Trentino approves bow hunting for wild boar, sparking animal rights outrage

The Trentino provincial council has approved a trial program that will permit bow hunting for wild boar, set to begin next year. The decision, proposed by councilor Roberto Failoni, aims to provide an alternative to firearm hunting, which officials argue can disturb wildlife, particularly during the crucial breeding season.

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The bow can represent an alternative tool, where the use of a firearm can be inappropriate due to the disturbance it can cause to other species even in particular seasons like the reproductive one.

The council also introduced a "targeted control" method, allowing the forestry corps to organize containment activities with hunters qualified for boar control. Failoni highlighted these as significant operational methods for managing the species, also noting concerns about the spread of African swine fever in Europe and its economic impact on the pork industry.

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This measure is worthy of a horror movie: it is not enough to kill wild boar, they must be made to suffer as much as possible.

However, the move has drawn sharp criticism from animal rights organizations like Enpa. The Rovereto section of Enpa labeled the decision a "Robin Hood measure" and a "horror movie," claiming it prioritizes making wild boar suffer. They argue that "targeted control" is a euphemism, and imprecise shots could lead to animals dying slowly from arrow wounds.

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They call it 'targeted control' because if you don't aim perfectly, the animals will drag themselves around with their entrails pierced by the arrow until they die of blood loss.

Animal rights advocates also raised safety concerns, questioning the potential danger posed by individuals armed with silent, deadly weapons in public areas. They have appealed to the provincial council to reconsider the decision and urged the government commissioner, as the public safety authority, to intervene due to perceived risks to public safety.

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This measure is not a tragedy 'exclusively' for wild boar, but risks proving to be a serious danger for everyone: how close might people find themselves to the action zone of people armed with a deadly but silent tool?