Our friends and colleagues of the Vanoise National Park (France) and the National Gran Paradiso Park (Italy), both neighbouring alpine protected areas, have been mourning the recent deaths of two of their rangers.

Roselyne Anselmet died on 23rd August, following an accidental fall during a fauna census. A ranger in the Vanoise National Park in Bonneval-Sur-Arc since 1982, Roselyne had been a pioneer and the first woman to be part of the park’s field working teams.

Valentino Chiale, a ranger in the Gran Paradiso National Park for 25 years, also died accidentally during his activity on 9th September, while taking part in a monitoring mission in Valprato Soana.

These tragic events remind us that the profession of field worker in national parks is a fine and meaningful one, but one which is not without risks.

Their colleagues, the protected mountain areas community, the members and staff of ALPARC, and, in particular, the field workers of all the alpine parks, are deeply saddened by these accidents. The “Danilo Re Memorial”, an event which is dedicated to an Italian ranger who died in the mountains in the course of his duties, has been bringing together the officers of the many protected areas for 20 years. In this way, the alpine protected areas community pay tribute every year to Danilo and all his colleagues who have lost their lives in the course of their duties.
Tribute will be paid in memory of Roselyne and Valentino during the Danilo Re Memorial 2015, which will take place   from 22nd to 25th January in the Hohe Tauern national Park, in Austria.

Sources : article and press release from the Vanoise National Park (French only)
               article from the Gran Paradiso National Park (Italian only)