Since the 1990s, the wolf has returned to France after decades of absence. It would have arrived via Italy, in the Mercantour, south of the Alps, where it remains particularly present.
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[EN VIDÉO] Discover the lynx, this secret predator of the Jura and the Vosges The Eurasian lynx is undoubtedly the most discreet of hunters. This big cat 1.35 m in length has been protected and sometimes reintroduced in several European countries. In France, it is present in the Jura and the Vosges. It attacks all kinds of prey, with a preference for rabbits but can also attack farm animals. © National Museum of Natural History
the Wolf (Canis lupus) is present in Europe, especially in the Balkans, the Carpathians, the north-west of peninsula Iberian, Italy and the Baltic States. Wolves live in packs of four to six animals, with a breeding pair and their offspring. An adult consumes 2 to 5 kilos of meat every day.
In France, the wolf was present in the great majority of the territory two centuries ago, then it disappeared at the end of the 1930s. From 1992, wolves were spotted in the Mercantour, near Italy. Gradually, the number of wolves increased in France. According to the Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition, during the winter of 2014-2015, they were more than a hundred in the 42 zones of permanent presence. In total, their number would be between 206 and 358 individuals.
Wolves mainly present in the Southern Alps
In France, most wolves are found in the Southern Alps, but their distribution is gradually expanding: the wolf is also present in the Pre-Alps, the Provençal hinterland, the Massif Central, the Pyrenees, the Vosges and the east from the Paris Basin.
The presence of the wolf leads to losses in the herds (ewes, lambs …). In France, the death of nearly 9,000 animals was attributed to wolves in 2015. Most of these attacks took place in the Alpes-Maritimes: 3,500 animals killed, or 40% of the total losses.
A compensation system has been created to compensate for the losses of breeders who can also benefit from aid to better protect their herds. Although the species is protected, the State authorizes, by way of derogation, the slaughter of a limited number of wolves. About thirty wolves were killed between July 2015 and June 2016.
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