‘Human presence': French volunteers protect sheep from wolves
'The wolves are here, there's nothing to be done about that, so we need to find a response,' said Welker, 57, wearing a T-shirt that reads: 'I'm a farmer and proud of it' as she looked across her sun-drenched valley. Wolves have made a comeback in Europe, multiplying attacks on livestock and causing angry reactions from farmers, some of whom say the predators should be shot on sight.
The European Union recently downgraded wolves from 'strictly protected' to 'protected', making such killings easier. The French government has authorized 192 wolves to be shot this year, out of the country's total wolf population of 1,013. But some say the killings do little to stop wolf attacks. The best prevention is 'a human presence', said Welker, adding that she had lived alongside wolves for 20 years. But she cannot afford to pay a full-time shepherd to look after her two flocks, and instead turned to an organization of volunteers, Pastoraloup, three years ago for help.
Volunteers from Pastoraloup watch over a flock of sheep in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins in central France.
Volunteers from Pastoraloup watch over a flock of sheep in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins.
Volunteers from Pastoraloup observe the surroundings near a flock of sheep in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins.
Volunteers from Pastoraloup watch over a flock of sheep in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins.
'I support wolves'
Pastoraloup is run by the Ferus association, dedicated to the defence of large predators. It trains volunteers and sends them out to farmers who need assistance. Welker says she can now 'sleep at night and be much less stressed'. Meeting people and educating them about farming are a bonus of working with the volunteers. Around 35 farmers in the French Alps, the Jura and Brittany are taking part in the scheme this year, up from around 20 two years ago.
Morice-Couteau, 45, and Galliot, 48, are among 63 new volunteers who trained last year. 'I support wolves, but I also support farmers,' said Morice-Couteau, adding that the presence of the predator could become 'one problem too many' for farmers. Welker fears that 'major attacks' are coming, notably in the autumn, when young wolves learn how to hunt.
Volunteers from Pastoraloup analyze wolf droppings found near a flock of sheep in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins.
Volunteers from Pastoraloup watch over a flock of sheep in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins.
Volunteers from Pastoraloup watch over a flock of sheep on July 31, 2025, in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins.
'Here to help'
In October 2023, 17 of Welker's animals were killed after a volunteer left suddenly, leaving the flock without protection. At sundown, her two new volunteers herd around 50 sheep - all meticulously accounted for - into their night shelter, protected by a 1.4-metre (4.6-foot) high electric fence. Morice-Couteau makes a last round in the dark, equipped with a headlamp, before going to bed in a tipi a few metres away, aware that wolves can strike at any time 'if they see an opportunity'.
Morice-Couteau, who works in the cinema industry, said that she believed farmers and wolves could co-exist, but that her volunteering experience had also made her 'understand the violent feelings that some farmers harbour towards wolves'. Tensions have for years been building between farmers and environmentalists over the issue of wolf conservation in France as numbers of the predators have grown.
