Look who's there. A parrot. But it's free. More than that. It's with a flock of parrots. Except we're not in some exotic place, but in the heart of the Po Valley, where usually it's the pigeons that flutter freely. Here, green parrots perched comfortably on tree branches are not a common sight. Yet, there they are, in Montagna to be precise. The first sighting dates back to a few months ago. But, in reality, there's been a crescendo of reports. Colonies of Ring-necked Parakeets have been reported in the Roncajette park in Padua and also in other urban areas of the Veneto region. Even in the center of Vicenza.
The confirmation comes from Alveare, the association that counts more than fifty volunteers, which has been operating for years on the front lines to save injured wildlife. "To be honest," the organization's managers report, "those parakeets were not struggling at all. They managed to adapt to the new habitat and reproduce, forming a real family. A sort of miracle when we think about how it might have happened. The first specimens, released or escaped from cages, must have been truly disoriented just to find food. Probably more than one must have died. The survivors had to rely on their instincts to feed themselves: certainly, there were no ready seeds on the plate as in a cage. And they had to find shelter for the night and then reproduce. In practice, they managed to adapt." Ring-necked Parakeets, imported for ornamental purposes from Africa and Asia, until yesterday were thought to be incapable of surviving outside the cage. Instead, they managed to withstand even the increasingly mild winters due to climate change and reproduce, becoming in fact an alien species, i.e., animals that have been introduced into areas other than their natural environment. "At the moment there is no reliable data in Italy and therefore no definitive conclusions can be drawn," say the experts. "From what is known, they seem to successfully compete with native species for nesting sites and food resources. In Seville, however, Ring-necked Parakeets are endangering a rare local bat species. And here in our Po Valley? It's too early to say."
The Jackal
But there's another "alien" on the move. The Golden Jackal is also a non-native species to our mountains, but it's making its way trying to find a home here. The official news comes from the provincial police of Vicenza: "A specimen of Golden Jackal was seen on December 20 in a wooded area on the Venetian slopes of Monte Grappa, in the Municipality of Romano D'Ezzelino. It was captured by a camera trap installed as part of the census and monitoring program of wildlife. Not only that. Just a few days ago, another report, this time in the Asiago Plateau. It could be the same specimen, a young male dispersing, or it could be two. At the moment, it's difficult to determine with certainty since they are animals capable of covering long distances in a short time. In any case, this is definitely an important report. At the moment, there is still no evidence of the presence of family groups of jackals in the Vicentino, usually composed of 3-7 individuals and which can occupy a territory of 300-500 hectares. But everything suggests that it's only a matter of time. It's certainly a species that will colonize our territory."
Turtles, squirrels & co.
In Italy, there are more than 3,000 alien species, about 15% of which are invasive, with a 96% increase in the last 30 years. And in Veneto? There's the Grey Squirrel, which was imported from North America as an ornamental animal and a pet. But also the Red Swamp Crayfish or the American Marsh Turtle, native to the Mississippi, attractive-looking, sold as a pet turtle. Then the American Bullfrog: an amphibian from North America: imported for food purposes.