Wolves In Abruzzo National Park / Tour Report November 2019

Just arrived in Abruzzo National Park for the beginning of our wildlife photo tour, we observe our first big Red deer of the trip. Then we go to a place where we can easily screen the whole area with our binoculars looking for the wolves. Once night falls, we go to meet a local contact to have the latest information. We then check-in in our hostel where we will spend the week. Welcome is very warm and friendly, rooms are comfortable, and we end the day with a feast!

The next day we go to the mountains. It's early November and the snow has already appeared. It allows us to track our first wolves. They are there, somewhere in front of us, but impossible to see them. We take the time to carefully screen the entire area. A curious Red fox keeps us company. It's an exceptional encounter. There are only few places where you can live such a strong moment with a wild Red fox. The proximity is extraordinary. We will have the chance to cross his path several times during the tour, which allows us to make unique images!

We decide then to go meet the Chamois. We say here that they are the most beautiful in the world! About twenty individuals approach us quietly within 10 meters. Here again, the moment is simply magic!

Unfortunately weather conditions force us to go back to the bottom of the valley despite the presence of wolves in the area. So we leave and go set up a hide in another area of the park, less exposed to the bad weather. There we spotted Red deer and boars in numbers.

The very capricious weather will force us to stay in the valley almost all the rest of the week, which is very rare. Indeed, the rain that has spilled over the region are the most important ones in decades!

We keep our motivation intact and explore many areas looking for signs of presence, alternating hide in the morning, hike during the day, and hide at night! Our search led us one day to a spot where a pack of wolves lives. We heard very quickly our first howls of the young wolves in the pack. We also spent an evening with our local contact looking for a bear that was often coming in the village. The opportunity for our participants to discover the many traces of presence of bears within the village!

The weather will allow us a last little mountain ride on a very rich area where Red deer and a pack of wolves are often present. What a surprise to find a hundred deer still in rut! A fabulous atmosphere. We were able to watch 2 fights in the morning. Many tracks of wolf on the trail confirm the strong presence of wolves but once again the weather forces us to go down into the valley.

During the tour we also took the time to discover the Red deer living near the villages. Magical moments in the company of these majestic animals. The Abruzzo National Park is a unique place for wildlife, whether for wolves, bears or deer. Indeed, some deer do not fear the man, which allows us to have incredible encounters.

The deer living higher in altitude are more fearful but still tolerate a certain proximity.

One night, we hid again at the bottom of the valley on a favorable area that we discovered despite the rain and fog. The wolves finally showed up but the night has already fallen and it is only thanks to our night camera that we could observe the 7 wolves of the pack.

Before our departure, the pack gave us a nice gift: the whole family began to howl very close to us. We cannot wait to come back next year to try our luck again with, hopefully, better weather conditions.

Corentin

Guide Salva Fauna