Ten wolves died in a few days, in one of the symbolic places of Italian biodiversity. It happens in the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, where the discovery of five lifeless specimens in Alfedena joins five others found in recent days in Pescasseroli.
After the massacre in Tuscany, this is a very heavy toll, which according to WWF Italy represents “one of the most serious crimes against wildlife of the last ten years“.
The investigations are still ongoing, but the first findings point towards a precise hypothesis: poison, considered among the most dangerous and indiscriminate methods. It not only affects wolves, but can kill other wild animals, pets and poses a risk to humans too. In short, it is a gesture that can put entire ecosystems at risk.
What is most worrying is not only the number of animals killed, but the context: in recent days, in Tuscany, two more wolves have been found killed and mutilated. Different episodes, but which tell the same reality: the illegal pressure against this species is increasing.
The wolf is often at the center of conflicts with human activities, especially in the livestock sector. But this cannot justify acts like these. In any case, we are talking about a protected species, fundamental for the balance of ecosystems: it regulates the populations of ungulates and contributes to the health of natural environments. Hitting it, especially in a protected area, means doing double damage to biodiversity and to the conservation work carried out for decades.
The political issue: less protection, more risks
According to the WWF, what makes the situation even more worrying is the climate that has been created around the wolf.
An immediate and decisive intervention is now necessary, which aims to strengthen controls in the area, intensify investigative activities and ensure that those responsible are identified and prosecuted. At the same time, it is essential to invest in conflict prevention and support for local communities, promoting a possible and sustainable coexistence between humans and large carnivores.
The recent downgrading of its protection status, repeatedly criticized by environmentalist associations, risks having the concrete effect of normalizing the idea that the wolf is a problem to be eliminated. And this, in fact, can translate into more poaching and more illegality.
Meanwhile, the necropsies have been entrusted to the Zooprophylactic Institute of Abruzzo and Molise, while the investigations are coordinated by the Sulmona Prosecutor’s Office.
