Furry friends; The schoolboy from Innsbruck first met the clan of marmots four years ago on a family holiday and has returned every year since
Unlikely pair: The normally shy marmots show Matteo nothing but affection when he visits them at Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria
A member of the clan: The marmots gather around Matteo when he arrives and lets him feed them and play with them despite normally running away from humans
Matteo and his family spend two weeks every year in the Alps visiting his marmot friends
Nose to nose: A marmot greets eight-year-old Matteo on the slopes of the Austrian Alps
Jealous: One marmot is so keen to get his attention that it has climbed up into Matteo's lap for a cuddle