Green light for the slaughter of wild boars in Puglia

Reached the 250 thousand specimens that dominate cities and countryside, they put people's safety at risk.

Here comes the green light for the killing of wild boars that with thecovid emergency they have multiplied in Puglia reaching the 250 specimens that dominate cities and countryside, they put people's safety at risk, cause road accidents with deaths and injuries, devastate crops and are dangerous spreaders of diseases such as swine fever. This is what he says Coldiretti Puglia, following the historic ruling of the Constitutional Court which allows farmers with a hunting card, licensed hunters to take part in operations to reduce the number of wild animals, voluntary hunting and environmental guards, security guards, as long as they are specially trained.

"The escalation of damage, aggressions and accidents that unfortunately also cause victims is the result of the uncontrolled proliferation of wild boars in Puglia with about 300 road accidents a year caused by wild animals, especially wild boars, a scenario aggravated by the long lockdown that has emptied rural and city streets, allowing for a more free movement of wild animals. It is necessary to intervene immediately and with determination against the invasion of wild boars with continuous sightings in the areas of the Alta Murgia Park, of the Gargano, in the Murgia Barese and Tarantina, in the Dauno Subappennino, near the Mercadante Forest, up to the urban centers ", he claims Savino Muraglia, president of Coldiretti Puglia.

In ruling on the recourse to the TAR of Tuscany of some environmental associations, the supreme court acknowledged - explains Coldiretti - that the increase in wild boars and the reduction of the staff in charge of controlling them has increased the risk of damage to agricultural crops but also to the safety of citizens, given the increase in road accidents caused by wild animals. Hence the decision to proceed with an epochal change of direction with respect to the orientation followed in the last fifteen years which had led to the rejection of the measures taken by various Regions that had opened to the possibility of expanding the exhaustive list of subjects in charge of selection hunting provided for by the framework law. Wild boars destroy agricultural crops, cause road accidents but the health risks caused by the spread of diseases such as swine fever are also worrying - recalls the regional Coldiretti.

The situation in the rural areas of the Bari Murgia and in Capitanata is particularly serious and unmanageable, especially in the Gargano area where the habitat is particularly favorable. Over 6 out of 10 Italians (62%) - according to the Coldiretti / Ixè survey - are afraid of wild boars and almost half (48%) would not even take home in an area infested by these animals. A situation that has reached the limit so much that more than 8 out of 10 Italians (81%) - according to the Coldiretti / Ixè survey - they think that the wild boar emergency should be tackled with the use of killing by hiring specialized personnel to reduce the number.