The first estimates of the victims, among the wildlife, of the abundant snowfalls and the freezing climate of the past weeks begin; some dead mouflons are in fact found on Monte Catria.
Just on 18 February, the volunteers of URCA, Regional Union of Hunters of the Apennines, during an excursion had found six adult male specimens of the Mouflon species dead in the snow; in the area seven other dead specimens were found among males and females by personnel of the special company of Catria.
They explain from the company that "The first discovery took place in the locality of Fosso delle Nicchie in the Municipality of Frontone; in the second last Saturday a short distance away, in the locality of Ranco Baroncio, close to the houses of the Caprile hamlet, during a surveillance inspection in the area of competence ”.
The Company staff then informed the Provincial Police of the discovery, "The agents of the Provincial Police and the staff of the Cras (Center for the recovery of wild animals) intervened on site for the recovery of the animals.. During the recovery actions, an adult male, a baby and thirteen females were sighted alive and in good condition and this gives hope for the conservation of the nucleus ”.
Considering that the specimens found dead were mostly adult males, one could “hypothesize a condition of great risk for the future of the only mouflon colony in the region".
The special company of Catria explains its work over the years, "The special company of Catria, always attentive to the protection of the natural components of the mountain territory, intends to sensitize the competent administrations so that this important resource, derived from an introduction project dating back to 40 years ago (1973), is not dissipated, with an inevitable damage to the biodiversity of the complex ecosystem of Monte Catria and to the healthy use of sustainable tourism, suggesting the opportunity of a targeted intervention to recover the residual population through the careful release of a new nucleus of individuals".
In light of some considerations concerning the incompatibility of the Mouflon's eating habits with the excessive snowfall of the past few weeks, about two meters of snow on the ground, one could therefore hypothesize a serious situation for the survival of this colony settled on the mountain. In the meantime, however, the selection hunt for ungulates in the Marche Region has been closed in advance as proposed by the Province of Pesaro and Urbino.