Corrections needed
«The discomfort of the territory is tangible. Corrections are needed on the wolf that at this moment depend on Europe and on the moves following the downgrading of the status of particularly protected species. The Province of Belluno in any case, it is the spokesperson for the difficulties recorded and with the Provincial Police has implemented monitoring and dissuasion actions for the specimens defined as confident, within the limits of what is foreseen by the current legislation". Thus the vice president of the Province of Belluno Silvia Calligaro, delegate for agriculture, hunting and fishing, regarding the concerns raised by several mayors, not least the mayor of Alpago following the killing of a Maremma sheepdog by a wolf.
Frequent predations
"The wolf population, we know, is expanding throughout the country and, in particular, in the Alpine arc, especially the eastern one of more recent recolonization. Even the territory of the province of Belluno is now permanently inhabited by this wild animal. The additional difficulties that our areas, especially those of Alpago and Valbelluna, suffer from are given by the presence of small hobbyist farms together with the more structured livestock activities, practically without interruption. In addition, the territory is more densely populated than the mountain areas, so the presence of the wolf comes into contact more easily with human activities, as can also be seen with the frequent predations recorded. In this sense, the work of our Provincial Police is important, which carries out the survey of predations within 24 hours of the event. The Provincial Police Corps has the task of monitoring and promptly detecting the presence of the wolf, providing the data to the Veneto Region which in turn transmits them to the Ministry of the Environment which, as is known, is responsible for any other decisions regarding the management of this wild animal protected at a European level. The Provincial Police is also taking care of carrying out, under the supervision of the University of Sassari, the censuses and the collection of the indices of the presence of the wolf. The data should arrive in the next few months and are functional to increasingly better understanding the situation".
Deterrent interventions
"We will continue to ensure, as we have done so far, maximum commitment to monitor the evolution of the situation and to implement any dissuasive measures. I ask the mayors - whose concern I understand and whose responsibilities I share, given that as mayor I am aware of the discomfort of the population - to continue to explain to citizens all the necessary prevention measures, and some perhaps banal but necessary indications, such as that of sheltering domestic and livestock animals during the night hours, and to avoid leaving food leftovers in open environments, because it makes it easier for wolves to approach homes" (source: Province of Belluno).