Wednesday 01 March 2023 | 9

In March, One Voice is rallying for the wolves

In March, One Voice is rallying for the wolves

Mis à jour le 04 April 2023

Despite belonging to a protected species, wolves in France experience two hardships: they are victims of poaching as well as suffering from shots to keep farmers calm! One Voice is rallying throughout the month of March to inform the public of these massacres.

Hr blog

174. This is the number of wolves who could be slaughtered this year completely legally. However, there are only 921 of them in France currently. Until the 18th century, there were between 15,000 and 20,000. They were already wiped out once and, in fact, the State is doing everything to get them eradicated once more.

Wolves: unjustly unloved animals

These intelligent animals evolve within a family unit in which the role of each member is determined to support their survival and the upbringing of the wolf cubs.

They play a key role in biodiversity and in particular help with the development of plant life and forests: with the return of wolves, herbivore populations must now move at a higher rate, spending less time eating, leaving time for the plant life to regenerate.

With all due respect to the hunters from the Drôme who ask to kill wild boars, which are too numerous according to them, and at the same time complain about no longer having enough to hunt when the wolves are more efficient than them…

Ineffective shots to protect animals destined for the abattoir

Shooting permits are granted easily by prefects without verifying if the protection measures for herds have been correctly and effectively implemented. Contrary to these killings, One Voice does not understand why this legal minimum has never been respected!

In fact, no study proves that killing wolves will reduce their impact on herds. It is the opposite even! Scientific research led in the state of Michigan published in 2018 concluded that shots on wolves could give rise to a false impression of declining predation. The situation could even get worse with the pack, destabilised by the loss of a member, operating in a disorganised manner.

One Voice taking legal action for the wolves

By definition, the shots must in theory remain exceptional since this is a derogation from the protection of wolves. However, prefectural decrees are copied and pasted, thus the justifications are often vague and stereotypical. On 27 January 2023, 2436 authorisations for slaughter are therefore in force, to kill... 174 wolves.

To put an end to this persecution, One Voice rallies before judges: firstly, for several years in a row at the State Council by requesting the cancellation of ministerial decrees fixing the conditions and the number of wolves that can be slaughtered, then before various administrative tribunals to get the decrees allowing lethal shots cancelled.

Despite our arguments being listened to by the Alpes-Maritimes Administrative Tribunal who cancelled the decree, for now, the others refuse to recognise the urgency in protecting wolves...

On 27 January 2023, two wolves had already been killed (including one being poached) according to official figures. These figures must nevertheless be interpreted with caution. As the chart has not been updated for a month, it is very likely that this sordid toll is higher in reality...

One Voice is rallying for them throughout the entire month of March. Our activists will therefore be in Saint-Maime on 5 March; on Saturday 11 March in Manosque and Nantes; but also in La Rochelle, Lyon, and Paris where they will expand the theme to include hunting; in Besançon, points of contact from the activist branches in Haute-Marne and Savoie/Haute-Savoie are joining up in a collective procession with the Pôle Grands Prédateurs and the Collectif Loup Massif du Jura; on 18 February, this will be happening in Lille, Nice, Troyes, Angers, and the following day in Bordeaux. Finally, our action will end on 25 March with on the ground action in Aix-en-Provence and Langres.

The details to date are below. It is possible that new towns will join the movement, for example Caen and Tours. National action listing all participating local One Voice activist branches. Be sure to check before going to the location as events may be changed up until the last minute.

Department

Town/ date

Online event

Event location

Time

04

Saint-Maime 05/11

https://www.facebook.com/events/193363959966919/

Chemin du Fosson, parc de la Gare

10am - 2pm

05

Manosque 11/03

https://www.facebook.com/events/712633990506417/

42, rue Grande

9am - 1pm

06

Nice 18/03

https://www.facebook.com/events/694235115774386/

Place Masséna

2pm - 4pm

10

Troyes 18/03

https://www.facebook.com/events/112215665049853/

71 Rue Émile Zola

3pm - 5:30pm

13

Aix-en-Provence 25/03

https://www.facebook.com/events/1209820216593851/

Allées de Provence

10:30am - 1pm

17

La Rochelle 11/03 (wolves and hunting)

https://www.facebook.com/events/505658638355742

Place de l'Hôtel de Ville

2pm - 4pm

33

Bordeaux 19/03

https://www.facebook.com/events/697216785468039

Place de la Comédie

2pm - 5pm

44

Nantes 11/03

https://www.facebook.com/events/1268619497111153

Place Royale

3pm - 5pm

49

Angers 18/03

https://www.facebook.com/events/182532021142227

Rue Lenepveu

2pm - 5:30pm

52

Langres 25/03

https://www.facebook.com/events/906999283840624

Address to be confirmed

2pm - 7pm

52

Besançon 11/03 (One Voice branches in Haute-Marne and in Savoie/Haute-Savoie)

https://www.facebook.com/events/3420688851502805/

Joint press release - from the Battant car park to the Doubs Prefecture

14:30pm - 5pm

59

Lille 18/03

https://www.facebook.com/events/758151802564894

Rue des Tanneurs

3pm - 5pm

69

Lyon 11/03 (wolves and hunting)

https://www.facebook.com/events/580911230129398

Place Saint-Jean

1:30pm - 4pm

75

Paris 11/03 (wolves and hunting)

https://www.facebook.com/events/1854218414927666

Place de l'Hôtel de Ville

1pm - 3pm

84

Avignon 25/03

Place du Change
10pm - 12pm

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Cléa Capelli
Hr blog

In the subject

Let’s rally for the wolves: we are participating in great numbers in the ministry’s public consultations! Persecution of animals’ bodies: but how far will they go?

Comments 9

I accept that publication of my comments is subject to the code of conduct.

Leeloo | Friday 03 March 2023

Interdiction totale de tuer les loups, les lynx, les bouquetins etc...Tous ces animaux sont magnifiques et protégés !! Aucune dérogation ne doit être accordée...
Comment font les Italiens et les Espagnols qui vivent avec Les ours les loups et les lynx (le lynx ibérique)depuis des siècles ?? Est-ce qu'on a les éleveurs les plus bêtes d'Europe ??

Christine Léger | Friday 03 March 2023

On ne demande pas à ce qu'ils aiment les loups, mais juste qu'ils les laissent vivre en paix.

Roger's | Friday 03 March 2023

Le loup, cet animal incompris, il faut le protéger, les éleveurs n'ont qu'a dresser des gros chiens type Patou, au lieu de toujours se plaindre pour réclamer de l'aide financière, c'est dommage pour ces agneaux et chèvres massacrés par manque de vigilance des éleveurs.

Maecki | Friday 03 March 2023

Avec un président qui favorise les lobbies de la chasse, il n’y a pas lieu de s’étonner que les préfets, aux ordres, autorisent l’abattage des loups, bouquetins, marmottes, déterrage des renards, blaireaux etc…
Ce qui est totalement anormal dans une démocratie, c’est que la loi et/ou les décisions européennes ne soient pas respectées. Et qu’un président has been ne tienne pas compte du pourcentage très élevé des citoyens qui s’opposent à ces mesures, face au très emblématique (pour ne pas dire caricatural) monsieur Schraen, « chef de la chasse française »…