There are only about 50 Marsican bears left in Italy.

A Marsican bear, a critically endangered subspecies of the alpine brown bear, died in Italy's central Abruzzo region on Tuesday after being hit by a car the night before.

News of the rare animal's death was announced by the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, a vast protected area home to the last remaining Marsican bears.

The incident occurred on a slip road off the Sora-Avezzano highway near Capestrano, an area known as a crossing point for the bears, at around 01.30 on Monday night.

Park authorities monitored the injured bear after the crash, closing the road to traffic, and sedated the animal to assess the situation after it began to show signs of suffering at around midday.

The bear died later that day, most likely from serious internal injuries, and was set to undergo an autopsy at the Istituto Zooprofilattico in Teramo as per protocol.

Park veterinarians estimated the bear's age at about 20, based on the animal's teeth which were "completely worn out".

In January last year a four-year-old Marsican bear known as Juan Carrito - famed for a love of biscuits - was knocked down and killed in a car accident.

Eight months later Juan Carrito's mother Amarena, a beloved symbol of Abruzzo, was shot dead by a local man who subsequently had to be placed under police protection amid an outcry in Italy.

The deaths of these three bears, at the hands of man, is a serious blow to the survival of the orsi marsicani which now number only about 50, compared to 100 in 1980.

"The loss of another bear due to a traffic accident strongly highlights the call for caution when travelling along the roads where the bears live" - the park's president Giovanni Cannata stated - "We absolutely must reverse the trend which sees this as the main cause of death for Marsican bears".

Photo: Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo Lazio e Molise - Facebook.