Italy: Meat Mafia behind bestial wolf execution
Six months after a wolf was killed and hung at a bus stop in Coriano, the alleged perpetrators of this heinous incident have been identified. Extensive investigations by the forestry division of the Carabinieri led to two men – aged 82 and 43 – both connected to a large agricultural operation in Coriano di Rimini, a locality
Six months after a wolf was killed and hung at a bus stop in Coriano, the alleged perpetrators of this heinous incident have been identified. Extensive investigations by the forestry division of the Carabinieri led to two men – aged 82 and 43 – both connected to a large agricultural operation in Coriano di Rimini, a locality in the hilly hinterland of the well-known tourist destination.
Surveillance cameras provided the lead
The very day after several schoolchildren on their way to school made the horrifying discovery, authorities launched an investigation. Footage from several surveillance cameras in the area quickly put the Carabinieri on the right track. The videos showed a white Volkswagen Transporter near the bus stop at around 4:00 in the morning – just a few hours before the dead wolf was found.
By analysing telephone call records, investigators discovered that during those hours a 43-year-old employee of the operation had attempted to contact the 82-year-old father of the owner. During the subsequent search of the Volkswagen Transporter, the Carabinieri secured wolf hairs and traces of blood in the cargo area.
Illegal slaughtering and animal cruelty uncovered
The officers then inspected the entire farm and were able to identify several criminal offenses, including animal abuse, illegal slaughter, keeping dangerous animals, and illegal waste dumping. The 43-year-old and the 82-year-old were charged while remaining free pending trial.
As for the dead wolf itself, several wolf attacks on the livestock of the agricultural operation are said to have been the motive. Having grown tired of wolf attacks on their own sheep herds, the owners reportedly decided to resort to this sensational form of vigilante justice. According to investigators, the wolf was first brodifacoum — a powerful rat poison — and then beaten to death with sticks. An autopsy of the wolf's carcass revealed that the animal's skull had been caved in and its body pierced with a pitchfork. More on crime and recreational hunting.
