Auguri, Sir David Attenborough. 100 today!
Greetings from Abruzzo, where three national parks and many regional parks and reserves protect nearly a third of our land. Thank you for everything you represent and protect! Particularly for Episode 5 of Seven Worlds, One Planet, available on BBC iPlayer in the UK, which features our mountains and wildlife. It includes amazing thermal footage of our precious wolves hunting red deer at night near the village of Opi, deep in the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise. The wolves play an important role by helping farmers control deer and wild boar populations.
Many of us grew up fascinated by his films, learning about nature through his calm and careful voice. But education is just the beginning. Putting his message into practice is much harder. The recent poisoning of 21 wolves and other animals in these mountains shows what can happen if we ignore these issues.
In 2019, Sir Daid said, “I am quite literally from another age.” The 12,000-year stable climate that allowed humans to settle and farm, known as the Holocene, ended during my lifetime. Now we live in the Anthropocene, the Age of Humans. What we do in this region, in these parks, and with these wolves matters more than ever.
For a hundred years, we have seen why wild places are worth protecting.
Now it is up to us to continue this work.
For our international readers, watch the video clip here: https://www.bbclearninghub.com/videos/wolves-italy
A quick note for geography fans: The BBC titled the segment “Wolves in Italy: Prowling in the Alps For Prey,” but the footage was actually filmed in the Apennines, near the village of Opi.
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a freelance SEO content creator and IGCSE Geography and English teacher in Rome. She also runs the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, sharing stories and insights about this captivating region. Alongside raising a teenager, Sam hosts guests at her family’s traditional home, the Little House of the Firefly in Abruzzo, offering a warm welcome and insider tips on local culture, food, and hidden gems.
