A tragedy has shaken the community of Quartu Sant’Elena, in the Cagliari area, where two young huntersMatthias Steri, 27 years old, and Giacomo Desogus, 28, lost their lives in dramatic circumstances during a hunting trip in the Quartucciu countryside, in the Mela Murgia area.
The accident occurred last December 15th and the circumstances of the tragedy remain under investigation by investigators. According to an initial reconstruction, one of the two would have accidentally shot his friend, fatally hitting him. Shocked by what had happened, he would later taken his life with the same rifle.
There are two main hypotheses at the moment: the weapon may have gone off while being handled by mistake, or perhaps Desogus was showing his friend how to use it. The weapon, regularly held by Desogus, was found next to the bodies.
The two were long-time friendslinked by a common passion for hunting. The families, worried about their failure to return, raised the alarm. The location of the mobile phones, still active but unanswered, allowed the search area to be narrowed down. The Carabinieri of Quartu Sant’Elena, the Forestry Corps and the firefighters intervened on site, coordinated by the prefecture of Cagliari through the provincial plan for the search for missing persons.
The bodies of the two young people were found late in the evening in the forested area of Santu Lianu, near their hunting dogs. The technical investigations to clarify the exact dynamics of the facts will be carried out with the help of the Carabinieri Investigation Unit.
The entire community is in shock over this double loss. Desogus was known for his passion for hunting, also documented through photos posted on social mediaand it seems that he loved sharing this activity with his friend Steri. The investigations will continue in the next few hours to shed light on what happened, but the immense pain for two young lives shattered remains.
Let’s say no more hunting
The tragedy is a dramatic reminder of the devastating consequences that hunting can entailnot only for animals, but also for humans. This episode is not an isolated case: fatal accidents are recorded every year during hunting trips, many of which were caused by human errors or inappropriate use of weapons. It is therefore legitimate to ask: because we continue to allow such a dangerous and anachronistic practice?
Hunting, by its nature, is a violent activity that revolves around the killing of living beings. The concept of “tradition” cannot be used to perpetuate activities that put human and animal lives at risk. If society has managed to overcome other archaic practices such as dueling or slavery, why shouldn’t it do the same with hunting?
Furthermore, this incident also highlights another problem: the dangerousness of weapons. Allowing private citizens to possess lethal tools inevitably increases the risk of tragedy, both for those who use them and for those around them.
Hunting, often considered a hobby, transforms forests and countryside into danger zonesthreatening animals, hikers, gatherers and even other hunters. It is not acceptable that a pastime should involve this level of risk for everyone.
Finally, it is important to reflect on the ethical responsibility we have towards animals. Killing them for sport or pastime is not justifiable in a society that seeks to progress towards greater respect for all forms of life.
The abolition of hunting it would represent a step forward towards a safer and more civilized society, in which nature is experienced as a space for contemplation and not as a battlefield. Tragic episodes like that of Quartucciu remind us that It’s time to put an end to this practice once and for all.
