A wolf was spotted in the town of Berrien, in the Monts d'Arrée, in the center of the department.
The large canine was filmed by an automatic device, according to the prefecture in Quimper.
"If the presence of the wolf in Finistère is a first for more than a century, the species is known for its great capacity for dispersal", adds the prefecture.
Since the return of the wolf to France in the Southern Alps in 1992, the species has settled in the main French mountain ranges.
It is punctually but regularly seen in territories far from the heart of the Alpine population, as was the case in the departments of Vendée, Charente-Maritime, Loire-Atlantique, Saône-et-Loire or in Ile-de- France.
580 adult wolves in France
The observation made in the Monts d'Arrée of an animal alone and far from the areas where the species is present is characteristic of individuals in the dispersal phase, a phenomenon which occurs twice a year, in spring and in winter. fall.
Wolves can then travel several hundred kilometers before settling and this in a few months.
The speed of movement and stealth of this species from one point to another means that it can easily go unnoticed along its dispersal path.
"At this stage, this observation in Finistère does not allow us to say that the wolf is settling in the department", continues the prefecture.
In June 2021, the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) estimated the population of gray wolves in France at 580 adult animals, compared to 530 a year earlier.
