“Bad wolf? Only in fairy tales. The category of bad is only human and never belongs to nature.” This is the incipit of the Facebook post Marche Wildlife Recovery Center in response to the many false reports about wolves that have spread in recent months.
The link of Cras Marche, Nazzareno Polini, reports Kodami: «The 2022 national wolf census indicates that there are approximately 3,300 wolves living in Italy. Even today, compared to the 1960s, when there were very few individuals distributed mainly in the Apennines, wolves have increased and, above all, it is possible to see them in various areas of the state. For example, we at Cras Marche have found some bodies near the coast of Marche, so not necessarily in the mountains. This increase in population is due to greater protection of the subspecies as well as greater abundance of prey. Indeed, contrary to what common opinion may thinkthe wolf generally feeds on roe deer and wild pigs, or at any rate on other animals belonging to the wild fauna.’
“I would define the idea that a wolf feeds on human flesh: ‘red riding hood syndrome’ – continues Polini – A wolf must feed itself in its natural environment completely autonomously, like any self-respecting wild animal. This is why I believe it the most common mistake citizens make, especially farmers in the area, is to leave animal carcasses in their manure pits, which therefore attracts wolves, who will thus become more and more accustomed to feeding in a non-autonomous way. In addition, over time wolves will be increasingly tempted to find ‘easy’ prey around homes, which explains the death of many ‘household’ animals or even animals such as dogs and cats.’
The naturalist concludes: «There are many people who do not know how to approach this subspecies. In case we meet a wolf on our way, we can also move, talk, raise our hands, because the wolf sees us as predators, so it will tend to run away. to which we explained, among other things, what behavior to adopt in the event of an encounter with a wolf.
He also addressed the issueregional councilor for hunting and agriculture Andrea Maria Antonini, who declared last December: «The problem fwild fauna in free circulation in the Marche, as in the entire republic, is becoming a very delicate and complex issue that needs to be solved even more effectively and planned among all competent territorial entities headed by the region. We believe that in order to solve this difficult situation, in accordance with the national and European regulatory framework, knowing that there is no single, definitive solution, it is appropriate to lay the foundations for an operative and coordinated plan between all the authorities involved: Region, Province, national and regional parks, municipality, for the active involvement of hunters, ecological associations and farmers”.
In this direction, the Ministry of Hunting and Agriculture set the start of a series of negotiations after the Christmas period with the aim of agreeing on an even more targeted policy aimed at suppressing the phenomenon of wild fauna.
Nazzareno Paolini comments on these statements as follows: «Alarmism is useless! No cases of wolf attacks on humans have been recorded in our region. Therefore, I consider this consideration inappropriate and any policy that can be implemented. But I think we need to broaden the discussion and talk directly to farmers in the area who could throw the entire ecosystem out of balance with their irresponsible actions. According to my idea, the possible extermination of wolves in these cases would be the “most convenient” choice, irresponsible and unconditional.”