Il WWF of Umbria took stock of the hunting season 2021-22 which will end us in Italy on January 31st. “Even in the last few days of the shooting, there is no shortage of news of illegal killings of wildlife by poachers detected throughout the peninsula thanks to the control activities of the authorities responsible for hunting surveillance (forest police, Provincial police and voluntary guards of environmental associations) which are added to the numerous operations completed during the year.
Lastly, there was a real massacre of waterfowl by six poachers who were killed about 350 animals including 150 Wigeons (Mareca penelope). According to Birdlife International data, with 5,6 million birds killed illegally every year, Italy is the second classified in the sad championship of poaching in the Mediterranean basin, immediately after Egypt.
“Despite the steady decrease of Italian hunters, hunting continues to represent one of the main causes of biodiversity loss and spread of illegalities - comments Dante Caserta, WWF Italy Vice President-. A study commissioned by the WWF demonstrates how the number of specimens belonging to protected species increases exponentially in coincidence with the opening period of the hunt (especially birds of prey) who are hospitalized in the Association's wild animal recovery centers, such as Vanzago and Valpredina, in Lombardy ".