Criminal investigations are under way in Italy after the carcasses of 18 wolves were discovered in a national park within a week, in what conservationists have described as the most serious crimes against wildlife in the country in a decade.
The national park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise confirmed that eight wolves had been found dead in recent days across three different areas, adding to ten carcasses discovered last week. Three dead foxes and a buzzard were also recovered.
Park authorities expressed their despair in a statement, saying: 'The disappointment blends with despair … It’s a pain that ranges from profound suffering to disbelief.' They emphasised that 'whatever the motivation, illegality and crime cannot be justified in any way.'
The investigation began after suspected poisoned bait was found near five dead wolves in the Alfedena area. Tests are being conducted to confirm the cause of death, but the simultaneous deaths of multiple species suggest deliberate poisoning. The incident poses a particular threat to the critically endangered marsican bear, which inhabits the same region.
Luciano D’Angelo, the lead prosecutor, told Corriere della Sera: 'Bears and wolves are symbols of this area and we do not take their killings lightly. Initial investigations tell us it was poison, but we’ll know later exactly what it was.' WWF Italy condemned the killings as 'an unacceptable criminal trend in a civilised country' and partly attributed them to the EU's recent downgrading of the wolf's protected status from 'strictly protected' to 'protected', which allows easier culling.
