Salviamo l’Orso and Rewilding Apennines urgently call on the relevant authorities and municipalities to secure the hazardous situations identified and described in the reports sent to them in recent days.
In the days immediately following the discovery of two Marsican bear cubs drowned in the reservoir of Scanno, at Colle Rotondo, staff and volunteers of Salviamo l’Orso and Rewilding Apennines carried out a series of inspections on similar infrastructures serving artificial snowmaking facilities, among others.
All findings confirmed the danger posed by these reservoirs and the lack of adequate safety measures to prevent incidents like the one that occurred in Scanno.
Specifically, the inspections involved artificial lakes within the territory of the Sirente Velino Regional Natural Park, which serve the artificial snowmaking systems of the Ovindoli and Campo Felice ski areas— the latter located in the Municipality of Rocca di Cambio—as well as reservoirs in Pescina, Tornimparte, and Rocca di Botte, which are used for water supply for agricultural and livestock purposes. Additionally, we inspected two reservoirs in Pizzalto, Rivisondoli, where the floating carcasses of two domestic cats and an unidentified mustelid were found.
In the case of Rocca di Botte, the existence of four dangerous reservoirs has been reported, albeit unsuccessfully, since 2020.
While some of these sites have fencing to prevent unauthorized access, in all cases—without exception—the height and design of these barriers, when present and in good condition, are completely ineffective at containing wildlife or domestic animals. In some of these reservoirs, ladders made of ropes and wooden rungs were previously installed to facilitate rescue; however, today these are insufficient, damaged, unusable, and no longer suitable for animals or humans to climb out.
The overall situation is extremely worrying and does not rule out the recurrence of tragedies like those recently in Scanno or in the Fossette basin in Balsorano, where a total of five bears drowned in two separate incidents in 2010 and 2018. Not to mention the tragic event in Bugnara (AQ) in 2004, where a 7-year-old child drowned in a basin managed by the Water Consortium.
Therefore, the undersigned associations have sent a detailed report to ALL relevant authorities, outlining clear measures to be implemented immediately, starting with technical specifications for fencing and other safety improvements. The report has also been shared with all stations of the Carabinieri Forestale and the VIA (Environmental Impact Assesment) committee of the Abruzzo Regional Authority.
Given the underestimation of the danger by the responsible entities in the past—an attitude that has led to numerous fatal incidents—and considering the recent tragedy in Scanno, the ongoing risks posed by these dangerous reservoirs will be addressed in the upcoming meeting of the PATOM Management Authority at the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security scheduled for June 10th. During this meeting, Salviamo l’Orso will present the report developed jointly with Rewilding Apennines on the reservoirs and urgent safety measures needed.
The relevant authorities and municipalities are hereby warned: they can no longer ignore these risks. Failure to act will make them directly and unquestionably responsible in the event of another incident.
The associations also wish to emphasize that, where the Public Administration—or competent bodies—have provided conditions for safe intervention, they have independently secured 27 abandoned tanks and wells. Unfortunately, such measures have not been taken in the case of the artificial snow reservoir in Scanno.
Salviamo l’Orso
Rewilding Apennines