Animal rights activists threatened to take legal action against the national park that manages a group of islands off the coast of Tuscany, Italy, as the controversy over the culling of the rare mouflon on the small island Giglio has intensified.
The hunter arrived in Giglio this week and has so far killed four mouflon sheep, a wild sheep native to the Caspian Sea region and considered the ancestor of the domestic breed.
As part of the EU-funded project, there are about 30 morels left on the island, and the authorities are allowed to kill these animals because they are considered a threat to the island’s biodiversity.
The animal rights organization, which has appealed to the European Parliament’s Environmental Committee, said that this statement is wrong and that the animals should be transferred to the island for refuge.
Giglio is part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, which is made up of seven islands, including Elba, where the mouflon can roam freely.
Animal activists urge citizens to boycott Giglio and Elba during the Christmas holidays because they fear that the elimination will expand there. It is not clear how many mouflon sheep are in the entire archipelago, but the Evening News reported that since 1997, more than 2,000 sheep have been killed. More than 15,000 people signed a petition to stop the current culling.
The mouflon was brought to Giglio by private landowners in the early 1960s and kept in the reserve until the owner abandoned the facility and the animals escaped.
Sergio Ortelli, the mayor of Giglio, said that their numbers have increased dramatically over the years. Although he supports the idea of transferring them to the island, he has received several copies of reports from farmers about the damage to their land. After the complaint, he had to act quickly. He said that even if these animals are transferred to mainland Italy, they can still be hunted legally because they are not protected species.
“This is a legitimate project. I don’t understand why there are these pantomimes,” he said. “These animals are not native to Giglio. They can be hunted legally like wild boars.”
The Italian Anti-Vivisection League LAV stated that it will take legal action unless the massacre stops within the next 24 hours. LAV said that these animals can be taken to the San Rosol Wildlife Sanctuary in Tuscany.
LAV spokesperson Claudia Squadroni said: “This reserve can be used to raise animals.” “So if there are alternative ways to kill animals, then it’s illegal to kill them.”
Altley said: “This is a democratic country and it is legal to take legal action… but we will look at the judge’s thinking.”
