Italy's wolf population numbers over 3,300

(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 17 - Italy's once-threatened wolf population is thriving and has grown to an estimated 3,300 animals, according to a study coordinated by the ISPRA environmental agency.
    The report said around 950 of the wolves live in Alpine areas while 2,400 are spread out along the rest of the Italian peninsula.
    "It is possible to say that the species occupies almost all of the environments that are suitable for it" in Italy, the study said.
    "The wolf population has grown everywhere, although the increase in the Alps is more significant".
    Some 3,000 people, including forest guards, police officers and volunteers from local and national associations, worked on the study.
    Experts used images take by "photo-traps' and other forms of evidence, such as droppings, the carcasses of prey and the remains of 171 dead wolves to make the estimate of the population. Giampiero Sammuri, the president of the Federparchi federation bringing together agencies that run national parks and nature reserves, said the study highlighted the success of the conservation efforts conducted in recent decades and proved that the species "is not longer endangered" here. (ANSA).