Posted on 07/29/2011 3:51:49 AM PDT by marktwain
A bloody, stinking sheep's carcass greets shepherd Yves Vignon as he walks to check on his flock on the foggy Alpine heights. It's the 17th of his ewes to be savaged in a month.
The mountains over Grenoble were once an ideal grazing ground for his 900 sheep. But now, after long banishment, the wolves are back -- bolder and hungrier than ever.
"We came to this spot on June 24. A week later we were attacked" by wolves, Vignon, 62, told AFP. It was the first of at least four attacks over the past month.
"Every morning when I get up, I wonder what I am going to find on the spot where the sheep have spent the night," he says. "I'm not here to feed those wolves!"
Wolves were eradicated in France in the 1930s, but made a comeback in the southern Alps in 1992, crossing from Italy. They have spread through eastern France, first to the Savoy and this year to the Vosges and Doubs regions.
The predators have also appeared in the Pyrenees and in the heart of France in the Massif Central mountain range, but the government says these far-flung wolves also originate from the Italian pack.
Regional authorities estimate the French wolf population at between 170 and 200 this year, up from 140 to 170 last year. The government says wolves killed 1,329 animals, mostly sheep, in France this year up to July 22.
"We are beginning to wonder if there is a type of wolf that has no fear... since humans are not doing anything to them," says Pascal Grosjean, a French government wolf expert.
One such pack of fearless wolves swooped on a flock in broad daylight under the noses of two shepherds and five sheep dogs in the Alps in November
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
haha, wolf packs will make France seem like it’s gone back to the middle ages. All it needs now are tribal politics and religious fanatics executing those who disagree with bizarre religious edicts. oh, wait...
My little, short hammer double 12-guage is called ‘a lupara’.
That’s Italian for “short-barreled wolf Blaster”.
That’s for nighttime. Days I’d prefer the Mini-14.
Wolf medicine.
They should count their blessings. Wolves don’t burn cars, smash store fronts, or throw petrol bombs at police. That’s another animal.
I have something akin to a lupara...it is a short barreled 12 gauge double barrel hammer gun made for cowboy action shooting....it is called a Coach gun...as in riding shotgun on a stage coach
Mini 14 is a cool take on the m-14 or m-1 garand...but .223 is a little too lite for me...the mini-30 has a bit more ooomph....or better yet the M1A (or civilian, semi auto M-14)
The French are not the onlyones with Wolves.
Didn’t the enviro nuts turn loose a bunch of them in this country?
From the title I thought this article was going to be about the muslim take over of France.
I’ve heard some of the wolves in the American west are up near 200 lbs. I would agree the .223 is a little light for those.
Instead of whining Yves should take back the night.
Beast of Gevaudan bump...
The original little 80 - 100 lb American wolf no longer exists. The wolves which the environmental lunatics have been “re-introducing” into the south 48 are the 150 - 200 lb Canadian variety.
Shoot, shovel and shutup. It’s worked for decades.
I think a decent hit with a 55 grain softpoint would do the trick.
Wolfburger is NOT the goal, here. it’s protection of the flock.
bah AR-10 excels that heh.
In France, I think that Ruger would have to be chambered in a "civil" (non-military) caliber such as .222. As far as the "military" calibers, I don't recall whether it is the firearms that they restrict, or the availability of ammunition. Perhaps both.
Either way, said shepherd should be able to get some "wolf medicine". Of course, by the time his rifle purchase is approved, the wolves will probably have eaten all of his sheep.
I will take the M1a...or a FN FAL over your 'Stoner" weapon any day...
must up front say that I think Americans should be allowed pretty much any firearm that is able to be manufactured(thermonuclear devices not withstanding). I do not 'zumbo' AKs and ARs...but I have about enough of the AR phenomenon....if the direct impingment gas system was so good, why is everyone making their new improved ARs with pistons?
The FN was Canada’s workhorse assault rifle for years, very excellent rifle, just harder to find here, because most were converted from fully auto, so you need a prohibited license to get one (which you can’t get anymore). I only have restricted, so I have to deal with what I can get heh.
They will eventually have to leave...they’re herding them into a city. Agenda 21. We must rely on government to supply all our needs therefore we cannot be scattered. We’re looking at indentured servitude or slavery and that’s only for the fittest or who they deem as fit. The programmed mindset by that time will be...what are you contributing to society...
MSM Palin snark on shooting wolves in 3....2....1....
Look, I’m sure if the shepherds just sat down with the wolves, they would be able to convince them how much better tofu would be for them. After all, wolves are reasonable animals, aren’t they?
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