Court hearing in Marseille: wolves filmed illegally in the Calanques National Park
When passion becomes intrusion: filming wolves out of love for nature also means disturbing them, with dramatic consequences for the packs. A documentary crew will face charges of intentionally disturbing a protected species on 27 April at the Judicial Court in Marseille. Already facing de-classification and poaching, wolves must not also have to endure the pursuit of footage.
In September 2025, a team linked to a wildlife documentary project entered the heart of the Calanques National Park to film a pack of wolves accompanied by cubs. The site was protected. Any recording of images or sound relating to this species was explicitly prohibited there. The team knew this. And yet…
The videographer admitted to filming without authorisation, setting up camera traps – which are also prohibited – and actively seeking out the animals prior to filming. Communications even reveal a deliberate intention to film the wolves whilst avoiding attracting the attention of the authorities. The director admitted to having approved these shots. The production company, for its part, denies any direct involvement.
Shortly after the incident, the pack abandoned the site
Wolves are a species particularly vulnerable to disturbance, especially during the breeding season. Repeated human presence, recording equipment installed in the immediate vicinity, filming in the heart of a sensitive site… all these factors constitute disturbances that can lead to the abandonment of pups, forced relocation or even the permanent loss of a territory. Consequences that are invisible on screen but very real indeed!
This is precisely what the law aims to prevent. The rules governing the recording of sound and images in a national park are not administrative red tape. They are a condition for the species’ survival. Observing or filming wildlife is never harmless, even with the best of intentions. Indeed, the pack abandoned the site after the incident.
The race for the perfect images: a new threat?
This case raises a crucial issue. Recording technologies – camera traps, drones, miniaturised cameras – are now accessible to everyone. And social media reward the most spectacular footage.
This quest creates growing pressure on wildlife, exerted not only by hunters or poachers, but also by naturalists, photographers and passionate filmmakers. Yet, paradoxically, a love of wild animals can harm them when it is accompanied by an overpowering desire to get close to them, to capture them on film, to turn them into a product to be displayed. At that point, the passion turns into intrusion.
Wolves already under pressure
This hearing comes at a particularly difficult time for wolves in France, with the entry into force of new ministerial decrees simplifying their killing. No shooting permits are required anymore: a simple declaration is now sufficient. This is a setback that One Voice is fighting in the courts, on the streets and all the way to the Council of State. Calls for poaching have already led to emergency mobilisations to save entire families such as that of Milo and Mina.
Wolves do not need a new threat. They are already under unprecedented political and legal pressure. Allowing the frenzy for images to become an additional danger would be a collective failure. This hearing is an opportunity to remind everyone of that.
On 27 April 2026 at 8.30am, at the Judicial Court in Marseille, three defendants will face charges of deliberately disturbing a protected species. One Voice will be present. Because wolves are already suffering too many violations: shooting, poaching, and European declassification. Their peace is non-negotiable. To defend them on all fronts, sign our petition.
Stop the persecution of wolves!
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Shooting wolves? The courts say no
Filming protected wolves puts them in danger. Let’s put an end to the race for footage!