Pauline Briand, journalist specializing in environmental issues, author of the book “Le Loup de Valberg”

This Friday, the book The Wolf of Valberg is published by Goutte d’Or. He returns to this cub collected, captured, fed, cared for in this village in the Alpes-Maritimes in the fall of 2019, then released a year later into the wild in the greatest secrecy with a GPS collar around his neck. This necklace was found in January 2021 hanged from the mailbox of a “pro-wolf” shepherd from Plan-de-Baixin the South-Vercors, without knowing what became of the “wolf of Valberg”. The author of the book, the journalist specializing in environmental issues, Pauline Briand is the guest of France Bleu Drôme Ardèche this Friday morning.

To publish this book, how long did you investigate this wolf of Valberg?

This book is the culmination of three years of investigation, in the field, by meeting people. This is the story of this real wolf who lived between 2019 and 2020, who captivated an entire part of France, particularly in Drôme, before disappearing mysteriously.

The authorities released him into the wild, in secret, by putting a GPS collar on him. This necklace was found in Drôme. As a journalist, you may have had access to this GPS data. Were you able to trace the journey of this wolf?

The French Biodiversity Office (OFB) agreed to share with me the route of the wolf, between the moment when it was released at the border between Drôme and Isère and the moment when it was taken into custody. photo in the Gervanne valley by a hunter's camera trap, and where it finally reappeared.

What did you learn from this GPS data, from the route of this wolf?

I was lucky enough to be able to go into the field with Drôme naturalists who know very well the packs present in the Drôme, but also Drôme biodiversity more generally. The idea was to try to understand what the wolf's journey had been, why it had passed through certain places, how it had also lived in the Drôme. We were thus able to realize that the Valberg wolf moved from Isère to Drôme by taking a long-distance path, or that it passed, for example, in a valley where we know that a couple of golden eagles hunting. They are very efficient hunters. The wolf could potentially have fed on carcasses left by these eagles.

This necklace was found but we do not know what became of the Valberg wolf. This question often arises: is he alive or dead? Do you have the answer?

We actually found the necklace in Plan-de-Baix, at Michel Castro’s house. [un berger “pro-loup”, N.D.L.R.] We know that this collar, before arriving at his home, passed through the hands of at least three other people, that the collar was intact and that there were no traces of the wolf. Afterwards, an investigation was carried out and dismissed.

Do you still have a small conviction: is this wolf still alive or dead?

This question is highly debated. I do not wish to “distort” the end of my book and I invite readers to form their own opinion on what would have happened to this cub.

You collected the data from the GPS collar but you also had people testify behind this story of the Wolf of Valberg?

Yes, that’s also what makes this story very special. Finally, we are faced with a wolf, an individual from wild fauna, but who has crossed human paths again and again. I think that this represents quite well what is happening around the wolf in France today: a wild animal therefore, an animal which is a predator, but which also lives in an environment in which humans are very present. You should know that this wolf returned to town, to Valberg, to be able to feed. For example, I was able to meet Claudine and Danièle, two people who were able to feed him in Valberg. These are ladies who take care of stray cats in Valberg and when the wolf cub appeared in this small town, they happened to feed it, meet it, see it evolve in the town.