MrsMo
07-28-2011, 06:03 PM
Recently French shepherds have had to contend with wolves decimating their flocks. The French wiped out wolves in France decades ago; and it was probably a good thing. France no longer has large unpopulated areas teeming with wildlife needing an apex predator. What they do have is Italy and the Alps as neighbors. Italian wolves have made their way across the Alps and set up shop in France.
Of course, France is a member of the European Union and under EU law French shepherds my not shoot a wolf that is attacking their flock. To be fair, there have been a few exceptions granted but not enough to reduce the wolf packs and protect the flocks. The shepherd in the article explains that he is also afraid to get some kind of attack dog for fear the dog might attack joggers who sometimes run in the area.
Does anyone in France remember why they got rid of the wolves in the first place? It wasn't for the shepherds' convenience - shepherds of the time had guns and dogs and were usually able to take care of their flocks just fine. The real problem was the wolves saw people as prey. Something those joggers might want to keep in mind.
These wolves are not indigenous to France. DNA has shown they are from Italy - and the Italian wolves are spreading to other nearby countries. They are not afraid of people at all, partially (mostly?) because people are not being allowed to hunt them. How long will it be before these packs rediscover humans are easy prey? What is the EU's plan to protect people's lives as well as their property, since they will not allow the people to protect themselves?
As always, here is a link to the whole story: http://news.yahoo.com/ravenous-wolves-colonise-france-terrorise-shepherds-064719014.html
Of course, France is a member of the European Union and under EU law French shepherds my not shoot a wolf that is attacking their flock. To be fair, there have been a few exceptions granted but not enough to reduce the wolf packs and protect the flocks. The shepherd in the article explains that he is also afraid to get some kind of attack dog for fear the dog might attack joggers who sometimes run in the area.
Does anyone in France remember why they got rid of the wolves in the first place? It wasn't for the shepherds' convenience - shepherds of the time had guns and dogs and were usually able to take care of their flocks just fine. The real problem was the wolves saw people as prey. Something those joggers might want to keep in mind.
These wolves are not indigenous to France. DNA has shown they are from Italy - and the Italian wolves are spreading to other nearby countries. They are not afraid of people at all, partially (mostly?) because people are not being allowed to hunt them. How long will it be before these packs rediscover humans are easy prey? What is the EU's plan to protect people's lives as well as their property, since they will not allow the people to protect themselves?
As always, here is a link to the whole story: http://news.yahoo.com/ravenous-wolves-colonise-france-terrorise-shepherds-064719014.html