The 12-14 new bear cubs detected in 2021 in Trentino they bring the total number of the population to a hundred of specimens. As for the wolf, the number of packs reaches 26 units instead. The numbers emerge from the “Large Carnivores 2021 Report” of the Autonomous Province of Trento. Prepared by the Large Carnivores Sector of the Wildlife Service, the document offers an updated and detailed picture of the status of bear, wolf, lynx and golden jackal present in the provincial territory and illustrates the many management activities carried out last year. To ensure the widest knowledge of the safety rules to be respected in case of encounter with wild animals, in the press. the information campaign will be repeated on the local television networks and on the Grandicarnivori.provincia.tn.it website, with vademecum and explanatory videos, to remember the good practices recommended by the experts.
The purpose of the Report, now in its fifteenth edition, is to provide citizens with correct, updated and timely information on the status of the large carnivores that gravitate in Trentino and neighboring regions, and to record a set of data in a precise and analytical manner. to make it possible to interpret it also by professionals. The Report also reports on the initiatives undertaken in the areas of damage management, emergencies, communication, staff training, as well as the supra-provincial and international connection.
Bear.
The bear population is estimated at around 100, including cubs. This is a figure that in 2021 was based again on intensive genetic monitoring, which currently takes place on the bear every other year, always with the technical support of the Edmund Mach Foundation laboratory. Compared to 2019 there was an increase essentially due to the twenty litters recorded between 2020 and 2021 and to the good survival rates that are recorded.
The range occupied by females is increasing, and this is perhaps the most significant data as regards the bear, while single young males in dispersion have been reported as far as Piedmont, in the border areas between Tyrol and Bavaria and in Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Wolf.
The presence of this species has recorded a further significant increase, with 26 estimated herds present on the provincial territory in 2021 (there were 17 in 2020), the majority of which (15) with some portions of the relative ranges also affecting, to a greater or greater extent. less significant, the neighboring territories of Veneto, Alto Adige / Suedtirol and Lombardy. There are 20 herds that gravitate in eastern Trentino and 6 in western Trentino.
Lynx.
The only certain specimen (B132 arrived in displacement from Switzerland in 2008) gravitates to the areas of the lower Chiese and the Ledro valley.
Golden jackal.
The species has been present in Trentino since 2012, as part of its progressive colonization of a large part of the Alps. In 2021 its presence still appears absolutely sporadic, but it has been possible to ascertain the second reproduction of the family nucleus present in the Fiavé area, in Lomaso.
Damage prevention.
There is an increase in damage, roughly proportionate to the increase in populations (plus 8% on 2020 for the bear and plus 60% for the wolf). The many damage prevention activities continue, which the Report gives an accurate account of. Particular attention was paid to activities such as the construction of electrified fences and new experimental works, the supply of LGDs, logistical support for shepherds, and the control of prevention works.
Emergency management.
The Report summarizes the events and activities conducted by the appropriate teams and the dog unit during the year, in particular in the management of the bears M62, F43 and JJ4 (equipped with radio collar), but not only. The operators worked to ensure the intensive monitoring of problematic subjects, to carry out dissuasion actions, for the implementation of anti-bear bins and signs and to manage delicate situations, such as cases of bear investments, thanks to the support of a veterinary team specialized and experienced in this kind of activity.
The activities of 2021 were also characterized by important collaborations with various Bodies, such as the Science Museum of Trento, the Edmund Mach Foundation, the Adamello Brenta Natural Park, the Paneveggio Pale di S. Martino Natural Park, the Higher Institute for Research and Environmental Protection, and the Trentino Hunters Association.
To all of them, as well as to the volunteers and to the various regional, provincial and Land Administrations, mentioned in the Report, a heartfelt thanks goes out for having contributed with their data to provide a picture as complete as possible on the status of large carnivores in Trentino and in adjacent areas.
The Report can be consulted and downloaded on the website https://grandicarnivori.provincia.tn.it/Rapporto-Orso-e-grandi-carnivori/Rapporto-Grandi-Carnivori-2021 and will be, as usual, printed and distributed in a suitable number of copies. Finally, the document will be available shortly both in English and in German, considering the vast interest it is also attracting in the Alpine and international context.
Attached is a summary of the Report, to facilitate the reading of the main data contained in the document: