It’s true: a wolf has returned to the mountains of the Ossola valley. Says the press release issued a few days ago by the Veglia-Devero Natural Park authorities, “Genetic analyses carried out on two samples of excrement found in recent weeks in the course of monitoring by staff of the Veglia-Devero Park and the Police of the VCO Province have confirmed the presence of a wolf on provincial territory. Both samples, which were analysed by the National Wild Animal Institute in Bologna, are from the same animal, a female.†So, it looks as if the fascinating predator of the Alps is re-colonising the Ossola area after years of absence. But let’s go back a bit. The first signs that a wolf may have been around were noticed last November, when some farmers said they had seen a dog-like animal stalking a goat on Mount Moncucco. Earlier, during the summer, a wolf had already attacked some flocks of sheep between Val Vaira and the high Bognanco Valley, but it didn’t happen again, partly because the farmers themselves took steps to prevent it happening. However, these precautions did not discourage the wolf, which was sighted again in October by two hunters. But up to now there has been no objective confirmation. There is now, though, thanks to careful monitoring and the incontrovertible genetic proof provided by the excrement analyses. The authorities have warned against pointless over-reaction, the more so as some attacks on sheep reported in recent weeks were certainly by dogs.
Meanwhile, intensive monitoring is continuing to see whether there are other wolves in the area, to define the animal’s territory, and to try to understand if this animal has permanently settled in the area or if it has become separated from its group. And in the last few weeks, the presence of at least one wolf has been confirmed on the Orobian Alps, and one in the Canton Grisons.
