The Italian government plans to cull the wild boar that are terrorising the country's capital, Rome. The number of wild boar in the city is constantly increasing; they have moved into the urban environment, feeding from rubbish bins and, on occasion, even attacking local residents. The animals have lived on the outskirts of Rome for years, but in recent months their numbers in the city have risen as they search for food discarded by humans in the waste.

The problem became more serious this week when the Italian veterinary institute IZSUM confirmed positive African swine fever tests for three dead wild boar. African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease. While the disease does not affect human health, it poses a high risk to livestock. (...)