The wolf has learned to live without forest:it is also at home on the plains

There are several recommendations to follow

MODENA – Learn well what a wolf does and how it behaves, so as not to cry wolf.Example: if you spot it, the advice is "remain silent and observe without interfering and do not try to get closer". It may or may seem obvious, but how "knowledge" of this animal is "fundamental" and how to act when you encounter it was reiterated today in the meeting in Modena promoted by the Provincial Police with the title “wolf on the plain, the last frontier”. After all, in fact, it is no longer impossible to find it close to home:as Luigi Molinari, collaborator of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines National Park and Sonia Braghiroli, official of the Region's Hunting and Fishing Office, explained, the wolf in the Emilian provinces, "for some time now, it has recolonised areas extensively modified by human presence such as the plain, one of the least wooded areas in Europe and with the highest population density. It is an extremely adaptable animal and, in these contexts, it has learned to exploit different types of food resources and to select the few refuge areas available."And therefore it is useful”fully understand wolf behavior in order to act effectively in the event of sightings or reports in urbanized areas, with particular attention to its presence in the areas adjacent to those inhabited by humans, also in light of the recent cases in the province of Modena", explains the Province of Modena which, for today's meeting, called together the Forestry Carabinieri, operators from the Hunting and Fishing Office of the Emilia-Romagna Region, from the Pettirosso wildlife centre, veterinarians from the Modena Local Health Authority, from the Modena Zooprophylactic Institute, from the Central Emilia Parks Authority and representatives of the Bologna Metropolitan Police.

WOLVES, PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE

Fundamental for understanding the phenomenon are the data acquired by satellite collars applied to Wolves by the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines National Park.“We want to always be in step with what the city and the territory ask of us and following the reflections of a group of experts can create the best conditions to provide an increasingly punctual service that passes from the awareness that even though it is a 'protected' animal the wolf must not become 'confident' with man.Therefore, every expulsion strategy that can make this a concrete reality must be known and disseminated", underlined the commander of the Modena Provincial Police Patrizia Gambarini. During the meeting it was underlined that wolves, like other wild animals, can approach human settlements, sometimes even in daylight, especially during the winter period.In particular conditions (for example if the wolf is against the wind) close encounters may occur. Among the precautions to avoid for wolves to develop confident behaviors there is, for example, the voluntary or involuntary offering of food to the animal.For this reason it is essential to adopt a series of correct behaviors, including do not leave food sources near homes, keep the dog in a night shelter, especially if in heat, never and for any reason try to approach the wolf or interfere with its behavior and never feed it.