On Sunday 10th September at 10 a.m. in Piazza Mazzarino in Pescina (Province of L’Aquila), the event “A Future for the Bear” was held in memory of the bear Amarena and in defence of Italian fauna.
The event was promoted by Salviamo l’Orso, WWF Italia, LIPU, LAV, ENPA, Legambiente, LNDC Animal Protection and Dalla parte dell’Orso.
The municipality of Pescina was chosen as the symbolic location for this rally by environmentalist and animal associations, where an entire community, like the vast majority of Abruzzo residents, experienced Amarena’s frequent passages along the streets in an peaceful manner.
The procession was attended by around 1,500 people, who marched silently through the streets of the town demanding that national and regional politicians finally start enforcing the rules.
The demonstrators’ demands:
- An exemplary punishment for those guilty of this very serious act, with no rage, but in the conviction that such acts cannot end up with the payment of a simple fine
- An extraordinary effort to ensure the survival, free and in the wild existence, of Amarena’s cubs
- The end of a hatred campaign against Italian fauna that is fuelling daily acts of poaching and cruelty to animals
- Harsher penalties for those who commit crimes against animals and, more generally, against the natural heritage of our country
- Management policies capable of ensuring coexistence between human activities and wild species, starting with large predators, through the dissemination of correct knowledge, best practices of behaviour and tools for wildlife-damage prevention and compensation for.