After the severe flooding of the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy, culprits are being sought – and probably also found, in the animal kingdom.
Bologna – Several people have died in the extreme floods in northern Italy. Over 10,000 residents in the affected areas of the Emilia-Romagna region have been evacuated and around a hundred serious landslides have been reported. In addition, the Formula 21 race at Imola scheduled for Sunday (1 May) has been cancelled.
Between last Tuesday (16 May) and the following Wednesday alone, 21 rivers burst their banks and 36 cities and towns were flooded, according to AFP. A total of 48 local governments in Italy reported landslides. "In 30 seconds, the water rose by one and a half meters, we ran up the stairs and the water ran after us," a local resident told Deutsche Welle.
Severe flooding in parts of Italy leads to evacuations and fatalities. © dpa/pa
Floods in Italy: Searching for causes in the animal kingdom
But how did these extreme floods in northern Italy come about, which no one had expected on this scale? According to various Italian media reports, in addition to the unusually heavy rainfall, some animals also contributed to the disaster. This is because many rivers in the region are protected with dams made of earthen embankments, which are intended to protect against flooding.
In addition to badgers and red foxes, porcupines would also frequently use these dams to create their underground cave systems. Porcupines in particular create highly branched and long corridors in their burrows, which influences the stability of the dams. This was the result of a study by researchers from Italy and the USA, which investigated the causes of dike breaches in the Modena region in 2014.
Porcupines are also said to be to blame for the floods in Italy. (Symbolic image) © Imago/Philippe Clement
Italy: The porcupine risk factor for flooding has been known for a long time
The authors conclude that the collapse of the shore was due to the behavior of wild animals such as porcupines, badgers and red foxes. According to the study, these animals migrate from the mountains to the plains due to land use by humans and climatic changes. For them, the embankments are "ideal places to dig their caves". The 2015 study also clearly states that the phenomenon is an "emerging problem that is likely to cause further flooding in Italy".
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In this respect, it is not surprising that porcupines are also suspected of being to blame for the current floods. According to a report in the Südtirol News, the mayor of the affected town of Massa Lombarda, Daniele Bassi, also stated that, according to the initial investigations, the dam burst "may have been caused by the porcupines' burrows".
Flooding in Italy: porcupines have to move
After the flood disaster in 2014, the dams in the Italian region also began to be regularly checked for animal caves. Hundreds of animal burrows were found, so that the Emilia-Romagna region began to limit the number of animals digging burrows in the embankments of the dams. Shooting quotas have been set for huntable animals such as foxes and badgers, but the strictly protected porcupines are only to be captured and released away from the dams.
According to Südtirol News, there was considerable resistance from environmentalists and animal rights activists – similar to the wolf and bear debate in South Tyrol and Trentino. Thanks to the implementation of the launch and capture plans, however, the risk of dam failures in the province of Modena has been significantly reduced.
However, the main cause of the severe flooding in Italy is still the extreme weather conditions in the region. In particular, the persistent low and the previous drought influence how much water the soil can absorb. Because "if the amount of rain of six months falls in 36 hours (...), no soil can withstand it," the president of the Emilia-Romagna region, Stefano Bonaccini, also told a local television station. (NA/AFP)