It is rare that this Association (and in particular myself!) Praises, admires or esteems politicians, except in the very rare cases of those who entered politics to do the social good and really do so without thinking about re-election: that in our country they are like white flies, people who are unlikely to be nominated, and almost never re-elected. And in fact ... this time, praise must be given to the former Mayor of Gioia dei Marsi (L'Aquila), Claudio Aureli, for his public stance in favor of the Marsican Bear. But not to request the usual condemnation of hunting, the extension of the Abruzzo National Park or, worse, the damnlegalis (and the economic ruin of a family of poor people!) of those who defended their interests, property and, why not, their lives (because only naturalists fearlessly face Marsican bears, certain that they will NEVER be attacked: and the first has been, more than once, myself!). But why the authorities do something to prevent the bears to continue to damage the properties of the citizens of Marsi, Pelini and Ciociari; and bring them back to the Park!
After the last raids of bears in the villages of Lecce in the Marsi and Gioia dei Marsi (but the complete list of the countries frequented by bears would be too long to do), where now people live in terror of seeing bears entering their homes or roaming the streets in search of food, "begging" like homeless people, some citizens begin to have their boxes full: the tourist attraction of Pratesi or Brambilla is fine, but It's a modus in rebus! A sadder thing (for a true naturalist) than deplorable! And then someone moved to Gioia dei Marsi.
The former Mayor mentioned above took a pen and paper and finally decided to have his say publicly, complaining (rightly!) Also the silence of too many administrators who are part of the useless Community of the Park (where the boss is anyway - fake democracy! - always the Park ...: on the territories that belong to the Municipalities and on the lands that belong to individual citizens!) By having a poster printed and disseminated that acts as a RIGHT contrast to those released by the Park last summer (obviously not knowing what else to do , they thought at least of posters), with which people were asked not to ... disturb the bear! We are pleased to disclose it, because it deserves it, because we have been writing the things he writes for years, so we share them. But do not let the readers be deceived by this press release: the one who writes on that poster is not Franco Zunino, but Claudio Aureli, former Mayor of Gioia dei Marsi!
We hope that at least in this case some political authority will show up to give a jolt to those who have been silent for too long or have not been able or wanted to do something. Apart from finding millions of Euros for the usual useless studies and researches; useless because too many studies have already been done, without any concrete result on the practical level of the survival of this population of bears, increasingly in decline. So much so that they began to make them think about ... re-blooding (they cunningly wrote "refresh its DNA" and of "more radial and invasive interventions”: Of course, the local people must not be frightened, who are already too frightened by the presence of bears in their chicken coops, rabbit hutches, streets and squares!
Frank Zunino
Secretary General of the Italian Wilderness Association
Photography @Il Sole 24 ORE