Unexpected animal encounters: here is where they can be found

There is a hunter, who lies in wait, in Valcuvia, on spring nights. When his prey arrives, he takes out his camera, and snaps. Photos of animals in the wild: fallow deer, deer, even some mouflons, in the distance, a few hundred metres away.

Beautiful, wild animals that you can admire in the woods of Varese Province.

The presence of these animals is, according to many, unexpected; when it comes to fallow deer, for example, one thinks of the high mountains, with snow-covered peaks and rocky faces. In fact, in the tables produced by Varese Province for the hunting wildlife programme, we “discover” the potential presence of these animals, also in the south of the province, even near Malpensa Airport, on the moor. And what about deer and roe deer in Campo dei Fiori? The former primarily populate the northern side and the area of Valcuvia, and the latter prefer the areas to the south of the mountain, Valcuvia, Mercallo and Vizzola Ticino, to name but a few.

This is a map that often comes to the fore, when someone encounters eyes lit up by the headlamps, especially at night in the wood; or, unfortunately, in episodes that end with sudden braking and a dead animal; there is nothing random about the signs put up on the provincial roads following reports to the provincial police from many drivers, and, of course, following accidents.

But today, we are not talking about that, but about furtive glances out of the window on the way home, the sort of thing that Biagio Singer Bonfrisco does every day; commenting on the photo posted on Facebook, Biagio said, “Every night, when I go home, I see quite a few in Cittiglio, roe deer, deer, and even wild boar!!”

This is true also for Emanuela Piccioni, who drives along the same road, the state highway No. 394, and for Paola Bonetta and Paola Savi, from Brinzio and Castello Cabiaglio.

However, it is not only the north of the province that animals can be seen.

On Facebook, Giorgio Orsenigo mentioned having seen two animals on the Easter night, “between Morazzone and Gornate Superiore, a male and a female; absolutely beautiful and completely unexpected!”

Then, there are the walkers, who enjoy the silence of the paths, like Ferdinando Stabile, who mentioned seeing, “A couple of roe deer on Monday, 8 April, coming down from the fort in Orino, and one roe deer on Sunday, 7 April, in the woods of Gemonio.”

But where can we encounter these animals? As mentioned, Varese Province has produced a number of interesting tables, which illustrate their presence clearly. Let’s take a closer look.

Roe deer: density of more than 3.5 head per square kilometre, in the valleys around Luino, in Valtravaglia, Valcuvia, on the southern side of Campo dei Fiori, in the more southern areas like Vizzola Ticino, but also in Medio Verbano, and Mercallo.

Mouflon: can be found throughout the northern part of the province.

Fallow deer: on the valley floor of Valcuvia, in the area between the Lakes of Varese, Monate, Comabbio; around Malpensa Airport, and in the south of the province.

Wild boar: in the north Varese Province, and scattered in some areas to the south of Varese, on the moor.

Deer: density, more higher than 1.5 head per square kilometre in Valcuvia and on the northern side of Campo dei Fiori (Brinzio, Castel Cabiaglio).

Chamois: density, more than 2.5 head per square kilometre in the high valleys around Luino and in Veddasca.