Bardot backs the big bad wolf
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An unlikely coterie of crack French troops, huntsmen, shepherds and Brigitte Bardot has come together in pursuit of the "wolf of Larzac", a beast said to have cost farmers 50 lambs since May. No one has actually seen the wolf, but apocrypha in the villages insist that a policewoman fired at it from 20 yards and missed.
Last weekend, the beast struck again, and an expeditionary force was mustered, including troops from the nearby base. The arrival of the soldiers had almost as much symbolic as practical value.
Twenty years ago, conservationists stopped the expansion of the base in Larzac, a wild highland in the centre of southern France, and it is still a byword for "alternative" lifestyles.
On Wednesday, though, a 200-strong posse set out to hunt the wolf. Since wolves are protected animals in France, the expedition needed a special licence - which is where Brigitte Bardot came in.
Her foundation for the protection of animals offered a reward of 10,000 francs (pounds 1,282) for the capture of the animal alive. As a result, the hunt was not quite united. The shepherds, it is reported, wanted the wolf dead, while some troops dreamt of man-to-wolf combat and seizing the beast alive.
All, alas, were to be disappointed as the the wolf stubbornly stayed away. Le Monde had a simple explanation: "There's always a wolf, a good old family wolf ... to save the 'silly season'. If there's nothing to say, no news - we say, let's go on a wolf hunt."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments