A recent census by wildlife agency l’Office National de la Chasse et la Faune Sauvage (ONCFS) counted 430 wolves across the country, with a number of areas showing permanent growth in population.Wolf and lynx numbers are counted using over 750 reference points, including paw prints, observations, automatic photographs, hair shedding and animal remains.The new figure represents an increase of almost 20% compared to end of last winter, when numbers were estimated at just 360.Yet, the agency is seeking to continue its “Wolf Plan (Plan Loup)” to grow the numbers to 500 by 2020, “as part of a demographic progression nationally and globally”.

Source: Wolf numbers on rise in France despite farmer anger

When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, they had dramatic impacts on parts of Northwestern United States. Decades later, a wealthy landowner wants to try a limited version of that experiment — in the Scottish Highlands.Englishman Paul Lister is hoping to see the ancient Caledonian Forest of Scotch pine, alder and mountain ash regenerated, and wildlife long absent from the Highlands return. But as happened with the Yellowstone project, he’s running into strong opposition.

Source: Landowner Aims To Bring Wolves Back To Scotland, Centuries After They Were Wiped Out | Wyoming Public Media

IN THE 20th century the wolves that populated German fairy tales—such as “Little Red Riding Hood”, published by the Grimm brothers in 1812—were an anachronism. Hunters had wiped them out over the course of the 19th century; the last was killed in 1904. For decades the animals were confined to Europe’s east. Then came the end of the cold war, improved forest conservation standards, tighter rules on hunting, and the demilitarisation of border zones. Grey wolves started moving west, crossing from Poland into Germany around the turn of the millennium.

Source: A growing wolf population presents German politicians with a conundrum – Huffing and puffing

April 4, 2018 Dombrot-le-Sec, France—An icy rain whips through Benoît Gille’s wild gray hair as he rounds up his herd of 400 sheep with his wife, Ghislaine. Mud clinging to their boots, the couple pour hay into several troughs in fields tucked among the rolling green hills of the Vosges region in eastern France.It’s a picturesque, peaceful country scene – for now. But the threat of a wolf attack is always looming. Despite protective fencing and seven guard dogs, the Gilles have lost more than 60 sheep to wolf attacks in the last year, causing intense emotional and financial strain that has almost broken them.

Source: France’s wolves are back. Now, can it protect its farmers? – CSMonitor.com

There have been three confirmed sightings of wolves in the Netherlands so far this year, website Nature Today said on Wednesday.On Wednesday morning, a wolf was spotted in several locations in Gelderland and was caught on video walking along the edge of fields.A wolf was seen in several places in the east of the country around the beginning of January and again in Twente in early February.‘In general wolves are wary animals so it is likely that the Netherlands is visited more often,’ the website said. ‘However, there is no sign yet that wolves have made the Netherlands their permanent home.’The first confirmed sighting of a live wolf on Dutch soil since 1869 was made in 2015. A dead wolf was found in Flevoland in summer 2013 but research showed it had probably been dumped there.

Source: Wolf spotted walking around Gelderland, third sighting this year – DutchNews.nl

A new plan announced by the government represents a rise of nearly 40% in the wolf population.After being eradicated by hunters in the 1930s, the wolf made its way back into France from Italy in the 1990s.Wolves are listed as a protected species by the Bern Convention that France has signed up to. France on alert for prowling wolves Wolf hunters deployed to French Alps Wolf makes a comeback in FranceAnimal rights groups had been pushing for a more radical proposal and accused ministers of lacking political courage.In a gesture to farmers, the government said that hunters in France would still be allowed to cull 40 wolves this year, the same as in 2017. Up to 10% of the wolf population could be culled every year from 2019, and that proportion could rise to 12% if more frequent wolf attacks were registered.Almost 12,000 sheep were killed by wolves in France in 2017 and the government has come under strong pressure from farmers in French regions – particularly in the Alps and the Pyrenees.

Source: France to let wolf population grow despite farmers’ fears – BBC News

A wolf pack was captured by a fauna monitoring camera in Romania’s Piatra Craiului National Park. The footage was shared on Facebook on Jan. 8.

Source: Wolf pack caught on camera in Romania – The Washington Post