Since the 90s, the wolf has returned to France.

This Monday, the prefect of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region announced that the population of gray wolves was estimated at 921 individuals at the end of winter 2021-2022.

In addition, the 2020-2021 figure has been revised upwards to 783 wolves.

More specifically, the range of adult wolves, a protected species in Europe, is estimated between 826 and 1,016 in France, said the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), the body in charge of this estimate.

The wolf is a wild animal living over large areas.

Its population cannot therefore be counted precisely, but it is estimated from clues (visual observation, footprints, droppings, etc.).

Network of correspondents

The OFB trains people in the field to collect these clues and join a network of correspondents.

A training effort has been made, with 385 new people, which has made it possible to increase the number of clues collected, to "4,500 presence clues (compared to 2,600 in 2020 and 3,700 in 2021)", says the prefect.

For 2020-2021, the gray wolf population had been estimated at 624 individuals, but the OFB has refined its method thanks to the analysis of genetic results.

The maximum number of wolves that can be killed in 2022 will therefore be 174 individuals, compared to 118 initially planned.

“Since January 1, 2022, 29 wolves have been counted from this ceiling”, specifies the prefect, in charge of the cohabitation of this natural predator with livestock.

Decline in predation

Other measures are planned to support breeders and limit attacks on herds: funding for guard dogs, electrified parks, guarding by shepherds.

Compensation is provided for in the event of an attack.

This resulted "for the first time, [on] a drop in predation in France both in number of attacks and predated animals", while remaining at a high level, the statement said.

“An additional financial envelope will make it possible to improve the quality of the equipment, and therefore the effectiveness of the defense shots of the herds”, with “particular attention (…) to the individual situations of the breeders undergoing strong predation”, specifies the press release.

Favorable demographics

The gray wolf, which has returned to France on its own from Italy and is mainly present in the Alpine and Provençal massifs, has experienced favorable demographic dynamics (…) for ten years, with “a satisfactory survival rate for the species and 'a rise in reproduction,' the statement said.

He was seen as far away as Finistère.

The number of packs is also increasing (+19 in 2020 and +29 in 2021), specifies the press release.

The investigation into poisoned wolves in Savoie closed without further action

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