Welker said there is 'very strong social pressure' on farmers who use Pastoraloup which discourages others from benefiting from the programme because it is 'labelled environmentalist'. 'We're not here for a debate,' said Morice-Couteau. 'We're here to help.' — AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
‘Human presence': French volunteers protect sheep from wolves
Carrying staffs like shepherds, Sophie Morice-Couteau and Geoffroy Galliot inspect the nets of a sheepfold on a steep slope in the Baronnies massif, part of their daily mission to keep wolves away. The two Bretons are volunteers who signed up to protect the flock belonging to farmer Nathalie Welker in the Drome Provencal, in France's southeast, from wolf attacks - which have become so common that she feels under 'pressure' from the predators. 'The wolves are here, there's nothing to be done about that, so we need to find a response,' said Welker, 57, wearing a T-shirt that reads: 'I'm a farmer and proud of it' as she looked across her sun-drenched valley. Wolves have made a comeback in Europe, multiplying attacks on livestock and causing angry reactions from farmers, some of whom say the predators should be shot on sight. The European Union recently downgraded wolves from 'strictly protected' to 'protected', making such killings easier. The French government has authorized 192 wolves to be shot this year, out of the country's total wolf population of 1,013. But some say the killings do little to stop wolf attacks. The best prevention is 'a human presence', said Welker, adding that she had lived alongside wolves for 20 years. But she cannot afford to pay a full-time shepherd to look after her two flocks, and instead turned to an organization of volunteers, Pastoraloup, three years ago for help. Volunteers from Pastoraloup watch over a flock of sheep in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins in central France. Volunteers from Pastoraloup watch over a flock of sheep in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins. Volunteers from Pastoraloup observe the surroundings near a flock of sheep in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins. Volunteers from Pastoraloup watch over a flock of sheep in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins. 'I support wolves' Pastoraloup is run by the Ferus association, dedicated to the defence of large predators. It trains volunteers and sends them out to farmers who need assistance. Welker says she can now 'sleep at night and be much less stressed'. Meeting people and educating them about farming are a bonus of working with the volunteers. Around 35 farmers in the French Alps, the Jura and Brittany are taking part in the scheme this year, up from around 20 two years ago. Morice-Couteau, 45, and Galliot, 48, are among 63 new volunteers who trained last year. 'I support wolves, but I also support farmers,' said Morice-Couteau, adding that the presence of the predator could become 'one problem too many' for farmers. Welker fears that 'major attacks' are coming, notably in the autumn, when young wolves learn how to hunt. Volunteers from Pastoraloup analyze wolf droppings found near a flock of sheep in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins. Volunteers from Pastoraloup watch over a flock of sheep in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins. Volunteers from Pastoraloup watch over a flock of sheep on July 31, 2025, in the hills above Villebois-les-Pins. 'Here to help' In October 2023, 17 of Welker's animals were killed after a volunteer left suddenly, leaving the flock without protection. At sundown, her two new volunteers herd around 50 sheep - all meticulously accounted for - into their night shelter, protected by a 1.4-metre (4.6-foot) high electric fence. Morice-Couteau makes a last round in the dark, equipped with a headlamp, before going to bed in a tipi a few metres away, aware that wolves can strike at any time 'if they see an opportunity'. Morice-Couteau, who works in the cinema industry, said that she believed farmers and wolves could co-exist, but that her volunteering experience had also made her 'understand the violent feelings that some farmers harbour towards wolves'. Tensions have for years been building between farmers and environmentalists over the issue of wolf conservation in France as numbers of the predators have grown. Welker said there is 'very strong social pressure' on farmers who use Pastoraloup which discourages others from benefiting from the programme because it is 'labelled environmentalist'. 'We're not here for a debate,' said Morice-Couteau. 'We're here to help.' — AFP
Kuwait Times
30-07-2025
- Kuwait Times
Romania, oligarch and royal locked in tug-of-war over El Greco painting
