The slaughter of goats, sheep and cows in the pastures and in the stables with the worrying proliferation of wolves, feral dogs and hybrids that, as a result of Covid with the limitations on movement in the city and in rural areas, multiply without restraint, running around freely and attacking animals in the farms. This is what Coldiretti Puglia denounces, following the resurgence of the phenomenon of attacks by wolves and feral dogs with a presence that has multiplied in recent years with the repetition of massacres in farms on the Murgia from Bari and Taranto and the Gargano, but frequent episodes are also occurring in the provinces of Lecce and Brindisi.
“In the countryside there are more wild animals, between wolves, wild boars and wild dogs that agricultural workers and the situation is dramatic throughout the region. In the space of ten years, the wolves have multiplied, putting at risk not only the animals in the stables and grazing, but also the very lives of farmers and shepherds. In Puglia, the losses recorded in the countryside caused by wildlife are enormous, with damage equal to over 12 million euros ”, denounces Savino Muraglia, president of Coldiretti Puglia. The preys either disappear because the wolves take them away or they are bitten on the jugular and left dead on the spot - reports Coldiretti Puglia - or only shreds are found and 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.
To the animals killed are added - specifies the Coldiretti Puglia - 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. "Containment measures are essential not to let the pastures die and force thousands of families to flee who for generations have populated the most difficult rural areas where livestock farming is the main activity, but also the many young people who have laboriously returned to restore the lost biodiversity with the recovery of historic Apulian breeds, like the 'Gentile' sheep from Altamura or the 'Moscia' from Lecce. The problem of large carnivores is becoming unsustainable and it is necessary to find a solution quickly ”, insists Muraglia. "The now unmanageable issue of wildlife and predators - adds President Muraglia - must be tackled at the highest levels with a joint strategy between the Ministry of the Environment and the Puglia Region to establish the measures to be adopted to protect agricultural and livestock farms ".
It takes responsibility in defense of farms, shepherds and breeders who courageously continue to guard the livestock areas and guarantee the beauty of the landscape. Without pastures - says Coldiretti Puglia - extraordinary areas die, the environment degrades and landslides and floods threaten the cities. In recent years it has become necessary to constantly monitor flocks and herds, in order to protect them from attacks as fences and shepherd dogs are often not enough to avert the danger. Farmers' resistance is at the limit - explains Coldiretti - it is urgent to find new methods of action that allow a more effective management system to be organized for these predatory animals, which are no longer endangered species. Moreover, this situation adds up - concludes Coldiretti Puglia - to the overpopulation problems of numerous other wild species, from wild boars to starlings, from cormorants to hares, which multiply in a situation of absolute lack of adequate planning measures necessary to avoid conflict with agricultural work.