The two-year-old brown bear of Marcicano, affectionately known as Juan Carito, walked 150 kilometers “home” in Roccaraso, a small mountain town in the Abruzzo region, bypassing many other cities along the way. The two-year-old brown bear Marsican, affectionately known as Juan Carito. Photo: Majella National Park Carito was spotted outside the train station on Tuesday morning, three weeks after being driven back to the mountains after a spell in a courtyard as experts tried to adapt him to his natural environment. The bear was a regular visitor to the city and became a social media star after storming a bakery in Roccaraso last November and eating a batch of freshly made cookies. The burglary led to his capture and exile in a remote area in the mountains, but he soon returned, leading to a second arrest in early March and a period in the precinct. He has often slept among the pines at the entrance of the city of about 1,500 inhabitants, before searching for food, searching buckets and eating pizza and sandwiches and drinking from fountains. Carrito has also been distinguished for his playful attitude towards dogs. His movements are monitored by experts in Majella National Park, where rare Marsican bears live, via his radio. In the days before returning to Roccaraso, he was spotted near other cities but did not leave. “It’s bad to say it from a nature point of view, but for him, it seems natural to be in Roccaraso, where there is activity, people and other animals,” said Lucio Zazzara, president of Majella National Park. “Although he seems to have missed him only to a degree, because for three weeks he lived essentially as a bear, eating food in its natural habitat and not going near houses, nor looking in bins for food.” Carito’s movements and behavior will continue to be monitored until a decision is made to re-arrest him.
