Compiled by: Mintina
"Wolves" seen by two hikers in Italy
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On November 9, Italian media embarrassed reports of two local women seeing wolves near the Val d'Ultimo valley in South Tyrol, Italy. The story was first published in the German-language newspaper Dolomiten, and the news quickly spread in other media and social media.
November 9, front page of the German-language newspaper Dolomiten
Photo courtesy of Dolomiten
According to the Dolomiten newspaper, two 23-year-old women were trekking 2,620 kilometres when they saw a frightening herd of animals. Seven or eight animals "threatenedly" approached the woman, then left, watching the two from a distance.
Montagna.tv reported that the women quickly asked for help, and a Pelikan 3 rescue helicopter arrived to drive away the menacing animals. Rescuers accompanied the women back to their vehicle, "unharmed, but terrified." ”
The only problem is that although Italy now has about 3,000 wolves – there are no wolves living in the areas where women hike. This fact caused some confusion for local forestry officials before releasing information by identifying the footprints of animals left in the snow.
This is not a wolf.
This is some of the rock antelope – a native species of antelope that lives mainly in meadows, trees and pine needle forest growing areas.
A man-eating rock antelope, perhaps
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
Montagna.tv said the incident comes at a time when wolf pack management has become a slightly sensitive topic in Italy.
A report by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Studies lists the risk of wolf attacks as "greater than zero, but well below the calculated level." ”
The report goes on to say that between 2002 and 2020, there were 489 reports of wolf attacks on humans worldwide, of which 380 (78%) resulted in rabies.
Field guidance
To prevent further doubt, the following is a concise determination that becomes useful.
Compare a wolf and a rock antelope one by one
Photo courtesy of ExplorersWeb, resource image: Shutterstock
Italian wolves: wolf nature, rarely pose a threat to humans, and a large proportion of attacks on humans may try rabies-related conditions
Rock antelope: 100% non-wolf sex, never attacks humans, cute
Source: Andrew Marshall