In Chasse-sur-Rhône, just 30 minutes from Lyon, a wolf was spotted in the heart of the urban area in the middle of the night. On Wednesday around 4:15 AM, a driver captured a scene straight out of a movie: a wolf casually trotting down Rue de la Liberté, beneath the streetlights. The animal, far from panicking, moved calmly before disappearing toward the road to Communay. It was a rare sighting, reported by BFM Lyon and quickly went viral.
The French Office for Biodiversity has confirmed the video: it is indeed a gray wolf. Thanks to the quality of the images, experts had no doubt in identifying the canid. A confirmation...
tion that gives weight to this observation, and especially clears up any confusion with a stray dog. The wolf is no longer just a phantom silhouette in the Alpine forests: it now shows up at the outskirts of cities.Repeated sightings that raise questions
A few weeks earlier, another wolf had already been filmed in the same area, near the border with Ternay. Two sightings in less than three weeks in a suburban area is quite significant. Experts suggest the possibility of an individual who has integrated this territory into its regular movements, blurring the line between wild nature and urban space.
The gray wolf, a protected species in France, is gradually expanding its territory…
Close to populated areas. With around 1,100 individuals counted, the animal is slowly recolonizing regions where it had disappeared for over a century. But this expansion doesn’t come without some bumps along the way. While some welcome the return of rich biodiversity, others, particularly farmers, are experiencing growing concern.
A Very Real Threat for Farmers
Behind the stunning images, there is a harsher reality for the agricultural world. In the Rhône and Isère, several attacks on livestock have been reported in recent weeks. Sometimes significant losses in areas where the presence of wolves was not anticipated. The national plan includes protective measures, but on the ground, adaptation is still underway.