Italy today put on hold a controversial plan to cull five percent of its wolves, much to the relief of environmentalists and animal lovers who had mobilised across the country.
The measure had been set to be adopted at a Rome conference of state and regional representatives but after meeting fierce resistance the decision was taken to study the issue further.
"The wolves are not yet safe, but for the moment common sense has triumphed thanks to the protests," said Michela Vittoria Brambilla, head of the Italian league for animal and environmental protection.
A new conference to adopt all or part of the plan was pencilled in for the end of February.
The Canis lupus italicus, known for its pelt which reddens in summer, has been a protected species since 1971. There are believed to be some 1,600 of them living in the mountainous regions of the Apennines and up to 150 in the Alps.
But opponents of the plan insist the lack of a recent population census means the numbers may be way off -- the Apennine estimates range from between 1,070 and 2,472 -- and therefore it is impossible to aim to cull five percent of them.
They also say other measures to protect lifestock would be far more effective. Moreover, there are no statistics on the damage the noble predators cause.
The wolf was once venerated here: fable has it a she-wolf suckled the twins Romulus and Remus, before the former went on to found Rome on the banks of the Tiber river, and the lupus is the city's symbol.
But farmers today have little patience for these sleek hunters.
Stefano Masini, head of the environment arm of Italy's agricultural association Coldiretti, says the situation has worsened in recent years.
The number of wolves is rising sharply "and attacks on cattle multiply, now even in daylight", he told AFP ahead of the conference.
The new plan envisages 22 measures ranging from conducting a fresh census, to installing electric fences to protect livestock, speeding up compensation payouts for farmers who have lost animals, and tackling crossbreading between dogs and wolves.
In general the ideas have been well-received -- all except one: the controversial culling quota, which could see 85 animals killed a year.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has cried "SOS Wolf" on social networks, circulated petitions and organised a protest at the conference where demonstrators wore wolf masks and howled.
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