The number of wolves present in France has indeed been underestimated. This was denounced by the majority agricultural organizations on July 3, reports Le Figaro. According to a first press release from the prefecture of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, “the balance sheet […] for the winter of 2022-2023 […] establishes a provisional estimate of 906 wolves, a stable figure compared to the year last [921 wolves]”.
Each year, the estimate of the wolf population in the country is eagerly awaited by breeders and nature protection associations. But the updating of the figures this summer proves breeders and hunters right. The referent prefect Jean-Paul Celet explains that “after taking into account the genetic analyses, the provisional figure 2023 amounts to 1,104 individuals […]. Furthermore, the final wolf population estimate for 2022 is 1,096 individuals, which is 175 individuals more than the initial estimates.
Another contradiction raised by these new figures, the lupine population is not decreasing but increasing, contrary to the assertions of the public authorities. “We must review the calculation method for the next National Wolf Plan currently under negotiation so as not to have inconsistent estimates a few weeks apart”, insists Claude Font, sheep breeder in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, president of the Federation sheep national (FNO).
The gray wolf is protected in the European Union. But shootings are planned as an exception, as a last resort, to protect the herds. The estimate of the wolf population allows to define the maximum number of wolves that can be eliminated each year. Since the wolf is a wild animal living over large areas, its population cannot be counted precisely and is therefore estimated on the basis of indices (visual observation, footprints, droppings, etc.) from which the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB ) publishes an estimate range.
The main lines of the next Wolf Plan (2024-2029) are expected in the fall. Breeders intend to obtain as many concessions as possible in this complex and politically sensitive issue.
