男孩与土拨鼠：我们是好朋友

They are notoriously shy around humans， beating their tails and chattering their teeth to try to warn us off before emitting loud whistles to tell other members of their colony to flee.

But when these alpine marmots see Matteo Walch， they scuttle to his side and show him nothing but affection.

The eight-year-old built up a remarkable relationship with the creatures since first being taken to see them by his nature-loving family since 2008.

The family return to visit the colony in Groslocker in the Austrian Alps for two weeks every year.

Matteo’s father Michaela， said， “Their friendship has lasted for more than five years now.”

“He loves those animals and they are not at all afraid of Matteo because he has a feeling towards them and they understand that.”

We go there every year now for two weeks. It’s amazing to watch the connection between a boy and his animal friends.”

Marmots stand at around 18cm tall and reach up to 50cm in length. Bizarrely， the animals are heavier in autumn， when they can weigh up to 8kg， in comparison to 3kg in the spring months.

Michaela， a school teacher from Innsbruck， Austria， has uniquely captured the unique bond between Matteo and his marmot friends throughout the past five years.

He said， “I could spend hours watching animals. It gives me a connection with nature and its life forms.”

“It’s great that I have been able to document the marmot’s natural behaviour around Matteo without making them afraid of me and my equipment.”

“The picture of a curious animal approaching me is a thousand times more beautiful than the picture of any animal looking at me in fear before it takes flight. This is how I try to picture the proudest， more beautiful and also the funniest moments， giving others the opportunity to enjoy the miraculous world of animals.”

眾所周知，土拨鼠在人类面前很胆小。它们会敲打着尾巴，吱吱地磨着牙，以警告人类不要靠近。它们还会发出响亮的口哨以通知附近的同胞逃离。

但当这些高山土拨鼠遇见Matteo Walch时，它们涌到他的身边，表露的全是喜爱之情。

自从2008年被热爱动物的家人带着见到这群土拨鼠后，这个当时才八岁的小男孩儿便与它们建立了深厚的感情。

这家人每年都会到位于奥地利阿尔卑斯山下的格罗斯洛克住两周，探访Matteo的动物朋友们。

Matteo的爸爸Michaela说：“他们之间的友谊已经持续五年多了。”

“他爱这些小动物们，而它们也完全不害怕他，因为他对它们有一种感情，而它们也完全能领会。”

“我们每年都去那里待两周。看到一个小男孩儿和动物朋友之间的情感联系，这样的感觉很美妙。”

土拨鼠直立高度差不多有18厘米，身长约50厘米。奇怪的是，这种动物到了秋天便会增肥，能长到约8公斤重，而春天仅3公斤。

Michaela是奥地利因斯布鲁克的一位教师，他在过去的五年内拍了许多Matteo和土拨鼠朋友的照片。

他说：“我能一连几小时注视着动物们，它能让我与自然和动物的生活方式产生联系。”

“当我在拍摄Matteo和土拨鼠之间的自然行为时，它们一点儿也不怕我和我的器材。这真是太棒了。”

“一张小动物好奇地接近我的照片，要比那些紧张地注视着我镜头、准备立刻逃跑的动物的照片美丽一千倍。我便是这样拍出那些最令人自豪、最美丽，同时也最有趣的瞬间的。这样也能给别人机会去享受这不可思议的动物世界。”