The news is now official: the animal found dead on March 10 in La Celle-les-Bordes, near Rambouillet, was indeed a wild wolf. After two months of waiting, the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) confirmed that it was a gray wolf (Canis lupus), weighing around fifty kilos, from the Italo-Alpine lineage.
One presence confirmed, one death suspicious
The genetic identification was conclusive: its DNA had already been detected in Haute-Savoie, implying a journey of several hundred kilometers. But while the predator's presence is no longer in doubt, the circumstances of its death remain unclear. The Versailles prosecutor's office has opened legal proceedings, notably to determine whether the animal was killed by humans, which would constitute a crime, as the wolf is a strictly protected species. An autopsy has been ordered... but has not yet been performed. The delay is intriguing, as is the slow communication about the case.
A predator in search of territory
Why did a wolf come to the Yvelines region? The area offers an ideal habitat: abundant game, water, and large wooded areas. Rumors are already circulating about its role in the recent deaths of three calves found disemboweled, in a style characteristic of this super-predator. For now, the case is raising as many questions as it is tensions in a region unaccustomed to living with wolves. What if the pack the animal was trying to found was only a matter of time?
