The wolf finds new areas of habitat in France

Even if recently an individual was seen in Charente, the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) has just identified five new "areas of permanent presence" of the wolf. Two of these new ZPP are in Drôme (La Raye and Roubion-Saou), one in Isère (Vénéon), one between Savoie and Haute-Savoie (Aravis) and the last in Var (Dracénie).

The “summer monitoring” of the population, conducted from May to October, aims in particular to list breeding cases and settling areas, unlike the “winter monitoring” which aims to count the entire population. The agents of the Office identified "28 cases of reproduction".

A wolf filmed in broad daylight by a resident of Gurat, in Charente

According to the Office, there are now 97 ZPPs, which confirms "a continuing spatial expansion". In total, 80 packs are formed in France.

OFB

The OFB notes that "a very first reproduction has been identified outside the Alpine massif, in the Jurassic massif" in a pack at the edge of the Doubs, Jura and Switzerland.

During the last winter assessment in June, the wolf population was 530 adults against 430 a year earlier. A figure well above the threshold of 500 allowing to "resist the risk of extinction" which has led to an increase in the number of animals that can be slaughtered (100 in 2019).

Angry breeders

Obviously this presence raises controversies among breeders who in 2018 suffered 3,674 attacks against almost 12,500 animals, mainly sheep.

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Last May, the ministers of ecological transition and of agriculture confirmed the will of the government to "reconcile breeding activities and the preservation of wolves".

Wolves in the Vercors: "The permanent stress" of sheep breeders

Several measures were presented as the strengthening of protection measures, especially in the outbreaks of attack: "Thus assistance with guarding will now be obtained without restriction, which will increase the number of shepherds officiating in the protection of herds against the wolf ”or the revaluation of the compensation amounts for farm animals.