Rome raises fences against wild boars

The problem is especially pertinent in the northern parts of the city where a voluntary curfew had been advised

The Italian capital, Rome, has started a new chapter in its ongoing efforts to contain the urban invasion of wild boars. At the start of this week, the city’s official website reported that the boroughs in the northern part of the city will try to restrict the entry of the animals with the placement of special fences and gates.

The spring season is considered a critical period with the birth of the new litters and the roaming of the animals in search of food. The problem is especially compounded in the northern Boroughs (Municipios) XIV and XV.

Mapping the movement habits of the animals

A few months ago, a Technical Team, coordinated by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Waste Cycle of Rome, was created. It includes experts from the Metropolitan City, the Lazio Region, ISPRA and the Zooprophylactic Institute, the Park Authorities and the Boroughs.

The teams led a mapping project in the two boroughs, which led to the identification of all the entry points and corridors that the animals use to access the residential areas. This helped identify the most suitable areas for the construction of containment fences and gates.

Furthermore, the mappings were very useful for the targeted interventions of the city’s waste management operator AMA in terms of repositioning the bins close to the passage areas of the wild boars. In the XV Borough Town Hall, work has begun to create anti-boar stations for the collection of waste and the same will be done in the Volusia park.

The fences that are starting to be installed are made of so-called Keller nets, which reach deep into the ground to prevent animals from digging under them.

Furthermore, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Waste Cycle is preparing an information campaign for citizens on the behaviours to be adopted in case of sighting of wild boars, reporting methods and good prevention practices. The latter include: not abandoning waste or food near the bins, not disturbing the animals, keeping dogs at a distance, always leaving an escape route and not giving food to the boars, as is prohibited by law.

Meanwhile, community leaders in the northern part of the Italian capital are warning people against wandering the streets late at night because of several recent attacks by aggressive wild hogs. Thus neighbourhoods have had to resort to imposing night curfews.