Four gray wolves arrived from Estonia in an animal park in the Pyrénées-Orientales had escaped from their enclosure in January 2021: the last to have never been found was probably located in Aude, the prefecture said on Saturday.
Read alsoOn the trail of wolves in France
“
On the occasion of a report of damage to a domestic herd, canine hair was harvested on August 26, 2021 in the town of Orsans
”, underlined the prefecture of Aude in a press release. “
The genetic profile of this individual turns out to be extremely close to that of wolves that escaped from a zoological park located in the town of Cases-de-Pênes on January 25, 2021
”, continues the text.
Only one of the four wolves that escaped from the animal park had never been found or killed, explains the prefecture, which affirms that "
all the elements point to the fact that this sample of hair comes from this animal
" of male sex possessing the characteristics genetics of the Eastern European wolf population. A major system was deployed a year ago to find the four animals that escaped from their enclosure in the Ecozonia park, northwest of Perpignan. Two wolves had been quickly put down.
"
Special attention will be paid in consultation with the breeders on the monitoring of predation in the event that this specimen is still in the Aude
", indicates the prefecture.
At the end of December 2021, nine wolves had escaped from their enclosure in an animal park in the Tarn.
Four had been shot and five anesthetized.
The prefecture had ordered the closure of the Trois Vallées zoo in Montredon-Labessonnié “
until security conditions return to normal
”.
On its Facebook page, the zoo announces a reopening “
during February school holidays
”.
