The Fox Mountain (Arte): is this documentary worth it?

What could be better before waking up with the family than to immerse yourself in the world of a family of foxes, dad, mom and the five babies? Broadcast this Saturday, December 24, 2022 at 8:55 p.m., Fox Mountain is a gem of a wildlife documentary.

Before going to the table to celebrate and open the presents, what could be better than relaxing in front of a good documentary? This is what Arte, a channel accustomed to various and varied family documentaries, is offering this Saturday December 24, 2022 at 8:55 p.m. with Fox Mountain. A magnificent program that Jean-Luc Reichmann could not watch, and for good reason! It could also easily end up in the Top 5 animal documentaries on Salto, or elsewhere… It all starts on a snowy day in early spring, when five little red foxes are born in the rocky chaos of the Italian national park. Gran Paradiso, 1,800 meters above sea level. During the first weeks, papa fox must hunt for two while mama fox nurses her foxes, which will soon gain autonomy by imposing their character. Over the seasons, the members of the clan will have to overcome many challenges and dramas until the following spring. Because epidemics make foxes vulnerable, and their offspring are prime prey for certain large predators…

A four-year shoot

For four years, this family of red foxes (among the most beautiful canids in Europe) was closely followed by Anne and Erik Lapied in sumptuous alpine landscapes. An exceptional immersion in their intimacy, their games and their conflicts reveals the extraordinary adaptation of this species to highlands and the specificities of its social organization. The rich images of this documentary also invite you to discover the life of mountain animals – chamois, marmots, ibexes, wolves, golden eagles, grouse or bearded vultures – who share their territory.

An exceptional Italian national park!

The Grand-Paradis National Park is an exceptional place, where the fauna and flora are on display. It succeeded a royal reserve created by King Victor-Emmanuel II in 1856. It was then a question of protecting the ibexes, already threatened with extinction… This territory covers 70,318 hectares and still has 59 glaciers. It became a national park in 1922 and is the oldest Italian national park. It inspired the later creation in 1963 of the Vanoise National Park which adjoins it on the French side of the border, and with which it is twinned.