The hunters of Arci Hunting engaged in the control of the "processionary" in Passignano sul Trasimeno (PG) during an intervention carried out under the coordination of the Municipal Police.
The intervention of the Arci Caccia di Passignano was appreciated. In recent days the members of the Arci Caccia club in Passignano sul Trasimeno (PG), following an agreement signed with the municipality of the lake city, have been interventions coordinated by the municipal police (which guaranteed the action to be carried out in absolute safety) with a ballistic fight against the processionary that had infested most of the pines present in public parks and along the streets of Passignano, especially in the lakeside area and in the hamlet of Castel Rigone. The "processionary" (Thaumatopoea pityocampa) is a moth belonging to the Notodontidae family. Attacks various species of pine, with a preference for the black pine and the Scots pine. More rarely, it infests larch and cedar trees. Its presence endangers the life of conifers and is considered one of the limiting factors for the development of Mediterranean plants. The processionary moth can be a danger to humans and other animals. Larval insect stinging hairs are poisonous, and in some cases can cause a severe allergic reaction.
The citizens, who witnessed the operations intrigued by the shots, appreciated the intervention of the hunters which led to the elimination of the nests present on the plants in the gardens. This is a good example of collaboration between local authorities and hunters that promotes the figure of the hunter in carrying out the fundamental activity of management and protection of the environment and fauna. The same intervention, in the past years, had been guaranteed by the Mountain Communities.
More and more hunters, and more than is thought or communicated, are engaged in socially useful activities such as the defense of agricultural crops to prevent damage from wildlife or even the containment of species such as pigeons that invade cities and towns causing damage to monuments and high costs in cleaning them. The modern figure of the hunter is increasingly necessary in the re-equilibrium of fauna and in the conservation of biodiversity and guarantees that protection of the territory resulting from knowledge and experience deriving from the performance of the hunting practice.
Foligno, 13 April 2015
Arci Caccia Regional Committee of Umbria