Читать книгу Walking and Trekking in the Gran Paradiso. Alta Via 2 trek and 28 day walks онлайн

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Another recent but unwelcome arrival is the wild boar. Not a native here it was introduced to populate hunting reserves and has bred so successfully that it is becoming a nuisance, wreaking havoc in the chestnut woods. So numerous have they become in Valle Soana that the park rangers have to spend valuable time hunting them down.

There are also several amphibians to spot in the park. The common frog is renowned for its ability to spend winters frozen into ponds up to altitudes of 2500m, thawing back to life with the arrival of spring. On dry southern hillsides around 1500m the bright emerald sheen of the green lizard is hard to miss, while several varieties of snake are occasionally glimpsed, usually sunning themselves on paths or old stone walls. The most common is the poisonous and protected asp viper (no relation at all to the Egyptian cobra!). This greyish-brown snake has a clear diamond pattern along its back and is slightly smaller than the common viper found in Britain. It is always featured on the helpful posters in tourist offices, visitor centres and refuges. Extremely timid, it only attacks when threatened, so do give it time to slither away should you encounter one on the path.