The otter, one of Europe's rarest species and in danger of extinction, is making a comeback in Italy. The WWF has confirmed its return to the Alps in locations where it had previously disappeared for decades, including Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige, Lombardy, and Liguria. The animal has also appeared in Lazio and Marche. This presence is thus added to the southern population, which has remained vital throughout history and can be found in Campania and Basilicata, as well as Puglia, Calabria, Abruzzo, and Molise. In light of the latest monitoring, the current estimate of the Italian otter population remains at 800-1,000 specimens, which is still significantly below the minimum vital limit of 4,000-5,000 specimens. For about 18 months, the WWF team scoured hundreds of kilometers along 35 rivers in the country, including the Po, Tiber, Tagliamento, Adige, Isonzo, Magra, Arno, Ombrone, and Liri-Garigliano, looking for traces of presence and, in particular, the species' so-called spraint (excrement), while also monitoring the images of the video-traps. Among the elements that have promoted the otter's "return to the north" is the intrusion of specimens from Austria, Slovenia, and France: rivers, in fact, are formidable natural ecological corridors if their natural state is preserved.
|