Hunting and Fauna: Reggio Emilia, two wolves spotted in Salvarano di Quattro Castella, one attacks a hunting dog but the cries of the hunter make the game give up.
The wolves descended into the valley arriving on Saturday morning in the area between Salvarano and Bedogno in Quattro Castella, not far from the “Da Mandarein” bar-restaurant. A Reggio Emilia hunter, Giacomo Magnani, was training his team in the area hunting dogs in view of the opening of the hunting activity, next Sunday. Just in this period, pending the opening, it is possible to lead the dogs on special grounds (training areas), where they can train and stay in shape for hunting. On one of these was Magnani. “At a certain point - says the hunter - the dogs, which were about a hundred meters from me, approached the forest and, as they reached the edge, two wolves came out and surrounded them. In particular, one of the two wolves managed to attack my dog, bit her in the shoulder and didn't want to let her go ”.
The dog was immobilized by the wolf's grip, and Magnani decided to run towards her, screaming. He continued running towards the wolves and shouting, "until - he says - reached about forty meters from the animals, the wolf finally decided to let go and go away with the other". Magnani continues: «Last year two other dogs were killed in the same area, and I am convinced that it was the wolves, but the local hunters told me that in that area they were never seen. Now I have seen them with my own eyes. And in any case it is not such an extraordinary situation: towards the ridge, fights between wolves and hunting dogs are unfortunately now on the agenda during the hunting season ”.
The regional commissioner of the hunting and fishing environment hunting association, Umberto Gianferrari, also intervenes on what has happened: “This episode confirms my belief: keeping the species, now super-protected, in acceptable densities would bring benefits to the wolf before anyone else. If what happened had happened on the open hunt, to a hunter with a rifle in his hand, I think the epilogue could have been quite different. In the meantime, there are important funds, also from the Region, to protect farmers from episodes of wolf predation: guard dogs, fixed and mobile electrified fences and more. It is fine for farmers, but the problem is not solved for all those, truffle hunters, mushroom hunters, hunters and hikers in general, who find themselves “grazing” outside the fences ”.
(September 18, 2014)
Source: GazzettadiReggio