“We are hostages of the wild boars.” This is the outburst-appeal of a citizen of Orvieto who lives on the slopes of the cliff, on the north-east facing side, along Regional Road 71, which leads to Orvieto. “In the strip that goes from this to the Rupe – he states – we are at the mercy of wild boars, very numerous and of all sizes, as can be seen from the traces they leave every night. They move in the dark and wander continuously in search of food, which is evidently scarce as they often return to previously visited places.
They wander for the whole night and with their wandering they unleash all the dogs in the area who bark continuously. Someone has placed photo traps that reveal packs of up to ten specimens, including adults and puppies. They constitute a real army comparable to a column of tanks: with their rooting and scratching with their front legs they devastate vegetable gardens, meadows and slopes. They cause considerable damage precisely on the latter as they inexorably cause earth and stones, sometimes actual boulders, to slide towards the valley.
Some of these crashed onto Regional Road 71 a few days ago, causing serious danger for those traveling there, especially motorcyclists. (The boulders were removed by us citizens). They uproot plants, close the rainwater drains, the “channels” that were positioned in the 80s during the consolidation works on the cliff and, last but not least, they constitute a great danger for those who pass by on foot late in the evening coming from the farmhouses and bed and breakfasts overlooking the regional area. We are at the mercy of these ungulates and we don’t know how to defend ourselves. We ask the authorities to intervene in the ways they deem most appropriate and if they decide to do so, that they do so quickly. Thank you”.
