Following the letter published a few days ago by your newspaper, entitled "Wolves are not welcome in Trentino"We felt the need to offer our point of view not only as inhabitants of Trentino, but also and above all as a representative of our Association, which for some years has been committed to promoting coexistence between the activities of man and wolf, as well as of all the breeders and inhabitants of the Alpine and Apennine mountains who together with our association have chosen a path of coexistence which, although difficult, is absolutely possible.
Let me be clear: we are the first to be aware of how much the return of the wolf, in a territory where it had been eliminated for about a century, can be problematic, as well as we know in depth the sacrifice of those who have to work more every evening for the management of their own zootechnical heritage and for its safety, representing a further burden in one's work. Those who deny it not only do not understand the discomfort of breeders and shepherds, but in fact they are also against the wolf, not accepting its true nature as a super-predator that can come into conflict with human activities.
However, we are also of the idea that any "extreme" stance can return an excessively "idealistic" vision that not only fits into a complex debate, but that in reality, from our point of view, ends up deluding precisely those in the mountains he lives and works, giving them once again the illusion of a possible "immediate immediate disappearance of the wolf" which in fact will never happen.
Let's say it clearly, even for the uninformed: the wolf has now been permanently present in Trentino for almost a decade and any hypothesis of removal, mass extermination, elimination or other is pure fantasy that offers its side only to the dreams of those who would like to return back in time and imagine an ideal "wolf free" territory.
What has been done in these 9 years of presence is very simple, and they are official data and not personal opinions to testify: where the means of prevention have been put into practice, attacks on domestic servants have greatly decreased, often reaching total zero losses in contexts where the damage was important.
Of course, there have been exceptions, errors or unfortunate episodes, but it is undeniable that in recent years, in a sometimes very difficult climate, some institutions have worked to help those who breed and they have often succeeded thanks to the hard work of herdsmen and shepherds who have adopted these means of prevention thus protecting their animals.
Furthermore, once again reading about allegedly problematic dogs for hikers, or about ineffective nets, is only a way of discouraging breeders from adopting these means, while the reality is often different and unfortunately it does not make headlines in the newspapers as much as the animals " torn to pieces "by the" bad "wolf: these means work and the dogs, if properly managed and adequate for the job they are asked to do, they usually do not create problems.
In Italy there are families who for centuries have managed the pasture and worked in breeding in areas where the wolf has never disappeared and they do it even with these formidable dogs.
The signs inviting you to go around the pasture are welcome if there are guard dogs at work, on the other hand, the education of the tourist to respect the work of those who live in the mountains is something important that we all believe can share, breaking down this idea that the mountain must always be accessible to everyone, at any height and in any place man may set foot.
Once again, we find ourselves discussing an alleged incompatibility between the Alpine territory and the wolf, but we do not in any way investigate the aspects of a complex issue and also scientifically important aspects such as the compatibility of the territory with ethological needs are overlooked. of the wolf: for non-experts, the wolf carefully chooses the territory where to establish a herd, and this must have important characteristics that can guarantee the satisfaction of two primary needs such as eating and having sheltered places without human disturbance.
From this point of view, the Alps are a true paradise for the wolf, thanks to the huge number of wild ungulates and vast areas of shelter where humans often do not arrive and where the animal can spend the day.
Thus it is clear how the territory of the province of Trento has all the credentials to welcome the species, and how this has also always been part of the culture of the Alpine territory: there are works on toponymy dedicated to wolf and bear in all the Alps, you will be amazed how the areas of our mountains often bear the name of these two "discussed" predators who in one way or another have marked the centuries thanks to their presence.
There are also many things to say about the landscape question, but for the sake of brevity they cannot be organically treated.
We fully agree when you say that "It would be appropriate to have a peaceful discussion that would highlight the pros and cons of the delicate issue, avoiding one-dimensional thoughts", but it seems to us that the article is the first to bring these "thoughts back to a dimension": the abandonment of the mountain is mentioned as a possible consequence of the presence of the wolf, but it is important to underline that the abandonment of the mountain occurred well before of the return of the wolf, and that this process is caused by far more important factors, which deserve careful analysis.
Furthermore, to date, as far as we know, there is no study or investigation that links this presumed abandonment with the presence of the wolf; vice versa, if only one investigated the number of cattle brought to the pastures in the last decade in some Alpine areas where the wolf has recently arrived, one would realize that its impact on the exploitation of pasture is practically zero, reflecting a non-existent abandonment.
Let me be clear, we are not saying that the wolf does not create problems, and it is no coincidence that we have put it in the premises, but it seems to us that, as often happens, the question is simplified, to avoid carefully analyzing the causes that have led to a depopulation of the mountain.
On the other hand, we are not surprised to check how in the newspapers "The loss of the original Alpine landscape" is a topic that is always in vogue when it comes to the wolf, but it is never addressed when it comes to a whole series of infrastructures or crop types that certainly cannot be said to be linked to an “authentically” rural landscape.
Surely the question is complex and deserves a great desire on the part of all the parties involved to open up to dialogue and the complete decay of any exploitation, starting with that for political purposes which unfortunately is very fashionable today.
Many more important associations than ours have a clear vision, the Italian Alpine Club itself has a public position for coexistence with large carnivores which represents a strong signal, just as strong is the signal of those who in silence, often in a tense and problematic, in the Alps he embarked on the path of coexistence without making news and remaining in the shadow of his work with nets, dogs, sheep or cattle made safe every night.
Of course, the road is still long, as long is the path that wolves take naturally every year to colonize new areas of our mountains in order to live their lives and play their important role as predators at the top of a food chain useful for maintenance and development of a biodiversity that cannot ignore their presence and that represents the true answer to those who wonder if there is still room in the Alps for a controversial predator that, together with the bear, is able to ignite secular fears now dormant inside our soul.
In conclusion, in the light of all this, perhaps it should be deduced that it is no longer necessary to give any kind of "welcome" to the wolf in Trentino: it has naturally arrived more than ten years ago on its legs and perhaps today it sounds anachronistic to say "welcome "To an old tenant who found his old house with difficulty in our woods and who, despite the rivers of words that are being spent on him, today just needs to be left to live his life without you continually look for the reason to notify him of an eviction that he does not deserve at all.
Sent by our Association on 23/11/2020 to the editorial team of L'Adige