WILD BOAR OF MAREMMA

Quite difficult coexistence. The relationship that exists between the sus scrofa species and the homo sapiens is lost in the mists of time.

The wild boar has represented, besides a great source of support, also the symbol of vigor, strength and courage. Its biology has allowed it to survive over the centuries as closely with humans as its adaptive and opportunistic behavior. All of its features have always guaranteed the wild boar a clear evolutionary advantage over other large mammals.

Today it almost seems that wild boars are invading almost every area of the national soil, no longer limited to frequenting woods and hills. The news reports describe them to us as voracious, dangerous opportunistic animals now accustomed to the presence of man. In fact, they go inside cities, even metropolises, in search of food to prey on. There is no doubt that the problem of animal overpopulation has been out of control for years and simple hunting is not enough to keep the number of animals sufficiently in balance with the other animals that share their habitats with them.

But how did this come about in Italy? The blame is not absolutely to be attributed to the wild boar. They faithfully follow their organic program. The problems associated with this large number of powerful animals depend on the wrong choices of man in the last half century. The native species of sus scrofa of Italy have almost nothing to do with the animals present now. Indeed, the characteristics of the Italic boar (Maremma in our case) were very different: much lower proliferation, smaller size of the heads. Just think of another Italian endemic species (the Sardinian wild boar) to understand how far we are from the animal that is now causing these problems.

From the 1960s onwards, humans introduced a new species of wild boar from Eastern Europe into Italian habitats, larger, faster in development and exceptionally prolific. Suffice it to say that current males can reach truly "mythological" dimensions by touching the quintal and a half. The reason for this introduction of an "alien" subspecies is to be attributed exclusively to hunting. In our opinion, all the folkloric and traditional characteristics linked to the world of hunting end up totally diluted in the big business that this represents today.

The problem of the overpopulation of this animal is undoubtedly a problem to be taken into account. It often goes hand in hand with epidemiological problems among the animal population as we are seeing at the beginning of 2022 in Piedmont and Liguria. Not to mention the serious biological imbalance in the food chain. In the coming years, the institutions will have to face the problem vigorously.