Fatal long distance roaming of a male bear highlights survival threats to dispersing bears in the Apennines, central Italy

From September 2006 through May 2010, we repeatedly detected an adult male bear (G70) through non-invasive sampling in the Sibillini National Park (SNP; central Apennines, Italy), at the northernmost periphery of the reported Apennine bear range. Notwithstanding sustained sampling effort, we failed to detect bear G70 in SNP after May 2010, but in autumn 2010 it was twice detected, through non-invasive sampling, in the Duchessa Nature Reserve (76 km south of the SNP), revealing its southward travel across the central Apennines. More than one year later (16 January 2012), a male bear was live-captured in the Sirente-Velino Regional Park showing clinical symptoms of Aujeszld's disease. The bear died overnight, and genotyping revealed it to be bear G70. Although the causes of death were not clearly determined, poisoning, shooting and vehicle accident were ruled out, suggesting more subtle mortality factors (e.g., diseases) were responsible. The long distance movements and the fate of this adult male bear indicate that, even though protected and suitable areas are connected across the Apennines to some degree, the expected expansion of the Apennine bear range from the core distribution might be suffering from undisclosed anthropogenic risks of mortality in the peripheral portions of the range.