Wolves at Gran Paradiso (16/34)

For over a hundred years there were no wolves at Gran Paradiso. The ancestor of the dogs was extinct in most parts of Europe, but now it is daring to return. Inexorably, wolves are now reconquering the Alps, passing over mountains, skirting cities, crossing motorways. They are seldom seen, but they leave traces. At the foot of the Gran Paradiso, one of the many four-thousanders in the remote Aosta Valley, a wolf and a she-wolf have met. The two of them come from two different packs in Piedmont. They roamed over 300 kilometres on their own, searching for a long time until they found an ideal place - the National Park Gran Paradiso. Here they have good conditions for survival. For here the native population of the Alpine ibex still exists, along with numerous chamois, and in recent years an increasing number of roe deer has been sighted - a paradise for wolves. But what are the consequences for the animal world, and how does man deal with the feared predator? After all, the herdsmen in the Aosta Valley have been accustomed to letting their sheep roam freely in the mountain pastures in summer. The unprotected flocks of sheep are easy prey for a wolf. And even though compensation is paid for each sheep that is killed - the wolf couple presents a great challenge to biologists and gamekeepers.

English version: 30 min.

Filmed in HD