“The slaughter continues in the stables and on the pastures where wolves attack, injure and kill sheep, lambs, cows, calves, goats, pigs, donkeys, horses. In Puglia the damage caused by wildlife is enormous, with damage amounting to over 13 million euros. They are essential containment measures not to let the pastures die and force thousands of families to flee who for generations have populated the most difficult rural areas where breeding is the main activity, but also the many young people who laboriously returned to restore the lost biodiversity with the recovery of the historic Apulian breeds, such as the 'Gentile' sheep from Altamura or the 'Moscia' from Lecce ”, denounces Savino Muraglia, president of Coldiretti Puglia.
It is - points out Coldiretti - only the tip of the iceberg because many do not report discouraged by the bureaucratic delays and by the conditions imposed by the insurance companies such as, for example, in addition to the tracks on the car and on the asphalt, also the discovery of the carcass of the animal with which they collided. "The numbers say a lot about the need to raise the alert level and plan effective wildlife rebalancing activities that endanger the very safety of people. There is no more time to waste, because farmers and ranchers are exhausted ”, concludes the president Wall.
The wild boar alarm in Puglia also continues with sightings of flocks in the province of Bari, especially in the Alta Murgia and Gargano in the province of Foggia - adds Coldiretti Puglia - with hygienic-health risks, for public safety and damage in the countryside, with 310 road accidents caused by wild animals in the first nine months of 2019. “Rural areas and even cities are invaded by wild boars that endanger the safety of people, raid fields of fruit, legumes, seedlings, vegetables, with inevitable repercussions also of a sanitary nature.
The escalation of damage, assaults and accidents that unfortunately also cause victims is the result of the uncontrolled proliferation wild animals that jeopardize not only the agri-food production and the hydrogeological structure of the territory, but also the lives of farmers and motorists, with a spread that is now extending from the countryside to the cities”, Concludes Pietro Piccioni, Confederal Delegate of Coldiretti Foggia. The number of serious accidents with deaths or injuries due to animals increased by 81% on provincial roads in the period 2010-2018 according to Coldiretti analysis on data from the report Aci Istat.