Hunting and Fauna: Venice, population of Hares in sharp decline; the hunters sound the “Fault of the vines” alarm.
Disappearance of the hares at the center of the hunters' attention. From the Ispra data (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) the most affected area of the Venetian would be Portogruarese. But after the study meeting held in San Donà by the agronomist Lanfranco Donantoni, with the participation of over 80 managers and presidents of municipal sections of Federaccia, it was decided to deepen the subject, first with a study seminar and then with a conference at the provincial.
The problem is serious, very serious, in fact the hare is traditionally the prey of choice for those who hunt in the Portogruaro hinterland. “The Venetian - explains Luciano Babbo, provincial vicar president of hunters - was considered the province suited for hare hunting, but has now gone into suffering. Of the four areas in which the province is divided, only Cavarzerano is saved. It goes badly in the central area of Mestre and in that of Sandonatese, it goes very badly in Area 1 of Portogruaro: here the hare seems to be on the verge of extinction ”.
Yet Portogruarese is famous for its most respected nature and for its DOC wines. “And it is precisely the new systems of cultivation of the vine that are the first enemies of the hare. Until 15 years ago, the rows of vines were spaced 4 meters apart and the individual plants, but now the plant is very close, as well as low. In order to be productive you need to keep the grass clean and continuously mill. By doing so, the newborn babies are massacred. Those who remain are then removed from the middle by the buzzard, a bird of prey that has a clear view to identify the survivors. Then there are the usual chemicals and finally the pruners from Eastern Europe, who fill the area in which they operate with laces: a hare hunt that is very forbidden. "
(April 1, 2014)
Source: IlGazzettino