Overview

• The killing of M90, a brown bear in Trentino, Italy, by forestry police has sparked outrage among animal rights groups and drawn the attention of Italy's environment minister.
• M90 was deemed a 'danger to public security' after allegedly following people and being seen near residential areas, leading to its culling on orders from the president of Trentino.
• The incident has reignited debates over how to manage the growing Alpine brown bear population, which has rebounded thanks to a European Union-funded project.
• Animal rights activists argue that the province's policy towards bears is short-sighted and fails to protect biodiversity, planning protests in response to the killing.
• Italy's environment minister has questioned the culling as the sole solution, advocating for peaceful cohabitation between humans and bears.