Rome wants to tackle wild boar problem
Rome is planning measures to address the growing wild boar population in the city. The animals are causing conflicts with residents.
According to the farmers’ association, up to 23’000 wild boars are said to live in the Eternal City.
In the area surrounding Rome, wild boar populations have grown significantly in recent years. Many of them feed on rubbish in the streets. They have since become a growing problem in other parts of Italy as well.
Scientific data show that the growth of the population and the increase in agricultural damage and traffic accidents are also a direct consequence of misguided hunting practices.
In the capital, overflowing rubbish bins — a problem that has persisted for years — have become magnets for wild boar groups in search of food. As the animals have lost their fear of humans, dangerous encounters are occurring ever more frequently. Last week, an elderly woman in northern Rome was attacked by a sow defending her young while taking out her rubbish late in the evening, and had to be taken to hospital with minor injuries. Several residential areas in northern Rome have imposed a “curfew” from 8:30 p.m. until dawn following similar incidents.
It is worth noting that Rome, a city of three million people producing 4,000 to 5,000 tonnes of rubbish per day, has not a single waste incineration plant within its municipal boundaries. The vast majority of Rome’s waste is transported at great expense by lorry and freight train to other regions and abroad — a mere 2% of Rome’s rubbish is disposed of within the city itself. The rest ends up on the streets, attracting hordes of wild boars, seagulls, and rats.
Now, even swine fever has been detected. To prevent the further spread of African swine fever through wild boar, the Lazio regional authority has declared a “red zone established north of Rome . In the 500-hectare area, picnics in parks are prohibited until further notice, and feeding wildlife is also banned. Fences are to be erected around rubbish bins.
Rome's mayor Roberto Gualtieri has announced a programme to reduce the number of wild boar through targeted culling.
