Earlier this year, tourists made a return to Rome, helping to bolster the city’s economy after a year lost to the pandemic. Unfortunately, another large group of visitors has also made its way to the city this year, and they’re having the opposite effect on both businesses and the local government. The visitors in question? Wild boars. Specifically, thousands of them.
According to a recent article at NPR, the Italian region of Lazio has recently seen a sharp increase in the number of wild boars in the area. Given that Lazio surrounds Rome, this in turn has led to many more boars on the streets of one of Europe’s most famous cities. NPR’s report on the situation there includes descriptions of packs of the animals — with between 10 and 30 boars — roaming the city, wandering near the doors of businesses and, of course, eating garbage.
The article notes that debates over the boars have become a part of the local political scene, with incumbent mayor Virginia Raggi criticized for deficits in how Rome collects garbage. Last month, Raggi filed a lawsuit against the government of Lazio, stating that they had not done enough to prevent the boar problem from getting out of control.
As political debates go, boars may well confound many observers. That said, an influx of boars seems like a less nightmarish scenario than a pandemic — though being free of both sounds like the best option of all.
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