Arsonists in southern Italy have been sending cats into dry fields with flammable-soaked rags tied to their tails to ignite wildfires, Calabria's civil protection agency said on Wednesday.
Domenico Costarella, director general of the Civil Protection Agency, described the tactic as the work of a criminal mind and confirmed the findings in a Facebook video. Investigators also discovered delayed ignition devices including candles wrapped in fuel-soaked cloth and empty glass bottles fitted with wicks at fire sites across the region. Firefighters extinguished more than 160 blazes in a 24-hour period, with dozens still burning.
The Italian Association for the Defence of Animals and the Environment announced it will file complaints with prosecutors across Calabria and has offered a €1,000 reward for information leading to those responsible. Costarella called the acts inhumane and urged a cultural shift in how the region confronts arson.