I large carnivores and their interaction with man always has a wide media relevance, but there are not only wolves and bears to cause damage on the territory. Dogs left free by their owners to roam the woods are a danger for roe deer, hares, broods and also, potentially, for humans. To report the situation is the Council of the Giudicarie - which is the grouping of game reserves of San Lorenzo, Dorsino, Seo-Sclemo, Stenico, Lomaso, Bleggio Inferiore, Fiavè, Ragoli, Zuclo, Bolbeno and Tione - where the problem has been felt and has been talked about for a couple of years in front of the carcasses of roe deer that are regularly found with signs of dog aggression, especially in winter when wildlife descends further downstream and encounters are more frequent.
"It's a big problem, so much so that in January of this year I also wrote to the Municipality and forest services - explains the rector of the Tione reserve Giuseppe Salvaterra - unfortunately on this issue he lets himself run a little. Moreover, the fine is 80 euros and there are people who have even taken six or seven fines but continue in their behavior ». It is at the “Sòle” and in the “Lanciada” area that the carcasses of six roe deer attacked by dogs have been found in recent months and the phenomenon is worrying because roe deer are decreasing. "At Sòle we have a couple of feeders for winter foraging - Salvaterra explains - every year there is a slaughterhouse. In the reserve of Tione alone, last year there was a decrease of thirty per cent of roe deer, which are decreasing throughout the Trentino.
Even more so with a snowy winter like the one that has passed, the phenomenon of dogs left free by breeders or people who ski or trek is to be kept under control because it affects a species that is having difficulties ». There have also been predations in the Outsiders. «It is difficult to have precise data on the extent of the phenomenon - Achille Onorati, deputy mayor of Comano Terme and rector of the hunting reserve of Bleggio Inferiore, intervenes - because unlike the observations on large carnivores, privately owned dogs are inevitably not monitored, but in the Council we have testimonies of numerous animals found torn to pieces, clearly from dogs, and they were numerous enough to consider it a problem.
With regard to wildlife and also, and here I am speaking as deputy mayor, for public safety: there is a lot of talk about bears and wolves, but meeting these unsupervised dogs can be dangerous, I would also have personal examples to bring about. It is no coincidence that the legislation provides that a dog must be constantly monitored by its owner". The problem is also to enforce the law: "Having found a dead roe deer, tracing back with certainty to the owner of the dog that attacked it, and therefore fining it, is complicated - continues Onorati - even if those who frequent the territory know very well which owners are habit they let the dogs free for many hours and saw them in action. The fact remains that the problem, even if difficult to punish at the moment, exists ”.
There is also an implication for the animal itself: "These owners who have the bad habit of going out for a walk and letting the dog roam or free him at night, something that farms often do, which then complain about the damage caused by bears and wolves - adds Onorati - they must know that if instead of a roe their dog should meet a wolf he would be doomed. The appeal, for the safety of all, including these dogs whose owners have decided to take responsibility and protection, is to stop this practice of temporary abandonment, a harbinger of damage and negative consequences "(Ladige.it).