A disconcerting episode has shaken the tranquility of the Roman suburbs, triggering clear condemnation from the local community. In the residential neighborhood of Valle Ioro, in Castelnuovo di Porto, a wild boar was filmed wandering visibly in pain along the main road, with a dart deeply embedded in its back.
The man who witnessed the scene, Roberto del Buono, recorded a 37-second video later shared on Facebook on the Castelnuovo Di Porto – Castelparla group to denounce the violence suffered by the animal before it got lost in the wooded areas adjacent to the Veio Regional Natural Park.
Talking about what happened and the fear of the presence of armed individuals in the neighbourhood, Roberto expressed all his bitterness:
In the area you can see many wild boars. We live with it, the bush is their territory, unfortunately the road is not. I feel sorry for the little boar, who then ran away and unfortunately was not rescued. What scares me is knowing that in our territory there is a person who goes around with a bow or crossbow to shoot wild boars.
@Roberto del Buono/Castelnuovo Di Porto – Castelparla – Facebook
An unacceptable act that puts everyone in danger
The incident was immediately reported to the local Carabinieri station, which began investigations to identify the person responsible for what appears to be an act of poaching and mistreatment of animals. Throwing darts near homes is completely unacceptable behavior, which forces a living being into atrocious suffering and slow agony.
Furthermore, an injured mammal can turn into a real time bomb for public safety, reacting to the pain with uncontrollable aggression towards passers-by. It is hoped that the animal can be traced as soon as possible to put an end to its hardships, while alarm is growing among the inhabitants over the presence of an armed individual on the loose, a much more serious social danger than the presence of wild animals.
The regulatory framework on bow hunting and experimentation
The episode also reopened the debate on the use of traditional weapons for wildlife containment. National legislation law 157/1992 contemplates the use of the bow for hunting against wild boars, categorically excluding the crossbow and delegating detailed regulation to the Regions and autonomous provinces. However, the use of arrows is only permitted to hunters regularly authorized through specific courses.
At the same time, following a favorable opinion expressed by ISPRA (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research), the Provincial Council of Trentino Alto Adige approved on 7 July an experimental measure to introduce the bow as an alternative tool to firearms for the control of the species starting from 2027. A measure opposed by animal rights associations and to say the least archaic which could, as seen in this case, give rise to very dangerous emulations.
