Calf found dead in the Cévennes early in the morning: wolf attack suspected

Constat et prélèvements divers en présence du père de l’éleveur. MIDI LIBRE – andre joffart

L’animal a été découvert jeudi 3 octobre 2024, au petit matin à Sénéchas, un petit village situé au nord du Gard. Une enquête est en cours.

It was the children, leaving the school bus from the village square of Sénéchas, Thursday October 3rd, at 8 o'clock, who were the first to see the bloody body of the “night calf”, a formula used for a nocturnal birth. The driver and then the neighbor quickly confirmed the presence of the dead animal in its field right next to the church. The Cébélieu family, well known for their cattle breeding, were quickly alerted as well as the mayor, who quickly arrived on the scene because his town hall was a few meters away. The services of the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) were contacted and quickly dispatched two agents with the environmental police to carry out observations and take samples in order to try to determine the nature of the attack.

Traces of a bite on the neck

The easy prey is completely emptied of its viscera and a hind leg has been taken away by the aggressor. Bite marks on the neck are not very obvious. Traces of blood indicate the predator's path, taking the alley against the town hall and heading towards the path of the Roure mill, a very popular place for hikers and swimming enthusiasts. And, where wolf tracks have already been reported on the banks of the Cèze. The officer initially believes that the animal is solitary. “Several solitary wolves have been reported in the territory extended to the Hautes-Cévennes, near Mont Lozère”, say the members of the breeders' family. Malons, Bonnevaux, Sénéchas are mentioned. We know that a wolf was photographed at night near Champclauson.
Gérard Cébelieu reports that this is the second time that one of his calves has died in this way; it was in November 2016. A dog, like the second calf of this October 3rd, is killed at the beginning of the year!

Concern and waiting

Beyond the dismay of seeing his animals perish, the farmer is very worried about these attacks in the village. With his sons, he mentions the presence of children, hikers, and bivouac enthusiasts who frequently set up camp nearby. What will be the conclusions of the experts' report: stray dog, lone wolf, rejected by the pack and seeming to have taken up residence on Mont Lozère ? We will have to wait a month for a first hypothesis before the final report a few months later.

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