Saône-et-Loire: a new wolf, but the same old hatred
Since 2019, wolves have been making timid attempts to return to the Saône-et-Loire region. Each time, the same story repeats itself: the animal settles in, triggers the fury of the agricultural lobbies, and is then shot. In 2020, 2021, 2023… all were killed. While we should be investing massively in means of protection, on May 15, the prefect decided to reduce the protection measures that farmers in six villages are required to implement in order to obtain public subsidies. Because cohabitation between humans and wildlife is the only viable option, we are challenging this decree before the Dijon administrative court.
Photo : OFB-SD71
Camille, the latest wolf to have settled in Morey, targeted
In December 2023, in the Saône-et-Loire region, a wolf was shot in the thigh. After surviving for months in excruciating pain, he was found dead in February 2025, in suspicious conditions that prompted us to lodge a complaint. We had offered to transfer him to a sanctuary in Italy. We were met with silence from the authorities.
A few weeks ago, a new individual, Camille, was spotted in Morey, in the same town as his injured predecessor. Images captured by a camera trap were authenticated by the prefecture on May 12. This simple observation was enough to rekindle tensions. In an open letter, the FDSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs 71 immediately called for the wolf to be purely and solely eliminated.
The prefect gives in to the lobbies’ pressure
For the representatives of intensive agriculture, Camille’s slaughter was not enough. They have only one objective: to eradicate wolves at any cost. They’re not interested in protection measures, and they strongly influenced the prefect with a simple message: fewer protection measures, more money for farmers. In short, they want to have their cake and eat it too.
Welcomed on site on May 13 with sheep carcasses in protest, the prefect gave in two days later. From now on, in the six villages concerned, in order to be subsidized, farmers will no longer have to implement two protection measures (“circle one”), but only one (“circle two”).
Faced with this renunciation, we have made a request with the Dijon administrative court to have the prefectoral decree annulled. Killing Camille won’t solve anything. Rather than give in to retrograde lobbies, it’s high time to invest massively in protection measures, which are the only way to ensure harmonious cohabitation between wolves and humans.
Join us in front of the Mâcon prefecture on July 2 at 10am, for Camille. Sign so that wolves can finally live in peace.