Wolf hunters authorized to kill wolves in French Alps

A team of wolf hunters has been authorized to operate in the French Alps to kill wolves because these are perceived to be a threat to livestock. Earlier this year, a wolf was spotted close to the capital Paris.
The wolf is a protected species under the Berne Convention and European law and their hunting is banned. However, limited, targeted culls are allowed and, the government has raised the limit on the number of wolves that can be culled in 2015 from 25 to 36.
This has been reported in bbc.com dated 13 October 2015.

The team of wolf hunters was supplied by the state following pressure from shepherds and farmers who had lost their livestock. Farmers are usually compensated for each sheep that is killed and, the bill for this is believed to have gone beyond 15 million euros in 2012. In 2014, an estimated 8,500 animals were killed by wolves and it is thought that this number will rise significantly this year.
The French government has also relaxed the hunting rules to help farmers defend stocks. This is in defiance of EU law. Conservationists feel that wolves are vital to ensure a proper balance in nature. It may be noted that since reappearing in France in the early 1990s, there are an estimated 300 wolves in the country. As per the French Sheep Organization (FNO), the number of animals they kill has risen by two thirds since 2011.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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