Italy faces rising tension over wolf attacks in Puglia and Veneto

Recent reports of animal and human encounters with wolves have increased tensions in Italy. In the Puglia region, authorities are investigating several incidents, including attacks on children in Noicattaro and bites involving three tourists in Gallipoli. A task force utilizing drones and thermal cameras is searching for a specimen in the Bari province. Experts, such as veterinary medicine professor Antonio Camarda, note that the behavior of these animals appears anomalous, as wolves typically avoid humans. Potential causes for this shift include the availability of food from stray animals and organic waste in rural areas.

In the Veneto region, wolf predation has moved from high plateaus toward pastures near residential areas, specifically in Cansiglio and the border between Vittorio Veneto and Fregona. Biologist Paola Peresin suggests that the issue is not merely regulatory or financial, but cultural. She notes that while tools like livestock guardian dogs and electric fencing exist, they are often treated as mere purchases rather than integrated agricultural practices essential for coexistence with predators.