Guendalina: when the animal helps man

San Pellegrino of Norcia. Camp run by the Umbria region civil defense.
The long straight of the industrial area from the town of San Benedetto brings to this small village is a journey, unfortunately after August 24, 2016, to do with a lump in my throat. The closer you get to the town and the landscape changes due to the destructive fury of the earthquake; literally gutted houses, barriers that prevent you from entering the red zone and emergency vehicles and the army standing in for daily life of the villagers. The canteen, inside the camp run by the volunteers of Civil Protection of the Umbria region has become the new hub of San Pellegrino. Is Mrs. Cecilia always busy inside the marquee with volunteers and generous with stories and anecdotes about the country and then there’s Gwendolyn, the new element to be a bit ‘of months now, the element that makes smile even in the darkest days of winter. Gwendolyn runs in the field with its webbed feet from side to side and when new visitors are immediately in front of the cafeteria to wait for a nod of approval. Yes, because since the Gwendolyn goose has decided to live in the camp run by the Civil Protection everything has changed, everything has become almost lighter. The presence of an animal in an emergency such as an earthquake is certainly a reason to wander their thoughts toward elsewhere, if the animal is then a nice goose therapy is even more effective. “The story of Gwendolyn is as curious as it is extraordinary – says Alberto Cardaioli, the group PROCIV cook and volunteer Marsciano – initially were four and lived in a barn in the village of San Pellegrino then the earthquake caused serious damage to the structure with the removal of the family and of the peasants towards the hotels of Lake Trasimeno. One night a fox decided to raid the poor geese saving miraculously Gwendolyn which remained the last. The fox was in the following days to try to finish their work but the goose found in us His greatest protection, I still remember the night we all had a shield around Gwendolyn right to remove it from the grip of the fox. In the following days also we tried to tame the hunter who for some time came to eat with us, then disappear and not be seen again. Instead Gwendolyn is here with us now from November and does not want to read out of the field. ” Immediately after the death of the other various geese volunteers tried to bring the cute animal to his barn but on time in the morning when you wake up if they found themselves in the middle of the field or in front of the canteen, so he understood the animal’s intentions. The name came from where, a clear tribute to the famous Disney cartoon the Artistogatti. More days passed and Gwendolyn became the attraction of San Pellegrino, with volunteers, rescue workers and citizens of other countries to visit the only field to know the funny goose. For children and the elderly from simple animal has become a spark of hope and strength, the only think to feed him made the sad and gray afternoons in the moments of fun and joy. Gwendolyn has his bed, just outside the cafeteria, where he goes to sleep for shelter from the cold and frost and then risbucare timely dawn in the field lookout. “Now Gwendolyn has become really important for us – continues Alberto Cardaioli – makes us laugh and makes us spend time in the company, even just see her running from one side of the field. During a live nativity scene you have created the comic situations arrival of the other animals that were part of the representation, and also with tourists or strangers is our alarm. New Year’s Eve wanted to celebrate near us when were shooting fireworks and over there we found the center of the marquee during the dinner, in short, to say that it is only a goose is an understatement. And ‘our Gwendolyn, and when will the emergency there is no week that does not go on to find her. ” The story of Gwendolyn is the classic story of the animals that perceive the difficulties of men, as in these cases of extreme emergency earthquake and try to do their part because as Victor Hugo says, “Set your dog in the eye and still tries to assert that animals have no soul. “