“Don’t give a shit about getting caught": wolf poisoned in the Drôme region, hearing on September 10 in Valence
In March 2022, in the Drôme region, a wolf was deliberately poisoned, baited with the remains of a lamb full of pesticides. His corpse was then moved and buried to better conceal it. Ironically, the culprits include… a member of the local Wolf/Lynx network run by the prefecture and the French Biodiversity Agency! The investigations revealed the existence of a particularly organized family and friends network, with the stated ambition of killing wolves by poisoning. We have of course filed a civil case and will be present at the trial to obtain justice for this wolf.
The five defendants, who were initially due to appear before the Valence judicial court on December 12, 2023 for “unlawful destruction and transport of protected species” and “inappropriate use of phytopharmaceutical products”, will finally be tried tomorrow, September 10, 2024, almost two and a half years after the events. We expect the judges to severely punish the perpetrators, who used despicable and perfectly illegal means to kill the animals who bothered them.
“I’m going to clean that son of a bitch” (sic)
At the time, a meticulous collaboration was organized in Crupies, Drôme, to kill wolves. The defendants’ confessions and wiretaps leave no doubt as to their intentions. First, there was the man who knowingly infiltrated the Wolf/Lynx network in order to obtain information “to find the dens and kill the cubs in the spring”. He even admits to having stationed himself at night, on several occasions, with his rifle fitted with a silencer and thermal sight, completely illegally, to – speaking of wolves – “fuck the bastard” (sic). He adds in colorful language: “I’m going to clean that son of a bitch” (sic) or “I’m going to clean the mountain” (sic), not giving “a shit about getting caught” (sic). These attempts to kill the wolves only failed because the wolves didn’t show up where the trap was waiting for them.
Pesticides banned since 2008
There’s the man who supplied the poison, knowing full well how it would be used; those who organized themselves to prepare the bait, and those who transported and buried the poisoned wolf’s body in order to conceal the evidence.
All communicating in “coded messages”, lest their telephone conversations be intercepted. Their exchanges made it clear that they intended to continue poaching if they hadn’t been arrested…
Depending on the facts of the case, the accused who are the most blamed could face up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of 150,000 euros for “destruction of a protected species”. As some of them hold hunting licenses, we are also asking for these to be withdrawn. On September 10 at 3:30 p.m., in the Valence judicial court, we will be speaking out on behalf of this poisoned wolf, who died after a painful agony, as evidenced by the traces of “pedaling” found near his body, a sign that he suffered long spasms and convulsions before dying.