Rome Plans Sterilisation Instead of Culling Wild Boar

Wild boar alarm is spreading through Rome's outlying neighbourhoods.

Italian media reported that the animals had multiplied significantly in recent years and had become a danger to the local population.

At the weekend, a motorcyclist lost his life in a collision with one of the animals, which had unexpectedly crossed the road. The city administration is now planning countermeasures.

Immunocontraception as an Alternative

The city intends to launch a sterilisation campaign (immunocontraception) for the animals, reported the Roman daily newspaper «Il Messaggero». Rome intends to take its cue from Barcelona and Hong Kong, which faced similar challenges.

Wild boar are a problem in several parts of Italy. Plans by the Tuscany region to cull 250’000 of the animals have sparked fierce protests in recent months. Environmentalists and a number of prominent figures, including Italian television stars, artists and intellectuals, launched a campaign against the planned killing of the animals.

Tuscany: Mass Culling Instead of Sustainable Solutions

The region's plan was to reduce the number of wild boar in Tuscany from the current 420’000 to fewer than 150’000 within three years. Experts reported that Tuscany is currently forced to pay farmers annual compensation of 2.5 million euros to offset damage caused by wild boar. The number of animals in Tuscany is four times higher than the Italian average. The example clearly shows: hobby hunting fails as a method of population control – immunocontraception is the animal-friendly alternative.

To counter the increasingly frequent presence of wild boars in the city, the Campidoglio is reportedly considering the use of an “immunovaccine” — a drug that would sterilize wild boars to drastically reduce their reproduction in urban areas. “We are addressing the issues related to the presence of wild boars in Rome,” state Daniele Diaco, president of Rome’s Environment Commission, and Pinuccia Montanari, councillor for the Environment. “We are evaluating the possibility of using an immunovaccine on wild boars. It is our intention to apply this project to our urban reality, in order to address this problem in a sustainable and animal-rights-respecting manner. In various technical meetings, it has emerged that the Lazio Region has acquired the relevant expertise but, despite this, does not have the adequate human and financial resources needed to resolve the problem.”

The statement comes 24 hours after a serious accident in Rome in which a 49-year-old motorcyclist was killed following a collision with a wild boar on the Via Cassia. Consumer association Codacons is calling on the judiciary to establish the responsibility of the city administration. “We are asking the Public Prosecutor’s Office to open an investigation into the incident, examining the liability of the Municipality of Rome, the municipal police, and the animal protection officers, in light of possible charges of failure to perform official duties and complicity in any offences identified, including complicity in manslaughter,” explains president Carlo Rienzi. “For some time now, Rome has seen a growing presence of wild boars roaming the city’s streets, posing a serious risk to public safety. Despite these reports, the problem has not been resolved, and the lack of action led to yesterday’s tragic accident.”