Capture of a female wolf, press release
A female wolf, found caught in a trap on Sunday 10 May in the Seine-Maritime region, was anaesthetised and then transferred to a wildlife park following the intervention of the authorities. One Voice questions the legality of this decision regarding an animal belonging to a protected species, and expresses grave concern about the consequences for her, as well as for her potential litter, in the middle of the breeding season.
On Sunday 10 May, a female wolf was found in Saint-Pierre-des-Jonquières, in Seine-Maritime, caught in a trap intended for foxes. Soaked, terrified and unable to escape, she is believed to have waited several hours before being discovered and taken into custody by the authorities.
Whilst a release back into the wild had initially been considered, the decision was ultimately made to transfer her to Muchedent Park following protests from some farmers present at the scene. The wolf was anaesthetised and then placed in captivity.
For One Voice, this decision is extremely worrying. The organisation questions the legal basis that allowed the confinement of a strictly protected species instead of its immediate release into its natural habitat. It also fears that this wolf may be a nursing female with cubs waiting for her, in the middle of the breeding season.
“If farmers now have enough power to pressure the authorities into locking up a protected wild animal, what will happen tomorrow if this wolf is released without protection?”, warns Muriel Arnal, president of One Voice. “In a context where the government is making it ever easier to shoot wolves, we are extremely concerned for her fate and that of her pack, which is surely waiting for her.”
The organisation condemns a growing climate of persecution against wolves in France, fuelled even at the highest levels of government, thereby trampling on any possibility of coexistence and respect for biodiversity.
Should it be confirmed that this female wolf has no cubs, One Voice proposes to transfer her to its partner sanctuary in Italy so that she may be treated and then released in a country where wolves are not condemned to a life of constant persecution. The organisation is currently considering possible legal action to defend this female wolf and shed full light on these worrying acts.
Capture of a female wolf, press release
One Voice condemns the capture of a female wolf in Seine-Maritime