Artemis
Hunting as an ethical and sustainable choice
Photo by Erika Pezzoli
Carola is a hunter from Italy. She eats meat from the deer, chamois and roe deer that she shoots. In a world in which there are usually several degrees of separation between the consumption of meat and actually having to go out and kill it, for Carola hunting represents a natural way to close the circle of life. As a “predator” Carola feels like an active part of the food chain. This choice, in addition to having a
clear ethical meaning, also has an ecological aspect: her environmental impact is drastically reduced by only consuming the meat of wild animals. In the Valle d’Aosta, hunting has always been selective and a way to protect biodiversity. Nowadays it is monitored strictly by the Assessor for Agriculture’s office, the Forest Guard and the Hunting Management Committee.
Carola Picchiottino, from Courmayeur, is one of the rare examples in Valle d’Aosta of a female hunter and is the first to have obtained the family licence: her father and grandfather were both hunters. Throughout these deep valleys hunting is an ancient tradition handed down from generation to generation. It requires knowledge of the local area, adaptation to the seasons and the patience and skill to study the animals’ behaviour. There are also meticulous procedures, such as the preparation of the meat and skins. Carola deals with the killed animals herself, following rigorous techniques to avoid any waste or pollution.
(2021)
