Animal Rescue - Rachel, Dublin

It had been a long day and as the taxi swung around bend after bend on the narrow road from Como to Bellagio I was feeling decidedly nauseous. Then out of the corner of my eye I spotted some torches and people combing the roadside in luminescent jackets - stylish of course this being Italy! What could they be doing ay this time of night, I wondered? Looking for some truffles or wild mushrooms perhaps? Gourmands go to great lengths to secure these but I couldn't be sure. Eventually my curiosity got the better of me and I asked the taxi driver to shed some light on the subject. He explained in broken English that these people were on a mission to save little creatures that migrate from the hills down to the lake shore at this time of year. Invariably many of them get run over by unsuspecting motorists. I was concerned that they might get knocked over themselves as we encountered one blind bend after another. At the same time though, it gladdened my heart to know these people cared enough to carry out their own road safety campaign for these little creatures.