Last September, a man shot and killed an endangered brown bear near an Italian national park, leaving her two young cubs motherless and sparking outrage in the country. The park posted a graphic image of the bear lying dead on the ground.

Despite protests by animal rights activists, an alpine Italian province has confirmed the killing of a female bear believed responsible for an attack on a French hiker earlier this month.

Italy’s environment minister has condemned the killing of a brown bear that attacked a tourist in the Dolomites earlier this month in defence of its cubs.