The Mayor of Rome, Five Star Movement’s Virginia Raggi, accuses Lazio regional government of failing to tackle the wild boar problem
Raggi has opened a criminal lawsuit against the surrounding Lazio regional government. She cites “the massive and uncontrolled presence of wild boar in Italy’s capital”.
The capital’s mayor, Virginia Raggi, of the Five Star Movement (M5S) has accused the regional government, led by former Democratic party (PD) leader Nicola Zingaretti, of being responsible for what she described as a “boar invasion” and failing to implement “effective management plans for these animals”.
Protests over wild boar causing damage and car crashes
There have been a number of protests during recent years over wild boar damaging land and causing fatal car crashes. Estimates put 10,000 road crashes every year down to their presence.
Most recently, a video of a woman showing a woman surrounded in a car park by the creatures as they stole her shopping, reignited the debate.
Last year, Raggi ordered an investigation after a family of boar were shot and killed by police in a children’s playground near the Vatican.
Incident every 48 hours
Coldiretti, the country’s largest farmers’ association, reported there was one boar incident every 48 hours. There has also been an increase in sightings of them rummaging through rubbish in urban areas.
In July, farmers, animal breeders and shepherds staged a protest in front of the parliament in Rome. They likened the increase in the animal’s numbers to a plague.
Estimates put the number of wild boar in Italy at two million.
