«The wild boars, we lacked only the boars to complete the work of destroying agricultural crops. The drought was not enough, the fires were not enough, there are also wild boars to raid what remains. We no longer know which saint to turn to, there is no escape ». Farmers of Manfredonia I'm in despair. Matteo has a corn field in the Terra Apulia area, beyond Salty Lake: the wild boars have almost destroyed it. Show photos and video clips. There is no denying it: it is a mortification to see those plants cut down and pillaged. "They destroy everything: I had prepared - he says - a drip plant that was shot down. It is not known where they come from.
From the damage produced must be several herds and also numerous. The area is full of those animals. During the day they camp in theSalso lake oasis now abandoned and where they find nothing to eat, they pour into the surrounding fields. They go for food at night. The cobs are easy prey ». More than a story it is a heartfelt lament, a declaration of impotence in the face of an announced destruction. "Entering the fields infested with wild boars - he recriminates - is dangerous. It is not excluded - he fears - that they have their own hiding place. I'm afraid to go into it - she confesses - it is known that wild boars can attack man and reduce him to a bad start. It is a situation that cannot go on like this, something very drastic must be done immediately ».
The situation described by Matteo does not concern only his area, but is quite widespread in the countryside del Tavoliere, Gargano and beyond. The reports are constantly overlapping. There is a wild boar problem and it is expanding. Those ungulates also venture into inhabited centers with overt reflections on safety and public health. A concern expressed by the same Ispra (the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) which established that the presence of wild boars represents "an extremely significant risk with regard to both the potential spread of diseases and the possible involvement in accidents or negative interactions with humans and pets».
The problem of the invasion of wild boars now haunts all Italian regions. More and more mayors denounce "dangers to public safety". In Puglia, three hundred accidents a year caused by wild boars have been recorded. The widespread orientation to face the now defined "public danger" is that of hunting those animals. Many regions have approved measures that allow farmers to shoot wild boars albeit under certain conditions. The Puglia Region also has a specification for the management of "selection hunting" for wild boar in Puglia, but it was considered too cumbersome (The Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno).