Poaching: Reggio Emilia, the men of the State Forestry Corps have discovered the five poachers who killed the wolves of the National Park by poisoning them. In their homes even the photographs with the "trophies".
A typical winter motto has always been "wolf weather". But this, on the other hand, does not seem to be the ideal time for these ancestral ones, little known in their real characteristics, and for this reason often erroneously feared inhabitants of the mountain woods, for some years again well present also in the territory of the National Park, on the Tuscan ridge. Emilian. A widespread presence that has recently, with the increase in the number of specimens, come into conflict with some human activities, especially sheep breeding. It has happened several times that, even in the Reggio Apennines, some farms were “visited” by wolves, with animals killed and devoured: in Castelnovo, but also near San Giovanni di Querciola, on the ridge as well as in the lower areas. A conflict in which the wolf "plays" according to its natural rules, while sometimes someone plays dirtier.
As happened in the territory of the National Park, on the Parma ridge, where five poachers were reported, after an in-depth investigation by the Forestry Corps, who in competition with each other used different means to carry out acts of poaching to the detriment of Apennine wolf specimens , in particular through deadly poisoned morsels made with carcasses of wild animals, stuffed with poison. During the searches in the poachers' houses, photos were also found showing a downed wolf.
Yesterday the National Park issued a note on what happened: “We express our deep appreciation to the Forestry Corps for the brilliant investigation operation against poaching actions to the detriment of protected species. The Park stigmatizes the use of poisoned morsels and the illegal killing of animals protected by Italian and European laws such as the wolf: actions even more serious and intolerable if carried out in protected natural areas. We will evaluate the conditions and the opportunity to ask for compensation for environmental damage, possibly becoming a civil party in criminal proceedings. We ask for the collaboration of all the territorial institutions and of the representatives and associations of hunters, with which they have relations of respect and collaboration, to condemn illegal practices and expel anyone who is ascertained responsible for serious violations of the rules of hunting ”.
The Park note concludes: “We are aware that the renewed presence of the wolf throughout the Apennines raises significant problems related to predation on domestic livestock, and also to the often emphasized“ perception ”of potential danger of the species. We are speaking on the theme of coexistence between the wolf and human activities and in particular with breeding and pastoralism. To achieve correct solutions to the real problems inherent in the presence of the wolf we have a project (life Ex-tra) that has made it possible to carry out significant conflict mitigation interventions, with animal husbandry (creating wolf fences and distributing LGDs) and awareness raising. of public opinion ".
The Park has also established the Wolf Apennine Center as a reference point for the management of the wolf on an interregional scale. Willy Reggioni, a wildlife expert who has been following wolf projects for the Park for years, also expressed himself on the subject: "I find it absurd that among citizens there can still be room for a perception of the wolf calibrated on popular and not" educated "knowledge, this latter aspect is aggravated by the fact that often the wolf argument is opportunistically exploited to convey discontent or unload responsibility for the results of an inadequate management of the human-wildlife conflict ”.
19 December 2012
Source: La Gazzetta di Reggio