ping-pong ball”, that is, they go as far as they understand that their natural environment is no longer there and, at that point, they go back.
There are no problems with these young bears exploring. They are rather cautious and shy towards humans. The only danger is linked to a possible investment by a passing car ». –
–
