Hunting and Fauna: Tuscany, at least seven hundred animals were killed by wolves in 2013 alone, including sheep, goats, calves, foals and grazing cows, in areas bordered by parks and protected areas.
This is what Coldiretti Toscana estimates in underlining that the presence of wild animals, from wolves to wild boars, is endangering the presence and work of man in many areas of the region where the number has long since been out of control. According to the estimates of the Tuscany Region, there are 350.000 ungulates present in Tuscany including wild boars, roe deer, starlings and mouflons which cost, in terms of damage, 1 million 700 thousand euros in damage, 70% attributable to the raids of wild boars which alone represent half. of the total population of ungulates. An unsustainable situation that has resulted in recent weeks, particularly in some areas of the Maremma, in actions of "do-it-yourself justice" with the killing of at least 8 specimens of wolves displayed in squares and streets as a sign of protest. For Coldiretti these are reactions resulting from exasperation and prolonged anger that raise the bar and attention to what is an emergency on which no more time can be wasted. “We confine the wolf within the parks and protected areas in our region. Off-limits areas are the right place to protect and preserve biodiversity, and so is the wolf. " - proposes Tulio Marcelli, President of Coldiretti Toscana who specifies: “It could be a logical and effective solution to restore balance to a system of cohabitation that is impossible today and represents a danger both for agricultural activities and for the community. The situation is getting out of hand; the tension is very high not only in Maremma. Throughout the region, the damage caused by wolves and ungulates has become a tax that agriculture is no longer able and unwilling to pay. A tax that also falls on the community ".
The confinement within protected areas would facilitate the control and monitoring of pure wolf specimens which risk, in the long term, becoming an endangered breed. “Many of the specimens in circulation are crossbreeds of wolves and dogs. - Marcelli explains - The increase in the population of hybrids is an uncalculated risk and absolutely not to be underestimated ”. To the animals killed are added - Coldiretti specifies - the damage caused by the fright and the state of stress caused by the assaults, with reduced milk production and abortions in the surviving animals. The presence of packs of wolves is discouraging farming activity in many areas, putting at risk the traditional transfer of animals to the mountain pastures which, in addition to being a fundamental resource for the mountain economy, also represents - underlines Coldiretti - a way to enhance the territory and the cultural traditions that characterize it.
With the return of the wolf, however, the work of the shepherds has changed considerably becoming - continues Coldiretti - more and more complex and onerous and upsetting the habits of a historical practice. It is no longer possible - specifies the main agricultural organization - to leave the animals in the mountain pastures in the wild, using the time in all the other activities that characterize the work in the mountains, from milk processing to haymaking. In fact, in recent years it has become necessary to constantly monitor flocks and herds, in order to protect them from attacks by wolves and stray dogs since fences and shepherd dogs were often not sufficient to avert the danger.
It is necessary to work on prevention by granting aid for the construction of protective works, such as the construction / renovation of stables, photographic alarm systems and the construction of fences for the overnight stay of animals. But it is also necessary - continues Coldiretti - to review the damage assessment and compensation system so that, in addition to guaranteeing a complete reintegration of the loss of income for the farmer, not only wolf damage is covered, but also those caused by feral dogs as well as those indirect for abortions and production losses; provide for a system of damage prevention measures by encouraging agricultural businesses with an adequate support system; set up patrols with volunteers who collaborate with shepherds and breeders in surveillance; a greater commitment in the fight against stray dogs.
Since the wolf is a species protected by European legislation, it is essential to find the right balance so that this forced coexistence between the animal and the man does not lead to the abandonment of the breeding activity. It would not be just the farmers who would lose us, but the entire community because - concludes Coldiretti - the shepherds through their work preserve and enhance the mountain and its traditions.
7 January 2013
Source: VinieSapori