| Visitors to France expect to see medieval villages | | | | sheep farmers who complain the loudest, about the |
| and magnificent scenery, but the wild animals that live | | | | wolves killing their livestock. But the statistics seem |
| in the countryside are usually forgotten. However, | | | | to show that the threat from wolves is really |
| France has very large areas of unspoiled countryside, | | | | extremely small. Despite what you might expect, |
| allowing many rare and unusual species to live in | | | | wolves will almost always run and hide rather than |
| peace, above all in the forests and in the | | | | seek a confrontation with humans, and on a visit to |
| mountainous regions. | | | | the mountains you are very unlikely to see a wolf. |
| Perhaps best know, because they frequently get in | | | | The lynx, a large wild cat, has also been successfully |
| the news, are the Pyreneean bears. Several of these | | | | reintroduced in the mountains following earlier |
| brown bears have been released in the mountains in | | | | extinction across France and most of Europe. They |
| recent years, to the pleasure of environmentalists | | | | are now a highly protected species. |
| and the annoyance of local sheep farmers. | | | | Some other 'mountain mammals' are also unlikely to |
| Although sheep farmers get full compensation for | | | | be seen. The Alpine Marmot is very similar to (and |
| any sheep killed by bears, they still object noisily to | | | | closely related to) the American groundhog, and lives |
| their reintroduction and the danger they present. The | | | | above the tree-line in these mountainous regions. You |
| problem has emerged because over the last 100 | | | | may hear the curious marmot sound, half whistle and |
| years, with bears being almost extinct in France, the | | | | half bark, as it warns of your approach. |
| shepherds have stopped breeding the ferocious | | | | Two other unusual mountain animals are the ibex and |
| hunting dogs that used to protect the flocks. So now | | | | the chamois - both are 'large goat' types of animal. |
| that the bears are being reintroduced from Slovenia, | | | | Both are also very good mountain climbers, and may |
| the sheep have little protection. | | | | even be seen on mountain tops if food is present. A |
| While you are thinking about the threat from bears in | | | | chamois has even been reported as seen near the |
| France, remember there are perhaps 20 bears in | | | | summit of Mont Blanc. By preference they live in the |
| France and 5,000 in New York City! | | | | lower regions where food is more plentiful- it is the |
| The second large mammal to get a hard time in | | | | presence of man that has forced them high up the |
| France is the wolf. Hunted to extinction in the | | | | mountains. |
| country by the 1930's, the wolves have now | | | | So you can feel safe to visit France, even the |
| re-entered France from Italy and live in remote | | | | mountains, but be aware that when you are walking |
| places in the Alps, especially the Mercantour Alps. | | | | a quiet path through a high, rugged, region you might |
| Not surprisingly, as with the Pyreneean bears it is the | | | | not be alone... |