Rome mayor sues regional government over ‘uncontrolled wild boar’ in Italian capital

Farmers say animals destroy crops and kill livestock

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Rome's mayor is taking the regional government to court over what she says is the administration's failure to control a "boar invasion" in the capital city.

Virginia Raggi filed with the prosecutor's office on Wednesday a lawsuit against the Democratic Party-run Lazio regional government.

Ms Raggi, of Italy's Five Star Movement, says officials must do more to tackle “the massive and uncontrolled presence of wild boar" in Rome.

The city's farmers and citizens have in recent years complained about the boars creating havoc on their land and causing car accidents.

Farmers say they destroy crops and kill livestock and they took to the streets of Rome in July to protest.

Outside the parliament in Rome, the farmers called for the government to take action, with one banner reading: After Covid, the plague of boar”; “Let’s defend our land”; and “Town and country united against wild boar.”

A report by Coldiretti, the country’s largest farmers’ association, said that there was one wild boar incident roughly every two days.

It said there had also been an increase in sightings of boar rummaging through rubbish near people's homes.

Ms Raggi is calling on the Lazio government to provide and implement "effective management plans" for the animals, identifiable by their coarse hair and sturdy bodies.

She pointed to a 1992 law that says Italian regions must "provide for the control of wild fauna species even in areas forbidden to hunting".

The row was reignited in May when a viral video showed six wild boars surround a woman as they attempted to steal her shopping.

It's estimated that around two million boars roam the country and hunting the animals is a popular hobby.