A painting by Renaissance master El Greco has found itself at the centre of a fierce ownership row between the Romanian state, a disputed prince and a Russian oligarch. The latter, billionaire businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev, currently owns the artwork, thought to be worth between $7 million to $9 million, and has been looking to sell it. But the early 17th-century painting of Saint Sebastian, which shows the martyr's body pierced by arrows, did not go on sale as planned earlier this year. Instead, it has been stranded at Christie's in New York until all the legal wrangling is resolved. The prestigious auction house cancelled its planned bidding war for the El Greco in February 'out of an abundance of caution' after the Romanian government laid claims to the piece, which it says belongs in its royal art collection. Claiming to be the 'rightful owner', Romania has sued a company through which Rybolovlev acquired the painting in 2010, accusing the firm of not acting in good faith, according to documents reviewed by AFP. On top of that, a third claim by a descendant of Romania's royal family is being contested in the New York courts, with Prince Paul of Romania seeking to recover a work his father believed was stolen by the communists. Royal wedding, Orient Express Romanian authorities assume that the painting remained in the country until 1947, but was then 'unlawfully' taken by the country's former king Michael I on a trip to attend the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II in London. In his complaint, Prince Paul, 76, also accuses Michael I of wrongdoing. By loading the El Greco with 'other valuable items into two boxcars of the Orient Express' and then hiding everything in the vaults of a Zurich bank, the former king practically 'stole' the artwork, his nephew argued. Paul of Romania - whose father was long regarded as an illegitimate son of King Carol II before being recognized - was never acknowledged as part of the royal family. Holding British, French and Romanian citizenship, the disputed royal has taken refuge in France to escape justice in his home country, where he was sentenced to jail for influence peddling. According to Rybolovlev's company Accent Delight, the communists had authorized Michael I to take the painting with him 'as incentive for abdicating the throne and leaving the country' without causing a stir, as they feared 'public unrest because of his popularity'. 'Historic and irreplaceable' But shortly after Michael I had returned home, he was forced to abdicate and go into exile in late 1947. He would not set foot on Romanian soil again until 1997. In the meantime, he sold the painting in 1975 to French art dealer Daniel Wildenstein, who later resold it. The piece changed hands a few times before being purchased in 2010 by the company of Rybolovlev, president of the AS Monaco football club. In the past, the Romanian state had already attempted to recover 'Saint Sebastian' alongside other items from the royal art collection. But its attempts so far have been fruitless. Yet, the government has vowed to continue its fight to reclaim the painting it considers a 'unique part of Romania's cultural heritage'. 'If this unique, historically significant, and irreplaceable painting is sold before Romania can have its ownership claims heard and adjudicated, it would cause immediate and irreparable harm to the State of Romania and its people,' Marcel Ciolacu, then Prime Minister, wrote in a letter submitted to the New York court earlier this year. — AFP
Kuwait Times
27-07-2025
- Kuwait Times
Activist boat Handala seized off Gaza brought to port of Ashdod
Activist boat Handala seized off Gaza brought to port of Ashdod Activists were on a peaceful mission to break through Zionists' illegal blockade on Gaza TEL AVIV: Zionist forces brought the pro-Palestinian activist boat Handala into the port of Ashdod on Sunday, after seizing the vessel in international waters and detaining the crew, an AFP journalist saw. Campaigners from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition had attempted to breach a Zionist naval blockade of the Palestinian territory of Gaza, but were intercepted late Saturday. The legal rights center Adalah told AFP its lawyers were in Ashdod and had been allowed to speak to 19 members of the 21-strong international crew, which included two French parliamentarians and two Al-Jazeera journalists. The remaining two of those detained were dual US and Zionist citizens and had been transferred to police custody, Adalah said. 'After 12 hours at sea, following the unlawful interception of the Handala, Zionist authorities confirmed the vessel's arrival at Ashdod port,' said the group, set up to campaign for the rights of Zionist entity's Arab population. 'Adalah reiterates that the activists aboard the Handala were part of a peaceful civilian mission to break through Zionist entity's illegal blockade on Gaza. The vessel was intercepted in international waters and their detention constitutes a clear violation of international law.' Earlier, the Zionist foreign ministry said the navy stopped the Handala to prevent it from entering the coastal waters off the territory of Gaza. 'The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Zionist entity. All passengers are safe,' it said. Just before midnight local time on Saturday, video streamed live from the Handala showed Zionist troops boarding the vessel. An online tracker showed the ship in international waters west of Gaza. The ship had been on course to try to break a Zionist naval blockade of Gaza and bring a small quantity of humanitarian aid to the territory's Palestinian residents. The Handala's crew had said before their capture in a post on X that they would go on a hunger strike if the Zionist army intercepted the boat and detained its passengers. On board were activists from 10 countries, including two French MPs from the left-wing France Unbowed party, Emma Fourreau and Gabrielle Cathala. There are also American, European and Arab activists among those detained. A previous boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was also intercepted by the Zionist military in international waters on June 9 and towed to Ashdod. It carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The activists were eventually expelled by Zionist entity. – AFP
