Ministry of Health and Center for Veterinary Forensic Medicine: Establishment of an interactive portal for the network of Istituti Zooprofilattici Sperimentali in Italy

The new portal, named Dead Wolf Tracker, has been developed on behalf of the Ministry of Health, with the support of the National Reference Center for Veterinary Forensic Medicine (CeMedForVet).

Interactive and rich in information, the portal gathers detailed information about wolves found dead throughout the national territory and reported to the relevant Istituti Zooprofilattici Sperimentali (II.ZZ.SS).

This information includes the location of discovery, cause of death, toxicological analyses, and molecular diagnosis of the species.

The implementation of the national portal addresses the need to share information on the topic of "wolves" to enable correct and proactive conservation interventions for this species in Italy. Additionally, it aims to ensure good and correct health management, particularly important in the context of coexistence between wild animals, domestic animals and humans, including aspects related to livestock farming and predation.

In addition to a dedicated section for the II.ZZ.SS and other authorized entities, the portal includes a public outreach and informative section freely accessible to all citizens interested in tracking the discoveries of deceased wolves in the national territory over time and space.

Source: Directorate General of Animal Health and Veterinary Medicines