On Corsica, lots of cattle is running free in the woods: not only
cows but also (domestic!) pigs, horses, donkeys and
chickens are not behind fences, and you really get used to meeting
them everywhere pretty soon. But especially the pigs are a problem: they
have an excellent sense of smell and find every kind of food that is even
miles away or in tents or rucksacks. Rumors are that pigs have devastated
a rucksack to get hold of a can (!) of Isostar! The safest places for
rucksacks with food in them are trees, because climbing is one of those
few tricks they're not capable of. If you leave your rucksack with pig food
unattended (eg. in your tent), it's your own fault if your tour ends early.
Thank goodness these problems do not occur on camping sites but only in the
mountains, and even there not everywhere.
But it's now time to break a lance for the pigs: they are curious and
greedy, but nevertheless they are completely harmless and can be kept
on distance easily. Don't feed them though, or they'll be a real pain
in the ass. Wild boars also live on Corsica,
but they are smaller than their companions on the continent, and they are
very shy.
Corsica's bird world is really not breathtaking; if you want to see
birds you're better off with
a trip to Scotland. There's a birdie that makes finch-like sounds
(could be a finch) and of course chickens and doves.
Blackbirds are now rare since in the past lots of them have been
turned into pâté (pie).
There are not that much insects either, and only very little of them
bite. I've only got maybe half a dozen gnat bites during the whole
trip, while last year in
Scotland I got several hundreds on one day!
Especially at the coast, there are lots of wasps that get on your
nerves when you're eating, but they don't make use of their sting no matter
how much you irritate them. Best pour some sweet liquid on a plate and
place it some meters away, and they'll leave you in peace.
Up in the mountains, there are three sorts of animals that are
dominating. One of them are lizards; they're everywhere where the sun
shines on bare rocks, and they decimate both other sorts of animals
below the plague level. Right, the other sorts are small and they fly:
some sort of a small housefly that is known for its preference for
ear-wax (and that's really a pain in the ass!), and this yellow-black
striped wasp imitation that moves like a helicopter and makes quite a
noise. Both kinds of insects can't be kept away with
chemical clubs, so
don't bother using Jungle Formula or such things.