Poisoning suspected in deaths of 18 wolves in Italian national park

Poisoning suspected in deaths of 18 wolves in Italian national park40 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePaul KirbyEurope digital editorGetty ImagesItaly is home to about 3,300 wolves, according to a 2020-21 census by IspraPoisoning is suspected in the deaths of 18 wolves within a few days in a national park that straddles three regions of central Italy.After the carcasses of 10 wolves were found last week, another eight were found when patrols were stepped up in recent days in the Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise National Park.The park authority said last week that traces of suspected poisoned bait had been found in an area where five of the wolves had been found dead and the latest deaths elsewhere raised "very strong suspicion" of further poisoning.The authority said it was working to determine the cause of death and collaborating with local public prosecutors.The park's initial suspicions appear to have been corroborated in tests carried out by the local animal health research institute IZS.Thirteen of the dead wolves were taken to the institute in Teramo, which found the "presence of pesticides for agriculture used in poisoned bait for animals".In a sign of the national seriousness of the issue, Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin also intervened, condemning the killings as "horrendous and serious", adding that the protection of wolves was "crucial to the balance of our ecosystem".Italy's Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (Ispra) warned that the killing of wolves most likely by poisoning called into question significant advances in animal protection and conservation.Poisoned bait posed a concrete risk to other protected wild species as well as domestic pets and public safety, it said.Wolves have seen their population swell in Europe in recent years, with the European Union reporting a 35% increase to 23,000 from 2016 to 2023, concentrated especially in Central Europe and Alpine r...