The most recent estimate, puts the French wolf population on about 620 in the country. They have recently moved into the department of Lot which lies just a few miles north of Toulouse.
Given the growing population of wolves in France, it would be ridiculous to kill these wolves, as others will replace them pretty quickly.
As you can see, the distribution of wolves in France is mostly restricted to the South and East, but there are dots marking sightings that can be seen throughout most of France. This is a sign of growing population, spreading out, to take unclaimed territory. While an image like this may well cause fear in the heart of farmers, it is a positive sign for the ecosystems of France (and Europe).
The return of wolves is important. Last year, in France, there were 23,000 car crashes caused by wild animals. 70% of these were caused by deer, with a further 24% caused by boar.
While wolves would not stop these collisions entirely, their presence would make them far less common – due to the climate of fear that they create.
While the damages from wild animals are usually centred on a small part of the population, the benefits (felt by the whole country) far outweigh the damages. This blog will continue to follow the french wolf recovery with great interest.