It took a year before the rumor was confirmed.
Two wolves have been identified in the Calanques National Park in Marseille, according to information from the newspaper La Provence broadcast on Thursday.
The two animals, a male and a female, had been sighted last winter by hikers and hunters.
The rumor then triggered a "discreet investigation" by the administration of the park, via camera traps and the analysis of solid excrement, tells the local newspaper.
A gradual return of wolves in France
Now confirmed, this discovery will not change the measures of attendance at the park, explains Charles Vergobbi, deputy director of the Departmental Directorate of Territories and the Sea of Bouches-du-Rhône. “Given the low interaction between humans and wolves in the area affected by the presence of the species, no measure is considered in relation to human use of the site. It should be remembered that the wolf is a mainly nocturnal and discreet animal, rather fearful and which will avoid contact with humans, ”he told La Provence.
In the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, the wolf has been present since 1992, originating in the Italian Alps.
In November, the presence of the wolf was confirmed in Île-de-France, confirming the gradual return of the animal to France, also seen in Burgundy, in the Grand-Est, in the Center region and even in Vendée, in Normandy. and in the Somme.
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"A wolf can travel up to 80 km in a day or a night and can potentially be present everywhere in France, on condition that favorable conditions are found for its installation", then explained Loïc Obled, of the French Office for biodiversity (OFB).