When animals go on a journey

Polar bears, white sharks, monarch butterflies, Adelie penguins... What do these and other animals so different from each other have in common? The invincible instinct that drives them to migrate. This is confirmed by ten stories of planetary movements bordering on the incredible, told by Claudia Fachinetti in the volume "Animali in viaggio" (Il battello a vapore, 2024, pp. 288). We thus discover journeys across continents and oceans, in the depths of the abyss and beyond the most inaccessible peaks of the Planet, in a challenge for survival that excites and moves.

But let's not expect a treatise on zoology or biology. The stories are accompanied by maps, statistics and in-depth sheets, to reflect with amazement and awareness on the disruptive force of Nature. In her narration, Claudia Fachinetti relies, however, on exceptional protagonists: each story is told by the voice of a protagonist and takes us to the heart of migration. Whether it is a one-way trip or a return; whether it takes place alone or in a group; whether it is triggered by the change of season or by a change in the traveler's biology, each itinerary is an extraordinary experience, full of risks and unknowns, where the departure is certain, the arrival much less so. Everything in between remains the most exciting of adventures.

We asked Claudia Fachinetti how the idea of a travel book with such particular protagonists was born:

"The book was born a bit from the previous one, Lasciami andare (Piemme, 2023), which talks about the extraordinary journey of a family of orcas from Iceland to the Mediterranean. From there I wanted to delve deeper into the topic and tell kids about the most spectacular migrations that many species undertake every year, in groups or alone, marching, swimming or flying for hundreds or thousands of kilometers."

What do the animals that are the protagonists of the book have in common?

"That irrepressible impulse for the survival of the species that pushes them to put aside fears and fatigue to face journeys full of dangers and unknowns. Driven by hunger and thirst, by the desire to reproduce or give birth to their young in suitable and protected places, or even to escape the cold or drought, migrants are ready to risk their lives to complete their cycle."

Which of the animals you talked about in the book struck you the most?

"Definitely the female white shark Nicole, as she was named by the researchers who attached a transmitter to her back. In 99 days she reached Australia from South Africa and not even 9 months later she was spotted again at the place of departure. Very little is known about these large fish and I am fascinated by the thought of her solo transoceanic journey of over 22 thousand kilometers, there and back. We don't know exactly why she made this journey but it is certainly something surprising and at the moment no other shark equipped with a transmitter has equaled her record. The migrations of locusts also impressed me a lot, especially the one I described in the book and which explains how in a particular year of favorable winds a group of these insects even managed to cross the Atlantic Ocean and reach the Caribbean. The individuals succeeded in the feat by stopping to rest on the floating bodies of other locusts that had died from exhaustion. A macabre thing if you like but also brilliant."

She loves to combine storytelling and science...why this choice?

"Some people, young and old, consider science boring and do not like to delve into the world of animals with popular and encyclopedic books but, on the other hand, everyone loves stories, which is why novels that tell stories of nature and animals can involve and reach everyone, not just those who already love science. Furthermore, narrative allows you to identify and empathize with the characters and in this case it stimulates greater respect for animals, the desire to protect them and also the desire to know them more. I love telling stories, of any kind, but as a scientist and environmentalist I feel a deep desire to sensitize my readers towards the protection of our planet".

But in the end, as mentioned in the book, will we migrate into space, perhaps with some animals in tow like Noah's Ark?

"I liked the idea of not stopping only at the present and the world of animals, for this reason in some in-depth boxes that intersperse the chapters with the stories of migrants, I involved the journalist Fabrizio Gatti, for the part regarding human migrations, and Adamantia Paizis of INAS (National Institute of Astrophysics) for hypothetical migrations in space. Probably, as Adamantia said, we will never leave our planet and for this very reason we must commit ourselves more to conserving it. More likely, however, that there will be an increase in migrants due to climate change that is causing more and more problems both for animals and for us humans".