On January 23, 2025, the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise he said goodbye to Nitathe European Bruna Orsa who spent the last years of his life in a protected environment, far from the sufferings of the past. “Nita died, the bear of Lithuania hosted in the zoo of Visitor center of the park in Pescasseroli“.The death, editor’s note) we wanted to wait for the report of theExperimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Abruzzo and Molise Which made all the investigations of the case to define the clinical picture that led to the death of the bear “, the park said.
Nita had arrived in the park on June 29, 2020 from Lithuania, together with two other bears, Greta and Brumothanks to an international rescue operation that aimed to offer them a more dignified life. “Greta, who was the oldest of the group, had left us in 2022, and to date, therefore, Brumo remains the only bear hosted at the Natura Center of Pescasseroli”.
THE’Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Abruzzo and Molise He confirmed that Nita’s death was caused by a systemic compromised clinical picture.
The report arrived a few days ago and tells us of a clinical picture compromised on a systemic level also given by age, with serum-fibrinous pleurisy, heart with marked left ventricular hypertrophy, hepatitis and consequently a serious liver failure. In the days preceding death, in fact, a symptomatology had been found characterized by deep apathy and poor movements that today, in light of what has been detected by the investigations made, is much clearer.
The story of Nita and his travel companions, Greta and Brumo, is emblematic of the difficulties faced by many animals exploited in the entertainment industry.
That of these three brown European bears from Eastern Europe is a story made of suffering and captivity. A story that the association saves the bears of the Moon, in collaboration with the park and the Capellino Foundation, tried to change for the better, offering the three animals a life, albeit in a fauna area, more dignified and serene.
In Lithuania, Nita, Greta and Brumo were detained in deplorable conditions, probably used for circus performances and forced to live in narrow cages and without comfort.
The news at our disposal on their history are few and fragmented, despite the numerous investigations of the inspectors of the Lithuanian Ministry, and partly deriving from the people who held them: we certainly know that these animals have always lived in captivity, which most likely were exploited for circus activities and that, in the moments in which they did not ‘work’, they were maintained in very close and narrow cages.
Thanks to the collaboration between various organizations, including the Capellino Foundation And the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, it was possible to offer these bears a new home. The director of the park, Luciano Sammaronehe underlined that the three European brown bears would not come into contact with the Marsican brown bear population, since they would have been sterilized and kept in an area specially built in the Visitor Center of Pescasseroli.
Nita lived in Pescasseroli for almost 5 years, fully interacting with other bears in the space dedicated to them. It had been immediately sterilized, together with the other two, as requested by the Ministry of the Environment, and in the area of the Visitor Center, one of his lair had even dug in a small corner at the bottom of the fence, then adapted by the employees, for obvious safety reasons.
The Faunistic Area of Pescasseroli, where Nita has spent its last years, is equipped with a tank, trees and spaces in which bears can take refuge far from the looks of visitors. “Certainly limited environments for a bear, but decidedly better and wider than the narrow cement and iron cages, where they were forced to live since their birth and where it was not even possible to walk for them”.
The loss of Nita was a moment of reflection for all the park staff and for visitors who had the opportunity to meet it.
He was not a Marsican brown bear, but he was still a bear and having had it with us and being able to observe it together with the others, in the many small daily behaviors it was very interesting and exciting. They allowed us and to the many guests of the Visitor Center, to be able to admire how much the bears resemble us and that, perhaps, it is precisely for this reason that they are so fascinating in our eyes.
Today, while Brumo remains the only guest of the Faunistic area of Pescasseroli, the memory of Nita and Greta continues to live, reminding us of the importance of the commitment to safeguard the animals. Nita, we will miss you.
