An entire pack of wolves have been poisoned in an Italian national park which has caused an urgent investigation.
Ten wolves were found dead in the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, which straddles the three regions in central Italy.
Initial investigations found the wolves died from poisoning.
Luciano D’Angelo, a chief prosecutor in the region, said: "Wolves and bears are symbols of this territory and we take killings like this very seriously. We’ve opened an investigation into the illegal killing of wild animals.
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"Initial studies suggest the wolves were poisoned. We are working to find out exactly what sort of poison was used."
Five dead wolves were found in the village of Pescasseroli, a hub for hikers and nature lovers.
Another set of five dead wolves, believed to be an entire pack, were found in Alfedena.
Luciano Sammarone, director of the national park, said: "There will be wide-ranging consequences for the ecosystem. Poisoning is a horrendous way of killing because it is so indiscriminate.
The poisoned wolf was found near the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise
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"It can kill wolves but also foxes, other wild animals, and domestic dogs."
Wolves were given officially protected status in the 1970s after almost being driven to extinction.
The species of Italian wolf, also known as the Apennine wolf, is distinct to the Eurasian wolf commonly found across Europe.
There are an estimated 3,500 wild wolves within the Apennines and the Alps.
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PICTURED: Appenine Wolf, or Italian wolf, standing in an Italian mountain range
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The European Union downgraded the protection status for wolves from "strictly protected" to "protected" last year after the success of the species - an estimated 20,000 wolves - across member states.
But critics said the move was politically motivated.
Eurogroup for Animals representative Lea Badoz said: "This is a sad day for biodiversity and wild animals."
Green MEP Jutta Paulus said the move ignored "scientific evidence and attacks legislation" and was done for populistic point scoring.
The Apennines are home to an estimated 3,500 wild wolves
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The Italian poisoning of the Canis lupus follows an incident in London where poisoned meat was placed in Holland Park and Brompton Cemetery.
Two foxes died as a result of the poisoned meat and a dog became "very unwell" after it consumed the meat.
The Metropolitan Police believed the meat was purposely placed to target animals.
One dog walker said there had been similar incidents in the past, and another described the incident as "absolutely horrendous".