Hunting and Fauna: Perugia, the criminal phenomenon of poisoned morsels is increasingly widespread, in the province of Perugia alone there are already 79 deaths of animals due to poisonous baits.
There are 79 deaths of animals due to poisoned baits in 2012 in the province of Perugia. The deadly morsels are artfully prepared to be easily traced and ingested, but their toxic charge can even be lethal, for both small and large animals. The latest news episodes recorded in Norcia, where carcasses of wolves and foxes were found whose causes of death suggest the presence of poisoned baits, are just the tip of the iceberg of a phenomenon that shows no sign of diminishing in the provincial territory. In fact, according to reports from Lieutenant of the Provincial Police Giorgio Tani (coordinator of the poisoning service), cases of suspected poisoning continue to grow, from 189 in 2011 to 210 last year. Fortunately, however, thanks to the awareness-raising work in progress among the population, the gap between reported cases and deaths is widening, which in one year fell from 84 to 79.
A comforting fact that mainly concerns pets whose owners promptly resort to the care of veterinarians who are best equipped to deal with the problem. That of poisoned morsels is a well-known and widespread phenomenon, which does not spare any area of the provincial territory, even if the greatest peaks are recorded in the Perugia-Corcianese, Marscianese, Eugubino-Gualdese, Panicalese areas.
Nor does it stop during the year, even if it is from February to April that the phenomenon intensifies, and then comes back to life again especially in the autumn months, between September and October. "The hypothesis - explains Roberta Burzigotti, manager of the Wildlife Management and Environmental Protection Service of the Province of Perugia - is that unscrupulous truffle hunters or hunters resort to this illegal practice to limit the frequentation of the territory by possible competitors to "Two or four legs". The poisoned morsels - he adds - represent a crime under the Penal Code, extremely dangerous for all animals, wild and domestic, both because they can cause direct death, often painful, even with a long agony, and of others who can feed on dispersed and contaminated carcasses ".
But their danger can also extend to humans, just think of the risk that children run if the bait is abandoned in parks or public gardens. It is recent news what happened to the green path of Perugia where the morsels were wrapped like candy and abandoned on the ground. However, a bait can generally come in the form of a sausage, piece of ham, meatball, tennis ball, egg, or any other form that is palatable to an animal. According to the data, it is dogs that fall into the trap the most (165 in 2012), followed by cats (13), and then by foxes, squirrels, crows, wolves, martens.
“In recent years - reports the veterinarian Fausto Cambiotti - the most used poisons have been products for agricultural use such as pesticides, herbicides, rodenticides and snail killers. The toxicological analyzes carried out showed that most cases of intoxication are attributable to organo-phosphorus pesticides, followed by carbamates, coumarins and organo-chlorinated pesticides in particular alpha and beta endosulfan ". As the doctor himself explains, many of these poisons act on the central nervous system, causing violent convulsive states, with severe suffering for the intoxicated animal, which can die even after a long and painful agony.
Parks, public gardens, condominium spaces and areas where feline colonies live are the urban areas most at risk, while in the countryside the most frequent surveys are in wildlife-hunting farms, natural oases, natural parks, cultivated agricultural land, areas suited to the search for truffle. For some time now the Province of Perugia has taken steps to make the population more aware of the danger of the phenomenon and to inform about the correct behavior to be followed in case of finding these toxic substances. All you need to know is contained in a brochure produced by the 4-legged Sportello and the Provincial Police, entitled "NO to poisoned morsels, we protect public health and the safety of people, animals and the environment" , a sort of vademecum available to all citizens.
In case of discovery of a poisoned bait, one of the competent bodies must be notified: Provincial Police (delegated primarily to deal with the matter), State Forestry Corps, other Local Police forces and the Order, Veterinary Services of the ASL. In case of suspected poisoning (i.e. when there is loss of balance, difficulty supporting oneself on the paws, intense salivation, labored breathing, exhaustion, disoriented movement, tremors and convulsions) the nearest veterinarian or the veterinary medical guard should be contacted immediately.
Carcasses, baits, tissue samples and gastric contents of animals that have died of suspected poisoning are analyzed free of charge by the Zooprophylactic Institute if delivered directly by the veterinarian or through the Provincial Police or other police forces.
20 March 2013
Source: SpoletoOnline