It is almost dawn. The first faint light reveals a landscape dominated by fog. A group of spoonbills appears in the distance, looking like white ghosts suspended in an indistinct atmosphere.
Noises are muffled, there is no wind, the swamp wakes up slowly, quietly. Everything gives the impression of unfolding according to the usual quiet and sleepy rhythms of a typical autumn morning.
From the hide I watch the spoonbills carefully: they move slowly, their long beaks submerged in the water. I try to frame, but I don’t shoot. I wait, thinking that before long the light will increase and make shooting easier.
Unexpectedly, a dark spot suddenly emerges at the edge of the reeds, I catch a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye. I look closer and cannot believe my eyes: a wolf has appeared out of nowhere and it directs its gaze right in my direction. It is just outside the reedbed – motionless – its paws sink into the water. Cautious but determined, I point the lens at him, frame and shoot with my heart in my throat, the opportunity is one not to be missed. I shoot again, varying the frame slightly. The wolf looks around. The light is poor, but the animal is beautiful, you can see that he is young and in good shape. It all lasts a handful of seconds; then the animal turns and, quietly, disappears protected by the tangle of reeds. The magic vanishes, leaving the bitter taste of disappointment.
Still excited about what happened, I check -with some apprehension- the camera monitor.
Everything seems fine, I reassure myself.I silently relive what happened, and I can’t get over the good fortune that happened to me, really a surprise, and who would have expected that! I realize that the excitement over the unexpected and unusual encounter will stay with me for a long time.
I love photos of animals in their environment because they are the ones that, better than others, make clear the relationships between living things and the environment in which they live. Pictures that tell compelling stories of the subtle, intricate, complex connections that form the wondrous web of life.
This picture is testimony to the extraordinary ability of an intelligent and adaptable predator such as the wolf to live in the most varied and unsuspected environments, as long as there is sufficient tranquility and the presence of prey.
It is, also, a demonstration of the importance of well-managed protected nature areas, true bulwarks defending the precious biodiversity of our blue planet.