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Since returning to France 30 years ago, the wolf has continued to gain ground. It is present today in around fifty departments, and around thirty attacks on cattle have been reported since the summer of 2022.
The Jura forest as far as the eye can see, an ideal territory for wolves, who live peacefully among the fir trees. Two packs are installed in the Jura massif, made up of ten adults and a dozen wolf cubs, which for several months have been causing panic among breeders. Every winter, teams from the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) criss-cross the area. Christophe Guinchard, the department head of the Doubs department, describes the pack as “mobile”, “feat[ant] an absolutely immense tertiary”.
The tormented nights of farmers
The wolf only moves at night, and can travel up to 15 km a day to feed. Since the summer, he has been approaching farms and attacking cattle. The OFB reports “a good thirty attacks”, resulting in the death of 35 heifers and injuring around 30 others. Pierre-Henry Pagnier, breeder in Haut-Doubs, was one of the victims. “The nights are restless. I happened to go up at night to check if everything was fine”, he confides. Because he loves his animals and they are expensive, he calls, like many breeders, for more shots to suppress wolves and protect his cattle. An explosive subject facing supporters of the animal cause. The Burgundy-Franche-Comté regional biodiversity agency has been asked to think about the framework for cohabitation.
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