Reindeer cub goes into the woods, torn to pieces in the Modenese area

That one-year-old male reindeer - arrived just three days ago from Lapland and renamed 'Rudolph' after the reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh - was to become the 'star' of the 'Animal Oasis' at the Plains of Mocogno, on the Modenese Apennines.

Instead, less than 48 hours after his arrival he was killed by wolves or wild dogs.

The young reindeer went into the woods on Friday evening, taking advantage of a lowering of the fence of the structure caused by the fall of a tree.

In the area between Lama Mocogno and Palagano, wolves and wild dogs have been reported for some time and in Palagano, in a field about one kilometer from the center, the remains of 'Rudolph' were found by some hunters.

The animal was recognized by a veterinarian who intervened on the spot from the paws: the rest of the body had been devoured by predators from which the reindeer was unable to defend itself also because, being a puppy, its horns were still very short.