"Back to rule": wolves appeared in the vicinity of Rome for the first time in a hundred years

Hidden cameras located near Rome near the busy ring road encircling the city captured the wolves. A pair of fully grown wolf cubs drinking water was spotted in a protected area for the first time in 100 years.

Scientists say that in the vicinity of the city, in addition to the cubs, there are also adults. The male has already been given a nickname — Romulus. Wolves have a special place in Roman mythology. According to legend, the founders of the city, the brothers Romulus and Remus, were suckled by a she-wolf, and subsequently the animal became a sacred symbol for Rome.

Source: The Telegraph

"For the first time in a hundred years, wolves are living near Rome again," said Alessia de Lorenzis, a professor of natural sciences who oversees the discovered pack of wolves. "We are very glad that they have returned."

The extermination of wolves in Italy was encouraged until the 1970s, as predators slaughtered livestock. By that time, there were barely 100 individuals in the country. In 1971, the animals were given the status of a protected species, and since then the population has been recovering.

The wolves found are not dangerous: the analysis of excrement showed that they feed on wild boars, which are found in large numbers in the forests.

"We believe that these wolves came from places near Lake Bracciano north of Rome, where they have always been found, even when extermination led to their almost complete disappearance."

It is believed that there are about one and a half to two thousand individuals in Italy, mostly they live on the border with France, in the Apennines and the Alps.

Over the past few years, French farmers have repeatedly blamed predators who migrated to their country for the death of sheep. It was noted that the wolves advanced to the north of France, to the Central Massif, through the Jura and Vosges Mountains. Several wolves have been spotted in the countryside near Paris.

Wolves, of course, harm hunting and animal husbandry, but their complete extermination will damage the ecosystem, since the wolf controls the number of animals, destroying the weak and sick.