The presence of wolves in the Lot department in south-west France was confirmed during a meeting at the prefecture yesterday (June 22).
Since May 31, nine reports of attacks by stray herds of sheep in six different municipalities have left 22 dead and 20 injured, according to the Departmental Directorate of Territories and the French Office for Biodiversity.
Seven of those attacks are now attributed to wolves.
Confirmation of the presence of the animals triggered the implementation of several different conservation measures in the department.
These are described in the National Action Plan for Wolf and Breeding Activities and include:
- Two annual departmental committee meetings to discuss wolf issues
- Prevent situations that could negatively affect farmers and herders and support those affected by wolf attacks
- Support wolf hunting education programs
Wolves are a nationally and internationally protected species and therefore measures must protect both wolves and farmers’ herds.
Since wolves were first spotted in the Lot, wolf hunters have been tasked with surveying the area and scaring the animals away with non-lethal shots, to prevent them from attacking each other to cattle.
These shots can be fired day and night until July 8, but only by specially designated wolf hunters.
Since the beginning of this strategy, wolf attacks have become less frequent.
Where can you find wolves in France?
Wolves were present throughout France two centuries ago, but gradually disappeared in the 1930s.
In 1992, a pair of wolves were discovered to have crossed into Italy into the Mercantour National Park in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes, and their French population has been growing ever since.
The Ministry of Ecological Transition reported that in 2014-15 wolves lived permanently in 42 different areas.
Today, most French wolves are found in the Southern Alps, but also in the Pre-Alps, the Provençal hinterland, the Massif Central, the Pyrenees and the Vosges.
In 2021, wolves were estimated to have a permanent presence in 145 regions of France. The French Office for Biodiversity reports that there are around 620 in the country.
Earlier this year, a camera trap captured images of a wandering wolf in a forest in Finistère (Brittany), in the first such sighting since 1913.
Read more: Video: A wild wolf spotted in Brittany for the first time in 109 years
In 2021, one was also spotted in Vienna, the first for a century.
Read more: The wolf identified in the south-east of Vienne is the first in a century
Wolves normally live in packs of four to six: with a breeding pair and their offspring.
The type of wolf found in France is the Eurasian or common gray wolf. They are usually between 110 and 148 cm long and males weigh between 25 and 35 kg, with short, coarse, tawny fur and a white throat.
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