Wild boar 'invasion': Another Italian city faces a particularly porcine problem

Euronews
Tue, 15 August 2023 

Wild boar 'invasion': Another Italian city faces a particularly porcine problem


A pack of wild boars was spotted making the rounds of several homes inthe southern region of Calabria, Italy's news agency ANSA reported.

That makes Catanzaro the latest city to face a particularly porcine problem.

The wild boars - around 20 in total - kept to the outskirts of the city and didn't actually go inside any buildings, although they were seen circling homes built next to the open countryside.


The city's environment councillor Giorgio Arcuri called on the region's authorities for "appropriate measures to stem this phenomenon" - which are likely to involve the culling of the animals.

For some time now, Italy has had a problem with wild boars taking over its towns and cities in what local media and Italy's nationwide farm group Coldiretti dubbed a "full-scale invasion."

Last year, wild boars were said to have taken over Rome, where they were filmed in clips shared on social media and international television getting close to people, eating food leftovers near trash bins, and overall looking seemingly unbothered by the busy, crowded streets of Italy's capital.

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Authorities have raised concerns over the soaring numbers of wild boars in Italian cities, mentioning the risk of the animals spreading swine flu or attacking residents. But their firm approach to the problem - killing the boars - has divided society.

In December last year, Giorgia Meloni's government ordered a cull of the wild boars in Rome that was strongly contested by animal rights activists, allowing hunters to use bows and arrows to kill the boars and eat them. Hunting for the animals was exceptionally permitted even in areas where hunting is normally forbidden, like urban and protected areas.

The decision was condemned by politicians in the opposition, who accused Meloni of taking the chance to cosy up to the gun and hunting lobbies.

A similarly tough position has been taken by many local leaders, including Catanzaro's mayor Nicola Fiorita, who last month ordered the culling of 30 wild boars roaming into a park in the city.