Serious episode of poaching in Dubino, between the provinces of Lecco and Sondrio, where the Forestry Carabinieri reported a man accused of killing two Northern Bald Ibises, a rare and protected species. The intervention came after an investigation coordinated by the Sondrio Prosecutor’s Office, started following an anomaly detected in the GPS tracks of the two birds.
The man, identified after careful personal and home searches, was referred for killing animals, hunting theft and illegal possession of weapons. During the operations, the military seized firearms, ammunition, electronic devices and the hunting card.
Suspicious movements detected by GPS
The alarm came from the team of the European LIFE NBI project, dedicated to the reintroduction of the Northern Bald Ibis in Europe. The researchers, noticing anomalous movements in the satellite data, alerted the authorities to check the conditions of the two birds.
After days of searches, the Carabinieri only found the satellite transmitters, which were detached in a non-accidental manner. By analyzing the routes recorded before the interruption of the signal, the investigators were able to reconstruct the last movements of the two specimens and identify the presumed person responsible for the killing.
An inestimable ecological value has been lost
The Northern Bald Ibis (Hermit Geronticus Linnaeus) is a species classified as “critically endangered” in the IUCN red list. Once widespread in Central Europe, it disappeared in the 17th century and returned to the continent thanks to reintroduction projects financed by the European Union.
Every single specimen has an inestimable ecological value, since the world population still numbers a few hundred individuals. The killing of two of these animals therefore represents environmental and scientific damage of great magnitude, which goes far beyond the single act of poaching. Also because, as article 9 of the Italian Constitution reminds us, the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems is a fundamental principle “also in the interest of future generations”.
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