This article was written as part of the "Impact" section of Omalius #25 (June 2022).

Loup

We all have its image and a story in our heads.  Its mention is synonymous with the fear and anguish that have been damaging to it. Persecuted by man for hundreds of years, the wolf had disappeared from many European countries by the end of the 19th century.

In recent decades, they have gradually re-colonised their former territories. But this without causing cohabitation problems with man. 

This is why Wallonia adopted a "Plan for harmonious cohabitation with the wolf" (Plan Loup) in June 2020. It is inspired by the plans developed in neighbouring countries and proposes concrete solutions to facilitate the return of the wolf, for example by reinforcing the protection of the species, detection and monitoring measures, broadening the possibilities of compensation, advice from specialists and prevention aids, and awareness-raising actions. 

Julie Duchêne, FNRS doctoral student in history, explains: "My research allows us to study and understand the situation in Wallonia in the 18th and 19th centuries, before the wolf disappeared. What was its relationship with man? What were the processes and factors that led to its destruction? This is the first study of its kind covering the territory of Wallonia. This thesis also contributes to deconstructing preconceived ideas.  The wolf has a bad reputation, particularly because of tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, in which it is presented as devouring humans."

Duchêne Julie
Bolkaerts B

Benoît Bolkaerts is an expert in the Wolf Network and is close to the breeders. He knows the problems in the field very well. "Currently, there are few wolves in Wallonia. There is a pack in Flanders and one in the Fagnes, made up of two adults and three or four pups, and an isolated male, which could give birth to a second pack. Traces have been found near Courrière and Ciney, but these are isolated individuals passing through," he said.  However, some ewes have been killed, which represents financial losses for farmers, in addition to the fear that this can generate. Preventive measures, such as anti-wolf fences on the Haugimont estate, are being tried out.  "These are electrified fences 1.20m high.  It is very expensive to install, but also to maintain. There are also guard dogs, but I'm not in favour of that, because it's dangerous for the public," he adds.

Julie is currently studying old records of bounties paid to hunters to get rid of wolves. "At the time, they also organised drives, the herds were smaller, with little or no financial investment. The herdsman was sometimes a child or a teenager and did not always have a dog. The current problem is complex, because it involves environmental, economic, political and scientific elements that need to be studied from various angles and with the help of different sources, in collaboration and dialogue between the different actors," Julie explains. 

Benoît continues: "Yes, there is a balance to be maintained. And then, everything has evolved. Even the fauna. Twenty years ago, the Haugimont estate was full of rabbits, then there were wild boars and now there are deer. We have to accept the presence of the wolf. Have you heard of the wolf Billy? In 2020, this isolated animal started to attack sheep and cattle in the stables near Liège. It then went back to the Vosges, where it had to be eliminated, because this type of attack is not a normal behaviour for this predator. The wolf naturally prefers game (deer, roe deer, wild boar) to domestic prey.  Its habitat is the forest and its territory must be large enough, i.e. about 150 km². It is an extremely shy animal, it will have smelled you and run off long before you can see it. As far as I'm concerned, there's room for everyone.

With their complementary points of view, our interlocutors both agree on the fact that the world is made of 50 shades of grey and that one has to deal with the circumstances. There are many different situations in livestock farming and it is necessary to establish a balance between nature and economic needs, in consultation with those involved on the ground. Cohabitation with the wolf is not necessarily a matter of confrontation.

Portraits

Julie Duchêne is currently working on a thesis in environmental history entitled "The history of the wolf in Wallonia" (18th-19th centuries), under the supervision of Isabelle Parmentier. Funded by a FRESH grant (FNRS) in 2020, the research project is carried out in partnership with the Department for the Study of the Natural and Agricultural Environment (SPW-DEMNA). After a bachelor's degree in history at UNamur and a master's degree in history, specialising in 'communication of history' at UCL, Julie is doing a master's degree specialising in journalism. She wanted to have the tools and knowledge to properly communicate research projects to the public. Combining basic and applied research with popularisation has always been close to her heart.

Benoît Bolkaerts is in charge of the CRO (Centre de recherche Ovine) located in Faulx-les-Tombes and an expert within the Réseau Loup. This network of observers, created by the Walloon Public Service (SPW) in 2017 and managed by the Department for the Study of the Natural and Agricultural Environment (SPW-DEMNA), centralises, analyses and validates all evidence of the presence of the wolf.  Benoît was in charge of the experimentation of anti-wolf fences at the Haugimont estate.

Une Omalius 25

This article was written as part of the "Impact" section of Omalius #25 (June 2022).

Read Omalius #25 online (in French).