In recent days, following several incidents of predation or attempted predation on domestic dogs, public debate has reignited regarding the presence of wolves in the Alta Val Taro. This is a topic that, as often happens, it risks being approached in an emotional and fragmented way, rather than with the necessary technical expertise and knowledge of the phenomenon.
The announcement of a meeting promoted by the mayor of Tornolo for next October 20th and the letter sent by the mayor of Bedonia to the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security demonstrate the attention and understandable concerns of the territory, but also the need to bring the debate back to a scientific basis rather than an alarmist tone.
The Tornolo meeting, as presented, foresees the participation of political representatives only, without any presence of experts in the field, technicians or personnel from the Emilia-Romagna Region, indispensable figures for a balanced and constructive comparison, but above all to offer the population the skills of professionals rather than the propaganda of politicians.
The letter to the Ministry sent by the Mayor of Bedonia speaks of a situation of widespread alarm, predation on livestock, and alleged damage to local tourism: statements that deserve to be supported by objective data rather than proclamations: As an association that has been working in the Apennines for years to promote the coexistence of humans and wildlife, we believe it is essential to address this issue with clarity and responsibility. The wolf has been a stable presence in our territory for decades: its expansion, documented since the 80s, is the result of the natural return of a species that had risked extinction. It is therefore not an emergency, but a structural element of our mountain environment.
Perhaps it is time to recognize that what remains most authentic and precious to us is precisely the landscape and the environment, and to commit ourselves to a real naturalistic valorization of the Apennines, in the many forms it can assume. Wildlife, and wolves in particular, represent one of these opportunities. In various contexts, including the Taro Valley, their presence has proven to be a resource for tourism and for the promotion of the area: More and more visitors and schools are taking part in environmental education activities, excursions and citizen science projects, helping to raise awareness of biodiversity. e to concretely support the local economy.
It is true that conflicts with livestock farming can occur, but experience shows that Most predation occurs when pets are not properly housed. Even the recent cases cited by Mayor Serpagli seem to be attributable to situations lacking effective protection systems. Today there are accessible and tested tools: in Emilia-Romagna there are active calls for tenders and regional contributions for the purchase and installation of various defence systems, and our Association also offers, through the Coexistence Fund, prevention materials (energizers, nets, fences, dog food), giving priority to small agricultural and hobby businesses that intend to improve the protection of their animals.
For this reason it is important to distinguish between the normal presence of the wolf and exceptional cases which require specific interventions, such as the recent incidents that occurred in the upper Taro Valley in recent days, which saw a wolf attack dogs despite the close presence of people. This is an atypical behavior, which does not reflect the usual behavior of the species and which must be addressed as such: with competence by the relevant authorities.
As an Association, we immediately reported the incidents to the competent authorities. and we believe there are the conditions to implement targeted interventions, including culling, against the individual or individuals responsible. We believe it is right and necessary for institutions to intervene to manage this situation, but it is equally important not to generalise: the vast majority of wolves maintain an elusive behavior and continue to avoid humans. Therefore, knowledge, collaboration and trust in the technicians' work are needed, avoiding transforming an isolated case in an emergency that affects all wolves and which does not correspond to reality.