The rallying cry against the wolves is rising in the mountains of South Tyrol. Like in the ancient times bonfires are being lit and pitchforks sharpened. Protests are heating up and the farmers are gaining ground in their quest to eradicate one of Europe's last wild wolf populations. It's an ancient battle: wolf against farmer, livestock against predator.
However, unlike the old days, wolves are endangered, while humans and sheep thrive in ever-increasing numbers.
More than that, the fragile South Tyrol mountain ecosystem relies heavily on the health of the wolf population. Research globally and at Eurac research center shows that the health of the apex predator population- in these ecosystems, wolves - directly mirrors the whole ecosystem's survival. With global warming and catastrophic wind damage already impacting our mountains, the wolves may well be the saviour that brings us back from the brink. Wolves are in fact the stewards of the mountains; the natural 'shepherds' safeguarding our mountain wilderness.
Will you add your voice to theirs and save not only our wild South Tyrol wolves, but our ecosystem's fragile balance?
