Five wolves were found poisoned in the
Bolognese Apennines in a two-week period in January, the likely
victims of Italian farmers or hunters, forest rangers said
Wednesday.
"An entire pack has been swept away, it is a 'bio-cide'," said
the president of the eastern Emilian parks agency, Sandro
Ceccoli, and the head of its environmental department, David
Bianco.
They noted that wolves area protected species in Italy and are
essential to the balance of the ecosystem.
The animals' bodies were found in a two-kilometre area in the
Caprara locality, in the heart of the historic Monte Sole Park,
a watershed between the valleys of the Reno and the Setta
rivers.
"I think we have been faced with a negative national record,"
said Bianco.
"In the past we have happened to find wolves poisoned, but never
anything like this".
The animals were killed by powerful rat poison.
"it's an extremely serious case," added Ceccoli, "also because
there are no sheep in the Monte Sole Park or any other livestock
farms, and the wolves live in equilibrium, without creating
problems".
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 published May 17.
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.
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