In the evening of the 23rd January 3 year old male bear, named Juan Carrito, was hit and killed by a car along the state road SS17 between Roccaraso and Castel di Sangro in Abruzzo. The persons in the vehicle were fortunately unaffected.

In the evening of the 23^rd January 3 year old male bear, named Juan Carrito, was hit and killed by a car along the state road SS17 between Roccaraso and Castel di Sangro in Abruzzo. The persons in the vehicle were fortunately unaffected.

The SS17, which crosses a connecting corridor between two very important portions of the bear range, has heavy vehicular traffic, resulting in a road at high risk of bear-vehicle collisions. This risk, in the case of Juan Carrito, was increased by its confident behavior toward humans and anthropized areas in general.

To mitigate the risk of bear-vehicle collisions and to reduce the barrier effect of roads, Maiella National Park and Abruzzo Lazio e Molise National Park, in collaboration with the State Road Agency ANAS, are working together as part of the EU-funded LIFE SAFE-CROSSING project, which started in 2018. The segment of the SS17 between Castel di Sangro and Corfinio is one of the roads involved in this project and, because it is potentially very risky for bears, it is the road where the most interventions have been planned. Five innovative devices have been installed to prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions, 16 panels to promote a more responsible driving behaviour, existing underpasses and overpasses have been (or will soon be) readapted to favor their use by wildlife through cleaning and managing vegetation and installation  of fencing, and, finally, about 15 km of virtual fencing (a system to alert animals to the presence of vehicles on the road) are planned for the Roccaraso-Corfinio section and have already been partially installed.

The numerous interventions carried out along the SS17 as part of the LIFE SAFE-CROSSING project were based on a careful analysis of the risk of wildlife-vehicle collision and have been possible only due to the close collaboration between the managing bodies of the territory. The actions carried out represent a concrete measure for the protection of the Marsican brown bear composed not only by interventions on the roads but also by a large awareness campaign among citizens and drivers,  because  bear conservation is only possible through the involvement and collaboration of everyone.

The death of Juan Carrito reminds us that unfortunately it is not possible to eliminate the risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions, but it also stimulates us to move forward in our work and to continue our efforts to minimize this risk so that events like this become increasingly rare.