Pomme has been killed: Press release
Last May, One Voice campaigned to save a female wolf trapped in the Seine-Maritime – one of the few wolves in Normandy – and succeeded in having her released into the wild in the Alps, despite demands from extremist farmers’ unions that she be put down. Pomme, the young female wolf, had adapted perfectly to her new home. One Voice has just learnt that she was shot dead during the night of 16–17 July in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, on orders following the deaths of animals from a herd for which, as her GPS collar data shows, she was not responsible. A scandal — and an illustration of what wolves are enduring throughout France.
We had named her Pomme, so that her origins – Normandy, that land where hunters and farmers wanted her dead – would never be forgotten. Rescued from a trap in the spring, transferred and then released in the Alps, she had immediately found her feet. For two months, her tracking collar told the story of a free, intelligent animal that posed no threat to livestock.
In the span of two months, Pomme travelled more than 500 kilometres and explored four French departments — Drôme, Isère, Hautes-Alpes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence — before beginning to settle down south of Lake Serre-Ponçon. Throughout this time, no negative interactions with domestic herds were recorded: precise data from her GPS collar confirms that she had not been involved in any damage to livestock since her release. She fed exclusively on wild animals — young deer, roe deer, young wild boar and foxes — the very same animals that are hunted down and killed by any means available on the pretext that their numbers need to be ‘controlled’. She had also been observed on several occasions with at least one other wolf.
Genetic analyses further highlight her significance: Pomme was the result of a cross between the Italo-Alpine and German-Polish wolf populations. She was by no means a hybrid with the domestic dog, but rather a wild wolf, Canis lupus lupus. A rare genetic heritage, essential to biodiversity — that someone chose to destroy.
An ‘innocent’ animal, shot all the same
We know from a reliable source that the shooting was carried out in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence by a wolf hunter commissioned following the death of a farm animal. However, the data from her GPS collar shows that, in all likelihood, Pomme was not responsible for this damage. Furthermore, the DDT 04 had been informed the day before, that the female wolf had been photographed by hunters in the area.
We demand the truth. How many other wolves are wrongly accused, then killed in silence? Pomme’s story raises questions about all the others. Enough lies, enough propaganda; we want the facts, the documents, the evidence. One Voice will be lodging a request regarding these extremely serious incidents.
“They killed Pomme even though she had done nothing wrong, even though she was adapting perfectly, even though her data proved her innocence. This is an extremely serious matter. Pomme is not an isolated case: she is the face of all those wolves branded as guilty to justify killing them. We will not remain silent,” says Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice.
Scapegoats, even at the highest levels of government
Pomme’s fate speaks volumes about an era in which wolves have (once again) become the convenient scapegoats of a policy that has lost its way. Only around 1,082 wolves live on French territory, a far cry from the viability threshold estimated by scientists to be between at least 2,500 and 5,000. Yet up to 23 per cent of them may now be killed each year.
While the Ministries of Agriculture and Ecology bow to pressure from lobbies, that the obligation to protect livestock is being weakened, and that the way is being cleared for shooting, the reality on the ground is being trampled underfoot. Wolves play a fundamental role in the balance of natural habitats, which so badly need them. Wild animals no longer have anywhere to survive in peace.
Taking action for Pomme, and a series of upcoming campaigns
One Voice would like to thank all those who, outraged by what is happening, have brought the truth about Pomme to light. We call on them, and all witnesses, to share information about wolves killed in France with us. Their anonymity is guaranteed completely and absolutely. It is thanks to them that this hypocrisy will be exposed.
One Voice will organise an action in support of Pomme at the very spot where she was killed, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. This will be just the first in a series of actions to denounce far and wide what happened to her, and to relentlessly ask the question: what, in reality, is the situation for all the other wolves? The organisation is also looking into the possibility of lodging a request and will shortly announce the date and venue of the gathering.
Pomme was rare, precious, free. She had done nothing wrong, yet she was killed. We will not forget her — and we will not allow impunity to take hold.
Pomme has been killed: Press Release
They’ve killed Pomme! The female wolf from Normandy, released into the Alps, has been shot.