Genetic analyzes have confirmed that the large canine hit by a vehicle on January 11 in the forest of Fontainebleau is indeed a wolf, announced Monday the prefecture of Seine-et-Marne.
According to the expertise of a specialized laboratory, the imposing animal killed near a roundabout was a male coming from the east,
"probably from Germany or Belgium".
'Casual and isolated' observation
This “fortuitous and isolated”
observation
of the wolf, as it sometimes happens in the cold seasons in the department, does not however mean
“that the wolf has settled permanently in Seine-et-Marne”
, specify the authorities in their press release. .
In autumn-winter,
"the young wolves born in the previous spring fully take their place within the group and force other individuals to leave the pack to seek new territory"
, being able to travel hundreds of kilometers for this, explains the prefecture. .
Read alsoOn the trail of wolves in France
Gray wolves are still more numerous in France, with a population estimated by the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) at 921 at the end of winter 2021-2022.
Returning by itself to France from Italy, the gray wolf is mainly present in the Alpine and Provençal massifs.
