Biology
Mortality
Experts estimate direct mortality from anthropocenic causes at between 15% and 20% of the population each year. These date appear in line withwith findings for other European populations, althouh currently no reliable data is available on the true extent of the phenomenon. Among the causes of direct mortality, poaching involves firearms targeting both wolves encountered accidentally during wild boar hunts targeted killings
Among the traps, all of which are prohibited, “snares” are now widely used. These are made of steel cables positioned like nooses along restricted passages. They are placed to protect livestock from wolves and dogs, but are also often placed on the edges of crops to protect wild boars or to capture them for the illegal meat trade. However, as they are non-selective trapping devices, they also indiscriminately capture other species, such as wolves, causing considerable suffering.
Many wolves also die from the use of poisoned bait, which, although banned in Italy for almost fifty years, is still used today, with a recent resurgence of the phenomenon.
They are used both by farmers against dogs and wolves, and by truffle hunters to divide up territory.
The Ministry of Health has issued numerous ordinances to combat the use of poisonous substances, while numerous European projects have funded the establishment of Anti-Poison Dog Units for territorial control.
Finally, road accidents are among the most common causes of death for wolves, especially young, stray animals. The spread of diseases by domestic dogs, which constitute large reservoirs of certain pathogens, or competition with roaming dogs, also contribute to limiting the wild wolf population. Although wolves have been protected since 1973, very few convictions have been made for killing wolves, as it is very difficult to trace the perpetrator. Much progress has been made in this regard using advanced veterinary forensic techniques.
History
The ‘Lupari’
A historic figure in ancient Apennine communities was the luparo, a hunter specialized in the capture and killing of wolves, a highly valued profession in ancient peasant societies where herds were a precious commodity.
Until a few decades ago, wolves, along with other species such as foxes and birds of prey, were considered vermin, and authorities issued specific ordinances or edicts establishing the procedures and rewards for their capture. There was a codified price list for each type of animal killed; for example, killing a female wolf with her cubs could earn a higher reward. To ensure there was no fraud, the luparo were forced to hand over part of the animal, such as the tail or head of the slaughtered animals.
But the luparo’s true reward was ensured by the gratitude of the villagers where he displayed the carcasses of the killed animals in exchange for food, money, or other items.
The importance of the wolf in natural ecosystems was recognized in the second half of the twentieth century, and until then, even in the few existing protected areas, such as the Abruzzo National Park, wolves were killed by state officials, such as park rangers.
Many stories and novels have been written about the traditional figure of the wolf hunter, and a famous 1957 film, “Of Wolves,” set in Abruzzo, depicts his adventures.
Curiosity
The case of canine distemper
In January 2013, the carcasses of two wolves were found in Ortona dei Marsi, Abruzzo, taken into care by the local Veterinary Services. Around the same time, three wolves showing symptoms suggestive of canine distemper were recovered in an area near the Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise National Park.
Tests on samples taken from all these specimens revealed the presence of the canine distemper virus in their lungs and nervous tissue. The same tests were repeated on 30 other wolves found dead in Abruzzo, and 20 of them tested positive for canine distemper, a variant called Artic.
This viral strain was already present in domestic dogs in Italy, Hungary, and Eastern European countries, but had never before been detected in wild animals. Among other things, some foxes and badgers were also found to be positive for this strain.
Distemper is a disease that can periodically cause epidemics in wild populations, but in this case the origin of the epidemic was clearly traced back to domestic dogs. During the same period, dozens of dogs died from distemper in Abruzzo, also decimating populations housed in shelters.
Mortality due to disease transmission from domestic animals to wild animals is a very serious threat to wild protected fauna populations. Consider that not only the wolf but also the Marsican brown bear, of which there is a very small population in Central Italy, can suffer significant and irreparable population declines in the event of epidemics like this one.
To prevent such eventualities, it is necessary to strengthen the fight against the illegal importation of purebred puppies sold at low prices in Italy but without health certification, limit encounters between wild fauna and stray dogs, and vaccinate all owner-owned dogs, especially guard dogs, truffle hunters, and hunting dogs, which can be reservoirs and vectors of causative agents by moving in the same areas as wild fauna.