A mischievous biscuit-loving bear has walked nearly 100 miles back to a town it was banished from.
The animal had been chased away from Roccaraso, in the Abruzzo, Italy, but with no success.
It was hoped it had ended its taste for food waste in the ski resort after it broke into a bakery and stole some freshly baked biscotti.
The animal was banished in March when it was captured and taken enclosure near Palena, a village in the area.
It was later released into a wild near a park in the Apennine mountains.
But is now back in Roccaraso, when re it was seen near the town’s railway station.
Juan Carrito, as it has been named, is now expected to return to food scavenging in the area where it is a well-known sight.
The animal has spent 18 days trekking through Maiella national park and feeding on ants, the Telegraph reports.
A statement from park officials said: “The bear’s return to Roccaraso was an outcome which, since the start of the translocation project, was considered highly probable.”
It is a rare Mariscan species with only 50-60 left in the wild,
They are genetically different to the brown bears which live in the Alps and many other parts of Europe.
The first time the bear was removed from Roccaraso was in December, it was airlifted to a wilderness area.
It showed it could not kick its old habits, returning to Roccaraso within days.
This was when the second relocation attempt was launched.
Wildlife experts and officials from Italy’s ministry for ecological transition will now hold a meeting to discuss what next to do with the bear.
One of the measures being suggested will be to introduce bear-proof wheelie bins to prevent it snacking on thrown away food.
The Mirror told in snowboarder was completely unaware of his close shave with a snarling bear until he watched back a video of himself on the slopes.
Brazilian musician DJ Alok had hung up his board after a day on the snow-topped mountains of France when he spotted the beast in a video he'd recorded.
Sharing the clip with his 27million Instagram followers, he wrote: "Watch until the end. I was watching some videos of the trip and this day was crazy!"
In the video DJ Alok can be seen looking into the camera, which is latched to a selfie stick, as he shows off his snowboarding skills.
But as he meanders down the piste, a massive bear emerges from the tree line and starts careening towards him.
