We live immersed in nature... deep in green Umbria in a rich oak forest. Hence, we have regular encounters with the majestic wildlife of Europe - deer, fox, wolf, porcupine, boar, squirrel, marten, weasel, badger, owl, night swallow (who sing at night!) bats, hawk, eagle, and more. I sometimes half joke that Umbria is the "Amazon of Italy". The best time to view the animals is early in the morning or later in the evening; dawn or dusk. If you move quietly and calmly, you can often catch some deer enjoying some shrubs on our forest road.
After a long stormy night in December, Caroline woke up one morning to find this little guy:
This is not the first wild animal to come to our doorstep when they are weak. Somehow they come near us when their health is at risk. This baby muskrat was breathing heavily and needed care immediately. We contacted our friends at Wild Umbria Animal Rescue, and met at the halfway point between Tara Nature Retreat and the animal hospital in Perugia. After some water and a short drive, our little friend was a bit more lively:
We're happy to report our friend is posed to make a full recovery, and appears a bit more grown up :) (Image below, courtesy of Wild Umbria Animal Rescue). We will share more tales of our wild animal rescues (including #1 and #2 in future blogs).
Comments