From the very interesting meeting with Dr. Luca Convito of the Forestry Service of the Umbria Region, organized by the Ecologist Group “Il Riccio” of Città della Pieve in collaboration with the Municipal Library “Francesco Melosio”, an event appreciated by the many people present, the possibility of coexistence between wild animals and humans emerges clearly, provided that the former are treated, respected and managed as such. Respecting their wildness also means respecting their independence; the fauna in its environment is perfectly capable of feeding itself without needing our “crumbs”.
It is good to keep the right distance between humans and wild animals for the safety and tranquility of both. In line with scientific principles, the anthropization of animals is fine for cartoons but not for current management. Many more people are attacked by “Bambis”, herbivores, than by large carnivores, especially if we attribute to wild animals the same behaviors as domestic animals or even those of humans.
When we are in nature, ears wide open to the sounds and warnings of animals, for example do not run with headphones in your ears, pay attention to the presence of dogs, especially if free, because they can scare wild animals or become an easy subject of aggression/predation involving the owner, in this case you must avoid getting in the way. The rescue of injured or struggling wildlife is the responsibility of competent and trained personnel: touching a wild animal in these situations, even simply stroking it, is perceived by the same as a threat or an act of predation.
The wildlife landscape is the set of wildlife populations that characterize a certain territory, whose character derives from the action of natural and/or human factors and their interrelations. Over time, the wildlife landscape has undergone evident changes due in particular to environmental changes, such as abandonment of marginal lands, growth of forest heritage, return to the countryside with different methods than before, survival of that fauna that is characterized by less visibility and crepuscular and elusive habits.
Faunal changes are linked to the growth in the number of species and the size of populations, to the introduction of exotic and invasive species, but also to social transformations, from farmers to others, from consumers of fauna to “indifferent” to integral/fundamentalist protectors. Then there are health changes, such as greater knowledge and awareness of the risks linked to epizootics (spread of infectious diseases from one species to another) and zoonoses (infections or diseases that can be transmitted directly or indirectly between animals and humans) such as avian flu and African swine fever, to consumer protection and the development of supply chains and finally also to regulatory changes, given that Italy adheres to international Conventions and adapts to Community Directives. All processes that from an ecological perspective are intertwined and occur at different speeds, even in close environments, jamming the mechanisms of management and coexistence between man, who has long times of understanding and adaptation, and fauna, which has short times of adaptation and reproduction.
When cultivated lands are neglected, forest and transitional environments (ecotones) expand: wildlife can well be “read” as a spontaneous product of these environments. For the management of wild animals in urban spaces in Umbria, two intervention protocols are in force, authorized by the Prefecture of Perugia, March 2021, and by that of Terni, November 2022, for the Municipalities of the respective Provinces.
In response, for example, to the arrival of wild boars in the city and to African swine fever, steps have been taken to reduce the number of wild boars by capturing increasingly larger contingents with available techniques and for longer periods than expected for normal hunting activity, and to control their presence through cage trapping as a selective system. Unfortunately, sabotage of cages by releasing captured animals before they were captured, but also of bait, has been reported, as have attacks on social media. Passive health surveillance of the wild boar population is also conducted through the reporting and diagnostic control of all wild boars found dead, including those found in road accidents, and of all suspected cases with increased mortality, symptoms attributable to swine fever and other diseases.
For those who would like to have more and more detailed information on the widely attended meeting, please refer to the live broadcast on Facebook of “Città della Pieve Viva”, for which we thank Ettore and of which we provide the link: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/JSXo1NDkJF9a37p7/
In conclusion, we would like to communicate the presence in the territory of NOETAA – Nucleo Operativo Ente Tutela Animali Ambiente, an organization that protects the rights of animals, nature and the environment, whose Regional and Provincial headquarters are located in Tavernelle, Viale della Resistenza 156, of which we are very happy to provide a link to the Facebook profile https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092707203623, email [email protected], mobile 380.8918632, available 24 hours a day, to be contacted for information but above all to report environmental problems such as illegal landfills, which unfortunately our territories are full of, the presence of stray animals, abnormal approaches of wild animals to inhabited centers. With their support we announce that the Pievese Ecologist Group will soon organize information and training meetings for citizens.
Source: Ecological Group “Il Riccio”
