In Antiquity, the wolf symbolised both fertility and ferocity. The Romans portrayed the she-wolf as the adoptive mother of the founders of Rome and the male wolf as the companion of Mars, god of war. But with growing urbanisation, this positive view of the animal died away. Only the domesticated dog was welcome in town, while the mysterious and menacing forest fell under the control of its wild cousin, the wolf.
In Western forests, the wolf is the largest carnivore, along with the bear and the lynx. For a long time it was also the most common among them. It competed – even fought – with humans, sometimes targeting herds and occasionally attacking men.
In the Middle Ages, this elusive predator became the ideal personification of man's fears. The wolf was seen as the animal of the Devil, the accomplice of witches. It was hunted without mercy. In the 19th century, hunting and shrinking forest coverage led to its near extinction.
Today, significant numbers remain only in certain regions of North America, in Northern Asia and in Western Europe. In recent years, however, it has commenced a timid attempt at re-colonising its former European territories, including the Alps.
While it no longer scares city dwellers, some French breeders are violently opposed to its return, condemning wolf attacks on their herds as an added difficulty for farmers in a difficult economic context.
Yet some solutions are starting to pay off: on the other side of the nearby border, Italian breeders have learned to cohabit with wolves. Better versed in the habits of the predator, whose territories they share, and aided by guard dogs – albeit working in different conditions – they have shown that wolves can live and men can work in the same forest, together.
Extrait du livre « Des forêts et des hommes » rédigé par la rédaction de GoodPlanet à l'occasion de l'année internationale des forêts et disponible aux éditions de la Martinière.
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