The wolf population has been continuously increasing in France and parallel to this increase, has been the rise in livestock attacks in the country. Interestingly, the act of wolf hunting without actually killing any wolves might reduce the number of flock attacks. In 2012, 5,848 animals were victims of wolves, while in 2011 there were 4,920 attacks. Farmers have urged authorities to introduce regulation plans. As a result two wolves, a male and a female, were killed within less than 24 hours in the Alpes-Maritimes region.
However, the high number of flock attacks is not only due to the increasing number of wolves but mainly caused by the extension of the geographic area occupied by wolves. Wolves arrive in new territories and discover new flocks. Three southern regions are the most affected: les Alpes-Maritimes, les Alpes de Haute-Provence and le Var. 75% of the attacks occur in these three regions.
The government has already launched a regulation plan for a four-year period to follow wolves, protect flocks, deal with the compensation of farmers and manage wolf populations. However, certain farmers think the plan is insufficient: they wish to increase the wolf hunt quota for the period of 2013-2014.
The hunt quota has already doubled within one year from 11 animals in 2012 to 24 in 2013. That is 10% of the national wolf population. Another initiative to prevent wolf attacks is that the Alpes-Maritimes region has given the right for hunting companies to kill these animals. The National Office of Hunting and Wildlife (ONCFS) organizes big game hunting where it is allowed to slaughter wolves as well.
The two wolves killed last weekend were hunted during such an official hunt. However, the question is whether these hunts are actually efficient. In France’s neighboring country, Italy, the number of wolves is between 600 to 800 specimens, but no actions to allow wolf hunting have been taken.
“A study has shown that even when no wolves were killed in a hunt, the number of wolf attacks decreased,” said the project leader for wolves and lynx of the ONCFS to Le Figaro. The presence of hunters in the area occupied by wolves, their smell and all the disturbances caused by them should be enough to keep wolves at bay.
Thus, there is no point in looking for hunter specialists to kill wolves, which is what le Var region intends to do: as the local government thinks no one in France knows how to hunt wolves, they plan to hire hunters from North-America and Eastern Europe.