Picnics are banned and bins are fenced off in much of northern Rome as health authorities take steps to curb wild boar populations after African swine fever was found in a dead animal.
Feeding or approaching animals is also prohibited, while people who have passed through agricultural land or nature reserves in the affected areas are told to disinfect their shoes.
African swine fever, which is fatal to pigs and feral pigs but harmless to humans, was found in the body of a dead boar at the Insugerata Nature Reserve on Thursday.
It was the first time a case has been reported in central Italy since the disease was detected in a wild boar in the northern region of Piedmont in January, prompting the government to appoint a special commissioner to impose measures to eradicate the disease.
The affected “red zones” against wild boars in Rome are located in the northern and northwestern part of the Italian capital, including an area near the Vatican.
About 23,000 wild boars live in and around Rome, according to estimates by Coldiretti, the farmers’ association. The animals are often seen in parks, walking on the road or looking for food in overcrowded bins, mostly in neighborhoods in the northern part of the city.
Residents of several neighborhoods imposed a nightly curfew last week after a series of wild boar attacks. One woman sustained minor injuries after being pushed to the ground by an animal she encountered while taking out the garbage.
Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza said the situation would receive “maximum attention”. Andrea Costa, deputy secretary of the health ministry, said the government was also discussing a “slaughter plan” to reduce the wild boar population.
“I respect the sensitivity of animal rights activists and conservationists, but we are facing an emergency and it needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency,” he told state broadcaster Rai.
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