Wolf Patrol to Assist Farmers in the Provence Area

The past few months have been fraught with the news of numerous wolf attacks on flocks of sheep across the Provence and Alpes-Maritimes regions in the south of France.

It has now been announced by authorities that a team of ten men will be in place by the end of August to protect shepherds and their flocks. 

The ten officials with hunting licenses will be responsible for "better protect the herds," including "by being present among farmers experiencing a recurrence of specific attacks" the ministry said.

It is currently unknown if these officials will be armed. Although the wolf is a protected species in France, some culling is permitted in order to keep numbers of the animals under control. The patrol will focus on flocks that have been targeted by wolves in the past with the Southern Alps being a priority. This team will take priority in the departments of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, but occasionally in others, such as the Savoie.

According to the French authorities, "the wolf attacks have doubled in 5 years" (8500 sheep victims for the period July 2014-July 2015). The number of departments where they are resident has also tripled in 5 years, to 27 in 2014.