A 73-year-old man has been found mauled to death in a suspected wolf attack.
Albert Stockner was found lying in an alpine pasture with deep bite wounds all over his body.
A hiker came across the elderly, dad-of-three victim while he was still barely breathing.
The woman said she remained by his side to keep him conscious while waiting for the emergency services to arrive.
Albert – who leaves behind three adult daughters – had been reported as missing on Sunday (18 Feb)
He was found in the meadow the following morning (19 Feb).
A medical helicopter arrived at the field near the alpine village of Feldthurns north of Verona, Italy on the Austrian border.
He was then flown to Bolzano Hospital where he passed away yesterday (19 Feb) afternoon.
The victim, who came from Feldthurns, suffered bite wounds to his neck, upper body and arms, according to reports.
Investigators believe he was killed by at least one canine, either a large dog or a wolf.
About 2,000 wolves are understood to be in the wild in Italy.
The authorities are waiting for the results of a DNA test to confirm which animal killed the elderly man.
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