Action 4
Hunting “wolves and wild boars”
One of the aim that most hikers and users of nature pursue is the observation of wild animal species in their habitat; these moments become a real gamble as much as the environment is wild and is inhabited by elusive or endemic species confined to certain geographical areas.
Take hiking activities in natural settings, regardless of the surface extensions, also in function of the probability of encountering wild species, is a lifestyle wilderness. The Wilderness Leadership School was founded in 1958 by the South African leader Ian Player, after he discovered the philosophy, feeling it as his own inner vision in the daily relationship that he had through his profession of Ranger at the service of the South African National Parks and in particular as ranger of Umfolozi Game Reserve, where he had designed a wilderness area. He launched the idea of the “Wilderness trails” to be opposed to the visit by car of the parks and to the short approaches with the fauna in the visit centers and / or zoos. Since then the school has driven well 40000 hiking in wilderness experiences, educating people to the value of experiencing the natural world rather than simply visit. Thanks to it, the wilderness trials are now a practice that almost all African parks have adopted, in many cases even by designating wilderness areas in their fields, reserved for this quality tourism. The wildlife observation, therefore meets the goers of nature with a different emotional involvement depending on the approach. Fauna, for example, can be perceived as a natural spectacle, especially in those who see some animals for the first time or as an adventure, for the chance to meet a very rare animal or just to know to wander in woods visited by the wolf or the wild cat. Finally, we cannot exclude the fauna because of conquest, typical approach of Photographer hunters. The activities are addressed to the citizens and students of all levels, coordinated by the Ce.R.B. in partnership with the National Park of Alta Murgia. They are organized both as residential courses (nature camps) lasting 4/5 days, using the structures and the guesthouse of the Biological Station, as well as daily excursions. In particular, the “study” and the discovery of the predator-prey relationship is addressed to the wolf, animal species at the apex of the food chain and that arouses interest and curiosity, and its prey, wild boar. The activities are organized during the different phases of the biological cycle of the two animal species (breeding season, breeding of the young), bringing visitors in direct contact through the recognition of the footprints along a track, the discovery of the remains of the meal and the recognition of prey , the observation of the composition of the family groups of wild boar and wolf packs by the video analysis and pictures obtained through the placement of video-camera traps in the identified transition points.
Inspections are also made with the intention of listening to the howling of the wolves that will be stimulated through the issuance of those registered (playback) (technique of wolf-howling); the adoption of the “wolf-howling” method will allow to live a unique and strong emotion, of true contact with the great predator as well as identifying and knowing the environmental characteristics of the puppies weaning sites and the numerical composition of the herds.
