Lupi dell'Appenino: The fault of the films, the fault of fairy tales or perhaps the appetite of wolves shown towards livestock, the fact is that for centuries man and wolf have not been what we call friends.
Hunted, poisoned, in some cases burned alive in their own burrows while they slept, the Apennine wolf, what experts call canis lupus italico, had a really bad time between the seventies and eighties of the last century.
It was the instinct to push some specimens of the breed, the few remaining, to look for a safe place, averting the danger of extinction forever.
It is therefore not surprising that, contrary to what is believed, the wolf of today has a damned fear of man, and not only does he not even dream of attacking him, but he sees well to keep away from him. It is no coincidence that to spot a wolf today you need knowledge of the territory, of the species and great luck.
After the eighties the wolf man decided to give a little respite for that environmentalist and ecological spirit that was spreading, but above all for the compensation granted to shepherds who saw their livestock decimated due to the visit of some wolves.
The news is that today the wolf, shy and suspicious still inhabits the Apennines and in appreciable numbers: it is estimated that there are 600 to 1000 specimens throughout Italy. Genetic analyzes on the faeces found allow us to affirm with certainty that they are not wild dogs, as in some cases it was believed, but precisely canis lupus italicus.
The species, which spread in a large part of the Apennines, between 2002 and 2008 was accurately surveyed in the Bologna area, where the presence of 148 specimens, all concentrated in the Corno alle Scale and in the lakes of Suviana and Brasimone, was verified.
Until 2008 there were at least 14 herds all composed on average of 6 animals. What makes accurate studies difficult is the speed with which the wolf moves: it is not exaggerated by stating that in a month it is capable of covering hundreds of kilometers.
What matters is that even with difficulty, the censuses have been managed to do them. Normally, after having patrolled an area that is believed to be inhabited by a herd, recorded calls are launched. Puppies are always responding, more naive but above all curious who respond to howls with a certain emphasis. This allows you to check the presence of the family on the spot and in some cases the number of wolves present.
The structure of the pack does not seem to have changed: the two heads of the family cannot be missing, the alpha couple, the puppies of the year and the litter of the previous year. The older members after a few years leave the original herd to create their own.
It almost seems to live a fairy tale, but some nights the inhabitants of the Apennines can listen to the howling of the wolf, which still inhabits those hard, wild but damn fascinating mountains.