In Finistère, an isolated wolf was identified and photographed in the Arrée mountains. This is the first time in over a hundred years that a wolf has been seen in Brittany.
The Monts d’Arrée are a mountain range in Finistère, supervised by Emmanuel Holder, the curator of the territory’s nature reserves. Surprised by the large number of stags and hinds in this mountain range, the Breton decided to set up a photographic trap to film the animals of the forest.
However, Emmanuel Holder did not expect to see a particular animal pass in front of the lens. Indeed, an isolated wolf was identified in the Arrée mountains this Wednesday, May 4.
«It’s a lot of emotion , he confided, especially since the wolf museum is not very far and there remains a wolf trap in an embankment which dates from the time when the animal was established in the territory. »
The passage of the wolf was filmed by the camera trap, a device that films automatically when it detects movement.
«During the day of Wednesday May 4, a large canine was filmed by an automatic device in the town of Berrin, in the Arrée mountains, in the department of Finistère», warned the services of the prefecture in a press release .
The identified wolf is an isolated animal, which was in the dispersal phase, an event that takes place in spring and autumn. When the good weather arrives, the young wolves take their place within the pack, while others must leave it to find new territory. In autumn, other adult wolves leave the pack to look for a partner with whom they can reproduce. When they disperse, lone wolves can go hundreds of kilometers away, which may explain the presence of wolves in Brittany .
A first for a century
In the region, no wolf had been seen since its disappearance more than a hundred years ago. Indeed, the wolf arrived in France in 1992, in the Southern Alps, before settling in the French mountain ranges.
“This is the first observation of a wolf in Finistère and Brittany since its disappearance. We can say that it is a recent arrival. Knowledge of the biology and behavior of the species gives the certainty that other dispersers will sooner or later reach the region ,” said the Loup Bretagne group.
For the moment, it is not certain that this wolf will choose to settle in the Monts d’Arrée, because it could continue on its way. Emmanuel Holder wants to be reassuring, saying that this wolf should not settle on this territory, too frequented for this animal which seeks calm.