Lucianna Cavani.

Terni

Italy.

26.3.00

Dear friends,

My name is Lucianna Cavani and I am writing to the environmentalists- to those who are friends of animals, who love justice and respect living beings.

I direct these words to all those who know what it means to have an animal friend to care for and respect.

I write this letter because, unfortunately, during the last year and a half I have been living a nightmare and I am still in terror that the terrible moments will return to haunt me.

You would think that in the land of St. Francis among the rolling green hills of Umbria there should be respect for every living thing in its surroundings and for those who have made the decision to live in this Region.

Regrettably, this is not the case. I have been living within the hills of Narmi in the Province of Termi for almost four and a half years. The location is wonderful except for the fact that it is situated in an area that has become a hunting reserve managed by Arci-Caccia whose President is Giorgio Filipucci. In the heart of this reserve everything happens; including poaching. There is even wild boar hunting using training dogs, something acceptable for those who have a certain vision of life. But what is absolutely unacceptable is the use of poisoned bait which the hunters use during the period of repopulation at the end of the hunting season.

What happended to me is simply monstrous- nine, I repeat, nine of my dogs ranging in ages of three months to two years were poisoned by the bait left by the hunters. Only one animal survived this barbarous extermination. I have filed a total of over ten reports to the USL di Terni, to the Maresciallo Apuzzo dei Carabinieri di Narmi Scalo and to the Forest Service of Arni.

The commander of the Forest Service assured me he who intervene on my behave with a hunting guard is noted for its unorthodox manner of carrying out their duties. I even brought in a poisoned bait left in front of my gate to the USL. After filing all these reports, the only thing I received, incredibly, was an exact analysis of the harmful substances found in the bait from the Poison Control Laboratory of Perugia: a big help indeed !

No one, like in thousands of analogous cases, tried to help me. The indifference was total. After a series of personal investigations, I found out that these posionous substances could be acquired by simply showing a membership card. It should not, therefore, be impossible to track down the purchasers of the toxic substances. But not having the political and moral will to put an end to this horror, the authorities in question are careful not to intervene.

I ran into the President of ARCI and I informed him that I would not have peace until I uncovered those responsible for massacring my poor animals making them die in an excruciating manner. In the area where I live, the period of spreading a large amount of poisoned bait is also the period of the repopulation of the area.

In that period of time the area is literally mined with poison. In these months, the hunters take great care not to let their hunting dogs run free and instead keep them on leash. This is evident proof that the hunters are fully aware that the area is mined.

In addition, the reserve is full of snares and noose traps in open violation to existing laws. In spite of the continuing reports, it doesn't seem possible to able to reach the ones truly culpable who are protected by an insidious code of silence- something all too well known in other areas.

The repopulation is protected at all cost and the scattering of poisoned bait is vital to the dynamics of local hunting, from the moment that everything that lives has been exterminated and the shameful operation of the poisoned bait is therefore necessary, and by consequence, whoever contiunes to carry it out is defended by the smokescreen of the hated silence of the community and authority.

The main reason for this endless massacre is so that the hunters can protect their domestically raised and often imported game birds, pheasants and rabbits from "predators" like foxes, badgers, weasels and ultimately dogs and cats.

In order for the hunters to ensure the "sucess" of their next hunting season comprised of shooting helpless birds and rabbits, they poison literally hundreds of wild and domestic animals condemning them to slow and excruciating death.

In addition, a least twice a month I have to clash with the hunters who arrogantly smash their way through my property trampling my wire fence creating numerous openings for more trespassing. Mr. Filippucci has affirmed that the members of the Arci-Caccia would never use poisoned bait against the animals and predators that threaten their rabbits and pheasants, often imported from abroad, which are set free within the reserve to be subsequently massacred by shotguns.

The President affirms this not because his is worried about the risk to the hunting dogs, but because as the person in charge of the Arci-Caccia, he would lose face if a horror of this nature would be made public in Italy and to the rest of the world. The membership roll would drop significantly as soon as the hunters and trainers would start avoiding the reserve for fear that their own dogs could suffer a fate similiar to what my little friends endured.

In addition, Mr. Filipucci fears that this place called the Woodpecker Tower which, according to him is known throughout Italy, could become synonymous with horrors and shame. I, instead, plead to friends to make this place known in Italy and to the world for what it is.

Help me until it is known that this place, in the land of St. Francis, is controlled by sadists, madmen and fanatics who practice, with perverse efficiency, the poisioning of innocent and defenseless animals at the end of their hunting season.

The mayor himself, with whom I met on March 18, 2000 in the City Hall of Narmi, declared his incapability of resolving this shameful problem and went on to explain that on an administrative and operative he could do nothing. But he stressed, due to gravity of the situation, the only path to follow would be to publicize these serious facts to the environmental and animal rights organizations and to the Italian and foreign media at large. I even spoke by telephone with Judge Santoloci, who was of little help while stressing there was not enough proof.

If the hunters have challenged the Green Party by poisoning the dog of the Director of the Association Against Poisoned Bait who was interviewed in the newspaper "La Repubblica" on March 3, 2000 and affirmed: "No, no video cameras, I beg you not to tape and no name in the newspaper....It's too dangeous. They have already killed my dog." imagine my situation due to my husband's working abroad having to live alone in an isolated house exposed to such great risk.

In this country, conditions have deteriorated to a level of the "Wild West" where a small band of assassins can control anything with their political blackmail, even challenging a National Party. Meanwhile, buried around my house in nine tombs rest my mix- breed friends:

Raja - 2 years old

Poldo - 18 months old.

Leonberger- 2 years old..

Ciandra - 1 year old.

Spitz - 2 months old

Susy- 8 months old

Lopez- 8 months old

Samy - 4 months old

Birba - 4 months old

I lost nine dear friends with whom I can no longer cuddle and caress. I lost nine dear friends whose cheerful playing and pensive stares I can no longer watch. My only hope it that they are in a distant paradise protected from the brutality, sadism and "beastly" cruelty of man.

Friends, I know that you cannot resurrect my animals. I only ask one favor: help make my story in the land of St. Francis known, so that others do not have to endure the torture I endured.

Lucianna Cavani.