Two dogs die as truffle war simmers
(Has nothing to do with IOM, but is related to truffles. And i wanted to post here and hope others post **OT** stuff here too)
Updated 5:08pm EST December 8, 1997 PERUGIA, Italy (Reuters) - Two highly skilled truffle dogs were
killed by poison in a vicious war between hunters of the pungent fungi
in central Italy, the Ansa news agency said.
More than 30 valuable dogs, which sniff out the expensive black and
white truffles, have been killed by strychnine poison since the start of
the season in October.
Ansa said Sunday the new canine victims, two pointers owned by a
truffle hunter from Perugia, died suddenly Saturday. A third dog
owned by a man from a nearby city, managed to survive a poison
attack thanks to the rapid intervention of a veterinarian.
Around 1,800 registered truffle hunters operate in Umbria and
competition has heated up this year, with truffles thin on the ground
after a particularly dry summer.
The price of the strange fungi has soared and top notch truffles fetch
around $1,430 a kilo.
Dogs are used to detect them in Umbria's woods and valleys, where
they grow buried in the ground.
A well-trained dog is worth its weight in truffles and police believe
that someone is seeking to put the opposition out of action by killing
the hounds. |
