Bari authorities search for wolf following attacks on minors

Authorities in the Bari metropolitan area are intensifying searches for a wolf following a new sighting in the Schiamante district, located on the border between Noicattaro and the Torre a Mare neighborhood of Bari. The animal was spotted by a surveillance operator during vineyard inspections.

The sighting follows a series of attacks on minors over the past three weeks. The first incident occurred on August 4 in a park in Noicattaro, involving two children, one of whom was hospitalized in intensive care. A second attack took place on the evening of August 15, involving a six-year-old boy who remains hospitalized at the Giovanni XXIII Pediatric Hospital in Bari.

A task force coordinated by the Prefecture of Bari has been established, and the regional government has authorized the capture of the animal. Law enforcement is utilizing drones, thermal cameras, and traps to locate and secure the predator. Additional sightings have been reported in the nearby areas of Cellamare and Bitonto.