The woolf's repast

I felt uncomfortable about putting this photo up. So I have blurred it a lot but I'm not sure that makes it any better.

As I was driving to the shop's today I saw some hoodies (cornacchie) in a field bouncing around excitedly. I slowed down and could make out a deer's head. It was hard to stop and I went on my way.

Returning in the 30C heat I managed to pull over. I climbed warily from the car and walked across a junction towards the short hard, shorn, stubbly grass where the deer's head lay. As I did so a big four-wheel drive lorry pulled up and a guy in official drab green coloured clothing got out.

We eyed each other up, me in my flip flops and shorts, he in his work gear. He descended the gravelly  bank and stepped over a little long-since dry drainage ditch. He circled the deer remains and took out his mobile to take a couple of shots from different angles.

He caught my eye and I slid down the bank. I asked him what was up. His monosyllabic reply was, 'Lupi' (wolves).

He said there were everywhere round here and had now been reported in the bottom of the Arno valley at Bagno di Ripoli. I asked him if he had ever seen any. He said he'd seen lots.

He reckoned the deer had been hit by a car and the wolves had come and eaten it. There was not much left but the legs and head. And it hadn't been there long - less than 24 hours.

He said he was going to clear up the remains unless I wanted them. I demurred and took a photo and gave him a polite 'Arriverdici' as he pulled on gloves and got out a hessian sack.

I left reflecting on his opinion that although they wouldn't do humans any harm there are wolves pretty much everywhere in this part of relatively lowland Tuscany.