Italy: Hobby hunter shoots 19-year-old
The tragedy occurred in the area around the municipality of Apricale in Liguria. Investigators are currently still examining the incident, but according to initial findings, the hobby hunter mistook the 19-year-old for a wild boar. A 19-year-old Nathan Labolani from Ventimiglia was – according to the initial assumption – walking his dogs when he died from a shot to the abdomen fired by
The tragedy occurred in the area around the municipality of Apricale in Liguria. Investigators are currently still examining the incident, but according to initial findings, the hobby hunter mistook the 19-year-old for a wild boar.
A 19-year-old Nathan Labolani from Ventimiglia was – according to the initial assumption – walking his dogs when he died from a shot to the abdomen fired by a hobby hunter during a wild boar hunt. The hobby hunter apparently mistook the young man for his quarry and fired a shot from his carbine from a distance of 20 metres.
Scenes of boundless despair
Carabinieri, fire brigade, alpine rescue, medical personnel and the Blue Cross were all deployed. An emergency helicopter was also scrambled from Cuneo, but to no avail: the young man died shortly after their arrival.
The National Animal Protection Agency (ENPA) is calling for the immediate suspension of the 2018/2019 hunting season on grounds of public order and safety.
It is now beyond dispute that our country faces a public safety emergency linked to the practice of recreational hunting. The death of the 19-year-old is merely the tip of the iceberg of a practice that causes millions of animal victims and dozens of human victims every year.
218 deaths in 10 years
Over the past 10 years, a total of 218 people have been killed in hunting accidents in Italy, with a further 807 injured. Despite the large number of victims, the number of hobby hunters has fallen from 801’000 to 570’000 since 2000.
Former Tourism Minister and Forza Italia parliamentarian Michela Brambilla urged the adoption of a draft law imposing a total ban on hunting, which is already before parliament.
Update: Nathan was himself a poacher
In addition to the fatally shot Nathan Labolani, the Carabinieri seized a rifle and 50 rounds of ammunition. According to a reconstruction, the 19-year-old, who holds neither a firearms licence nor a hunting permit, had been out poaching on a recreational hunt that Sunday morning and, just like his «unofficial hunting companions», had lain in wait in search of wild boar, too. Out of fear of being discovered, Nathan Labolani had not responded to the calls when the fatal shot was fired. More on crime and recreational hunting.
