The weather is clear and it is daylight, this Tuesday morning, at a place called “Les Tailles”, in Chasseneuil. Stopped on the shoulder, motorists are attracted by an animal with oblique eyes. Intrigued, the two observers contacted the French Biodiversity Office (OFB) which, after analysis and verification, is clear: a wolf did indeed set foot on Indian soil on February 4, 2020.
Expert work to detect “fake news”
Almost two years after this episode, another individual reappears. But does damage this time. On December 6, 2021, in Ruffec, a breeder noticed that his herd had been the subject of an attack. Two sheep killed and one injured. The next day, a flock suffered a new attack on Ruffec: five sheep were injured.
“These two events are the latest cases of predation in Indre”, assures Paul Hurel, regional facilitator of the wolf network at the OFB, a structure which trains in particular in the recognition of the species and the management of reports.
Loir-et-Cher classified in circle 3
The object of many fantasies, the canine has recently been talked about, near the Berry borders. Tuesday January 21, 2025 in fact, the Cher prefecture – report our colleagues from Berry Republican — confirmed the occurrence of a wolf attack. This December 21, 2024, in addition, a wolf was observed in Nottonville (Eure-et-Loir). As for Loir-et-Cher, a prefectural decree of January 3, 2025 classified the municipalities of the department in “circle 3”. Zoning allowing breeders to access funding to protect their sheep and goat herds (1).
What about regulations in Indre? “We are on watch, replies Rik Vandererven, departmental director of the Indre territories. This subject is sensitive, arouses a lot of passion and can be very painful for breeders. But for the moment, circle 3 does not seem justified to us because it is not adapted to our breeding system which is not based on pastoralism and guarding. »
-However, the DDT says it is perfectly aware of the potential presence of wolves in Indre, particularly in Brenne. “There’s no reason this can’t happen.” That’s why we don’t forbid ourselves anything. Every year, the question [du zonage] arises ».
“It is entirely possible to see wolves in Indre”
For its part, the OFB also ensures that it is particularly monitoring the phenomenon. “We have a role of expertise, of verification. For the case of Chasseneuil, for example, I received the photo, analyzed its quality and the different morphological criteria of the animal. Then I then asked OFB agents to go to the scene to ensure that it was not fake news, before transmitting [nos conclusions] to the Departmental Directorate of Territories and the prefecture. »
In France, reports can come from any citizen, as long as they contact the OFB. “We encourage doing so. In the Central region, we do not yet have any established packs. But people need to know that in the territory, it is entirely possible to see wolves in all departments, including in Indre. »
(1) The National Loup Plan provides for four levels of zoning. For comparison, circle 0, the highest grade, corresponds to a “focus of predation”.
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