In one corner of the farm, a tarpaulin and some wooden pallets stand out. Tracie Oeuvrard hastily improvised this makeshift shelter to hide Venus’s mangled body until the matador was available. The wolf didn’t give her heifer a chance. “I didn’t think this would happen to us”sighs the 22-year-old breeder, still shaken by the attack that occurred on September 8 on her farm located in Premiers-Sapins (Doubs).
Tracie, who works with her father in dairy farming in the County, looks after a hundred cows, heifers and calves. “People don’t realize how much we love our animals.she says. We saw them born, grow up, we took care of them every day… I hope Venus has not suffered too much.”the farmer reveals, moved to tears, before handing him the phone and looking away. Photos of the slaughter appear on the screen. “To rip off a shoulder like that… allows you to imagine the force of the attack.comments. The wolf also grabbed her by the snout and neck, and tore her to pieces. There were traces of blood everywhere. »
Tracie goes to bed every night and gets up every morning. “the lump in the stomach”tormented by a question: “Will the wolf attack others?” Under pressure, and although winter is still far away, the young farmer has brought her heifers back to her stables. “Nobody is at peace here, some breeders have done it like me. » Nonsense considering the AOP county specifications, which favor grazing.
A recent return
The Alps have learned to get back on their feet with the wolf, but in the Jura massif, its recent return is shaking up the standards and shaking up the regional sector, which produces 70,000 tonnes of cheese each year. The first bite on the skin of a Montbéliarde dates back to August 2022. Since then, the dog has taken a liking to it. Nearly seventy attacks have been recorded in Doubs, including about fifteen in 2024.
“We suspected that the wolf would come to our house, but what surprised us was that it attacked livestock, especially in such large numbers. In the Alps, it is mainly sheep that are “preyed upon””explains Philippe Monnet, president of the Doubs Chamber of Agriculture. “A real trauma for the affected farmerssupports Florent Dornier, president of the departmental federation of farmers’ unions. They feel that the fight is unfair and that no matter what we do, the wolf will win. It is going around in their heads, some are on the verge of exhaustion. Losing a heifer is one thing, but losing sleep is another. »
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