L'Aquila, 12 December (LaPresse) – Meeting at the Prefecture in Chieti of the Provincial Committee for Public Order and Safety, convened by Prefect Gaetano Cupello, mainly to take stock of the situation regarding the female bear and her three cubs, which have been spotted in the areas of Lama dei Peligni, Taranta Peligna and Palena. During the meeting, which followed the one held on 6 November on the same issue, local administrators were provided with specific guidelines on the measures to be taken to protect public safety, based on reports from representatives of the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), the Maiella Park and the Park Carabinieri. These guidelines will be incorporated into municipal ordinances containing detailed instructions for citizens. In particular, mayors who have not already done so must prohibit citizens from approaching bears for any reason, as well as prohibiting the abandonment of food and waste that attracts bears, so as not to encourage the animals to approach the town centre. They must also recommend owners of chicken coops to take adequate security measures to prevent them from being easily preyed upon by bears and thus constituting an attraction that encourages the animals to approach them. In addition, the Prefect has ordered the Park Carabinieri, supplemented where possible by other law enforcement units, to continue with the surveillance services already in place and to intervene in the event of any incidents of bears approaching the town. The supply of electric fences, still available for chicken coops and stables located in the urban centre exposed to animal incursions, will continue. Monitoring of the bear “Bambina” and her three cubs suggests that they are returning to Alfedena (L'Aquila), their place of origin, where they will hibernate. Another bear, probably belonging to a previous litter of “Bambina” from 2023, has been reported sighted between Palena and Lettopalena, in the province of Chieti. Specialised park staff will fit it with a radio collar so that it can be monitored in real time while it waits to reach its place of origin. The Committee also examined the safety aspects related to the “Silent Disco” event to be held as part of the live entertainment programme organised by the Marrucino Theatre on the night between 19 and 20 December in Piazza Valignani and the “New Year's Eve in the Square” event organised by the Municipality of Vasto (Chieti), for the examination of which the composition of the assembly was supplemented by Councillor Della Gatta. The Prefect has ordered, for both events, appropriate control measures by the police, in addition to those to be guaranteed by the municipalities where the events will take place, including traffic control, with the adoption of specific municipal ordinances.
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