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  "path": "/news/world/italy-wolves-poison-national-park-investigation",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-19T04:13:13.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Peacock forced to be captured after terrorising 92-year-old's farm",
    "Eco-activist who 'freed lobster from restaurant by throwing it into the sea' actually KILLED animal",
    "Dog can 'read humans like a book' – groundbreaking study reveals hidden depth of canine care",
    "poisoned meat",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nAn entire pack of wolves have been poisoned in an Italian national park which has caused an urgent investigation.\n\nTen wolves were found dead in the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, which straddles the three regions in central Italy.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nInitial investigations found the wolves died from poisoning.\n\nLuciano D’Angelo, a chief prosecutor in the region, said: \"Wolves and bears are symbols of this territory and we take killings like this very seriously. We’ve opened an investigation into the illegal killing of wild animals.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n\"Initial studies suggest the wolves were poisoned. We are working to find out exactly what sort of poison was used.\"\n\nFive dead wolves were found in the village of Pescasseroli, a hub for hikers and nature lovers.\n\nAnother set of five dead wolves, believed to be an entire pack, were found in Alfedena.\n\nLuciano Sammarone, director of the national park, said: \"There will be wide-ranging consequences for the ecosystem. Poisoning is a horrendous way of killing because it is so indiscriminate.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"It can kill wolves but also foxes, other wild animals, and domestic dogs.\"\n\nWolves were given officially protected status in the 1970s after almost being driven to extinction.\n\nThe species of Italian wolf, also known as the Apennine wolf, is distinct to the Eurasian wolf commonly found across Europe.\n\nThere are an estimated 3,500 wild wolves within the Apennines and the Alps.\n\n### LATEST ANIMAL NEWS:\n\n\n\n\n  * Peacock forced to be captured after terrorising 92-year-old's farm\n  * Eco-activist who 'freed lobster from restaurant by throwing it into the sea' actually KILLED animal\n  * Dog can 'read humans like a book' – groundbreaking study reveals hidden depth of canine care\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe European Union downgraded the protection status for wolves from \"strictly protected\" to \"protected\" last year after the success of the species - an estimated 20,000 wolves - across member states.\n\nBut critics said the move was politically motivated.\n\nEurogroup for Animals representative Lea Badoz said: \"This is a sad day for biodiversity and wild animals.\"\n\nGreen MEP Jutta Paulus said the move ignored \"scientific evidence and attacks legislation\" and was done for populistic point scoring.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe Italian poisoning of the Canis lupus follows an incident in London where poisoned meat was placed in Holland Park and Brompton Cemetery.\n\nTwo foxes died as a result of the poisoned meat and a dog became \"very unwell\" after it consumed the meat.\n\nThe Metropolitan Police believed the meat was purposely placed to target animals.\n\nOne dog walker said there had been similar incidents in the past, and another described the incident as \"absolutely horrendous\".\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Entire pack of wolves poisoned as urgent investigation underway"
}