Wildlife
The installation of signs in various green areas of Milan has begun, reminding citizens and tourists not to feed wild animals present in the city, in parks or in bodies of water such as nourish, fish, squirrels, turtles, ducks or pigeons. The 'Regulation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals' of the Municipality of Milan, in force since 2020, in fact indicates the prohibition of feeding wild fauna, an action dangerous for their health and also because it involves the risk of a possible increase in the number of some species potentially harmful both for the environment and for other animals. The information signs will be distributed in various green areas, inside the Indro Montanelli Gardens, the Garden of the Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte, the Don Luigi Giussani Gardens (formerly Parco Solari); and also in the Sempione Park, Lambro Park, the Park of the Iraqi Martyrs of Freedom Victims of Terrorism (formerly Parco Martesana) and the Aldo Aniasi Park (formerly Parco di Trenno).
Difficult communication
"It is difficult to communicate to citizens, male and female, or to the many tourists who live in our city, not to feed wild animals: the message is often interpreted as a position of disregard for them, especially for those animals that inspire sympathy and tenderness among adults and children. I am thinking, for example, of squirrels or goldfish, but also of ducks and turtles in our bodies of water - explains the Councilor for the Environment and Green Elena Grandi -. However, it is important to remember that feeding these species, often with foods that are unnatural for them, can be harmful both for their health and survival and for the balance of fauna in the city".
Altered balances
As Gustavo Gandini, Guarantor for the Protection of Animals of the Municipality of Milan, also recalls, "animals that decide to settle in the city enter into equilibrium with the environment and generally do not create problems. It is we, by feeding them, who alter the equilibrium, causing suffering to the animals and discomfort for many citizens. I am thinking, for example, of the grey squirrel that is able to gnaw on wires and electrical cables or even the coypu that on many occasions create problems for the soil and plants, gnawing on their bark".
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