Wolves in France

Wolves disappeared in France in the 1940’s, but in the last few decades have re-established themselves, with an estimated population last year of 580. They are a protected species in France, but the population has already reached the original target of 500, and culling now takes place; this is restricted to about 10 or 12%. Most people don’t have strong views about wolves, but there are loud voices from the extreme ends of the spectrum. One side of the argument is that the ecosystem benefits from their presence, and this is found to be true in all studies on the subject, and the French government is ‘guided by the science’. However, the other view, held by sheep farmers and rural communities, is that they are the worst kind of menace, which is also true. The 580 protected wolves caused the death of 15,000 sheep last year. This is much less than the number of deaths caused by dogs (a separate subject), but when a pack of wolves attacks a flock they can kill dozens of sheep at a time, the survivors are traumatised and the farmer is helpless. State relief is available, but famous French bureaucracy kicks in; the flock must be surrounded by an electric fence, at least one guard dog or shepherd must be in attendance, all bodies must be recovered and the authorities informed within 48 hours. The bodies are then examined, wolves have a trademark killing style, and then the paperwork is processed in triplicate, a payment is eventually made, and the matter is considered closed.

There was outrage in the Drome earlier this year when it was discovered that a wolf had been fitted with a GPS tracking device, but no-one had thought to inform sheep farmers of this development, one of whom said something along the lines of ‘How come the idiots in Paris know exactly where the wolves are but I don’t?’