FRANCE will let its wolf population grow by 40 per cent, despite anger from farmers worried for their sheep.
Wolves were eradicated from France by hunting in the 1930s, but since the 90s they have been creeping back from Italy. There are now thought to be 360 wolves in France.
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The government announced a new strategy this week that will allow the population to grow to 500 by 2023. To appease farmers, 10 per cent of the population may be culled each year. Farmers are also authorised to shoot any time their flocks are under attack.
Around 10,000 sheep were killed by wolves in the Alps in 2016, and France paid €3.2 million of compensation to farmers. Under the new plan, farmers can apply for funding to protect their animals, but compensation will be contingent on them putting up fences and other protective measures.
Wolves are protected in Europe by the 1979 . Environmentalists see their return as a positive, and many are opposed to the hunting of wolves (see photo).
This article appeared in print under the headline “French wolves are on the rise”
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