In the night between 11 and 12 August, at 2800 meters above sea level in the Val Venosta, a male wolf of about 45 kilograms was shot down by the provincial forestry body on authorization from the autonomous province of Bolzano. It has been the first legal reduction in Italy for half a century, since the species had been placed under protection, and comes a few months after the European vote for the declassing of the status of protection of the great carnivorous.
The green light had been signed on July 30 by the provincial president Arno Kompatscher, who had authorized the removal of two specimens believed to be responsible for repeated attacks on cattle. Between May and July, according to the provincial data, 31 episodes of predation in the same area would have been recorded; The previous year had been 42
The legal procedure was not linear: initially the TAR had suspended the abatement order, but subsequently the Council of State accepted the request of the Province, with a favorable opinion of the ISPRA and the provincial fauna observatory.
The reply of the animal rights world
The reactions of animalist associations are hard. Lav, Enpa, Lndc and “I am not afraid of the wolf” contest the decision and argue that the conditions provided for by the law were not respected. According to these organizations, the prevention measures adopted in the area would have been “scarce and insufficient”: episodes of predation would have occurred outside the fences and without the use of guard dogs, but only as a conduct. “If only the prevention systems were properly used, the wolf could have been saved,” said Massimo Vitturi, Lav manager for wild animals, announcing a complaint for killing animal against the province of Bolzano.
The “I am not afraid of the wolf” association underlines that, by law, the demolition is allowed only if the alternative methods have proved to be ineffective and if it does not compromise the state of conservation of the species. “In this case – they write – the fastest and most irreversible way was chosen, without dealing with the real causes of the conflict”.
For his part, the provincial councilor for agriculture Luis Walcher reiterates that “in South Tyrol the wolf has become increasingly a threat to the traditional alpine breeding and, in some cases, for public safety”.
The demolition takes place in a context in which the debate on large carnivores is increasingly polarized, especially in the alpine regions where the impact on unprotected farms is greater. While for the province the targeted withdrawal is a necessary measure to protect the mountain economy, for associations it is a hasty act that does not solve the problem at the root and risks opening the way for more frequent interventions.
In the coming months, the question could be intertwined with the changes to the European Directive and with any ministerial decrees that will redefine the level of protection of the wolf in Italy. Meanwhile, on the night of August 12 he marks a date that will remain in the registers: after 50 years, a wolf has been killed in Italy with legal authorization.
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