They come down from the hills in search of food and especially water , given the long drought linked to a particularly sultry summer. They leave the woods and forget their natural reluctance to approach humans, driven by necessity and attracted by waste. They move in groups, sometimes accompanied by their cubs: a presence that makes them particularly dangerous if they feel threatened. Yet some treat them like pets : they approach them, feed them, give them water . If they could, perhaps they would pet them. "They don't do anything, they're docile." Of course not.
Beasts
They're not dogs, cats, or birds: they're wild boars. Wild beasts , certainly not to be kept on a leash and taken for walks morning and evening. And they're invasive : they multiply rapidly and, in their movements, even damage crops. You can hear them at night moving around homes, rummaging through garbage cans , fighting , descending the hillsides in groups, and stopping where someone has even left bowls of food for them. And water.
Everywhere
It happens regularly in the pine forest of Sinnai , where until recently quite a few people would show up on summer evenings in front of the barracks to distribute food to groups of animals, who, now aware of the appointment, would show up punctually for the meeting. But it seems to have become almost the norm almost everywhere: in Costa Paradiso , in the north of the island, where the ungulates have been seen strolling along the road and approaching tourists (who, when some were perplexed by the possible adverse reaction, responded by claiming they were "calm and peaceful" ), and on many Sardinian beaches , where they walked among towels and umbrellas.
Last summer, as evening fell, they emerged daily from the countryside to make their triumphant entrance into the town of Cannigione , plowing with their snouts the dirt at the entrance roundabout and any crevices that smelled of food. They forced motorists to slam on the brakes to avoid being sent to the hospital by their sudden arrival.
Mountain closed
Just a few days ago, there was talk in Nuoro of " security issues " related to their presence, with sightings from the roundabout that marks the city's entrance to the lawn of the San Francesco hospital mortuary. Hence the decision to reduce their numbers on Mount Ortobene (closed to visitors every Tuesday from 4 pm to 10 pm from November 24th to January).
But the number of sightings is also decreasing along the roads of Montiferru , on State Road 195, in Sulcis Iglesiente with approximately 500 hectares of land destroyed, in Settimo San Pietro . And the list could go on and on.
Invasion
It's an invasive species , not easy to contain. Feeding it doesn't help; on the contrary, it makes the situation worse , especially in areas frequented by people, such as parks and green spaces bordering the countryside. Municipal administrations are doing what they can, informing people about the ban on feeding these animals and requesting censuses to understand, where possible, how many specimens are circulating in the area.
But it's difficult to change long-established habits, often due to a lack of knowledge of the subject . So perhaps it's useful to summarize the "guidelines" of ISPRA, the National Institute for Environmental Research and Protection, whose mission includes research and monitoring the state of the environment, fauna, and flora.
Ispra
The institute explains under the heading "wild boars" that "providing" them with food "is absolutely inadvisable because it encourages these animals to become accustomed to humans, with potential risks for people . This behavior also carries risks for domestic animals —dogs and cats—which can be attacked, with potentially serious consequences ." Their presence in urban areas " is closely linked to the availability of food scraps and organic waste." They are " by nature" wild animals and may react to interaction by biting or pushing violently . Their presence near roads and homes should not be underestimated, as the risk of road accidents caused by their crossing should not be underestimated.
The ban
If that weren't enough, similar behaviors ('feeding') are also prohibited 'by law 221/2015 which provides for imprisonment from 2 to 6 months or a fine from 500 to 2 thousand euros '.
A few numbers to give an idea: «Particular bioclimatic conditions and the food resources provided by the presence of woods and crops allow for extraordinary increases in this ungulate , with births occurring in all months of the year : a female can give birth to up to 15 cubs three times a year, that is 45 potential adult wild boars per year for a single female».
An adult animal "can weigh between 70-80 kilos in the case of females and reach or exceed 100 in the case of a male." The damage: "Road collisions, significant losses to agricultural crops and vegetable gardens, overturning/uprooting of young plants."
The wild boar "is capable of profoundly altering ecosystems, especially forests. Omnivorous and opportunistic, it digs, uproots, and creates deep furrows in search of food , altering the characteristics of the soil and vegetation, accelerating the decomposition of organic matter in the soil, and compromising the development of young plants and insects." Finally, "the health aspect should not be underestimated": this animal " can act as a host or vector for diseases commonly found in wild fauna that can also be spread to farmed animals ," but it can sometimes be a vector of infections "transmissible directly or indirectly to humans ."
Is there anything else to add? Perhaps. But few people read this information. And even if they did, they'd probably just move on.