A beaver was observed this fall in the Camargue delta, in a protected area where it had not been seen for 40 years, "a good sign for the species", according to the curator of the Grandes Cabanes du Vaccarès Sud, in the Bouches-du-Rhône.
"We saw traces on the site of the Grandes Cabanes in several places and we managed to take a picture of it thanks to a photo trap, but not yet to see it", explained Claire Tetrel, curator of the area of the Grandes Cabanes du Vaccarès-Sud, in the Camargue park.
The Camargue Regional Natural Park is located on the shores of the Mediterranean, inside the Rhône delta, mainly between the two arms of the river.
A semi-aquatic species, the beaver arrived in this place from an arm of the Rhône where the species is present, "via the site's irrigation canal," said the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB). in a press release.
"He found favorable conditions here for his presence: a gentle water channel with a low current and a low slope, wooded banks in good condition with salicaceae (such as willows) and great tranquility", reports the OFB.
"This is a good sign for the species, which is in a good dynamic", said Claire Tetrel.
Reintroduction operations
A species almost extinct at the beginning of the 19th century due to the intensive hunting of which it was the object, the beaver survived only in Gard, Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhône.
"He then recolonized all of France by going up the Rhône", according to Claire Tetrel, as well as "thanks to reintroduction operations".
The Grandes Cabanes estate, located in the town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-mer, is part of a set of wetlands of several thousand hectares, located between the Petit Rhône and the Vaccarès pond.
Newsletter My Earth
Every week, the environmental news seen by Le Parisien
I'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to enable you to receive our news and commercial offers.
Learn more
The Eurasian beaver is the largest rodent in Europe, the OFB reports.
It is strictly vegetarian and its population in France was around 20,000 individuals in 2016 according to the National Office for Hunting and Wildlife, which also maintains continuous vigilance regarding the potential arrival of the Canadian beaver (Castor canadensis). , invasive alien species.