The wild goat, Capra aegagrus Erxleben, 1777, of the island of Montecristo (Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy): does it still exist?

摘要

On the small island of Montecristo, in the Tuscan archipelago (Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy), a wild goat population, Capra aegagrus Erxleben, 1777, of very ancient origin continues to display the phenotypic patterns of its wild ancestors, despite the fact that, in recent decades, questionable management by the authorities in charge of its protection may have favoured its radical impoverishment through randomized selective shootings and the illegal introduction of domestic individuals. In the period between 2010 and 2014, this population has been drastically reduced, if not almost entirely eliminated, following the implementation of the EEC LIFE Project+ Montecristo 2010, aimed at redefining the ecological equilibrium of the small Tyrrhenian island, mainly focused on the eradication of the local population of black rats, Rattus rattus (L., 1758) using poison pellets, with the primary purpose of protecting a single species of marine bird.