One Voice filed a complaint after a wolf was run over and riddled with lead pellets in the Meurthe-et-Moselle region
207 wolves were shot in France in 2023. 198 of them were legally killed, with the support of the State. But as this is never enough for their opponents, acts of poaching are commonplace. This year, at least nine wolves fell victim to acts as abominable as they are illegal. Many others have also succumbed to human activities that are increasingly reducing their habitats: trapped or killed in road accidents. In the case of the one found in Baccarat, we are filing a complaint with the prosecutor of the Nancy judicial court.
Collisions with vehicles are particularly frequent. On December 22, 2023, the body of a wolf was discovered lying on a road in Baccarat, Meurthe-et-Moselle. Although the autopsy determined that the cause of death was a collision with a vehicle, it was a shock to learn that the poor animal had been riddled with lead pellets.
Disturbing circumstances surrounding an accidental death
The French Biodiversity Agency (OFB) points out that the wolf did not die because of them, but that the bullet fragments obviously weakened him. We can only imagine the terrible suffering inflicted on him. This heavy metal, a substance widely used in hunting with shotguns, has deleterious effects on the environment, and is a real scourge for animals who are either directly affected or fall victim to it collaterally (by ingesting it, for example).
Poaching? Missed legal shot?
In order to shed full light on his death, we are filing a complaint. An investigation has been launched by the OFB to determine the circumstances of the shot that wounded the wolf. Legal or not, it doesn’t matter to us. We will continue to oppose the persecution of wolves. Like any other sentient being, they have the right to live in peace, without the risk of being killed.
Help us in this fight: sign our petition calling for an end to their slaughter and distribute our report on wolves.