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Provence & Côte d'Azur: Total number of sheep killed in 2014 rises to 1,700
Further attacks by wolves in the Mercantour National Park this week have left dozens of sheep dead and shepherds feeling threatened. The increase in attacks has led to calls from the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, for controls on the wolf population.

According to France3, since the turn of the year there have been 450 wolf attacks in the Mercantour National Park, which have left 1,700 sheep dead. An increased number of recent attacks have been during daylight hours which is a worrying trend for breeders. In July, shepherds told Metronews that their flocks with constantly being "harassed" by the wolves.

The presence of wolves in the Mercantour region has been noted since the early 1990s and there are now believed to be around 300 adults roaming the area. An annual cull of up to 36 wolves is allowed under new regulations, as well the permission for individual farmers to shoot wolves on their property for six months following an attack on their flocks. However, with the population of wolves reported, by le Figaro, to be growing by up to twenty percent every year, for some, the law doesn't go far enough.

In the attack this week, a shepherd was nearly killed when wolves forced him and his flock to the edge of a precipice. Twenty sheep fell off in the scramble and were killed by the fall. According to France3 this particular attack "shocked" Christian Estrosi and prompted him to ask the authorities to "grant hunters and shepherds more leeway in the shooting of wolves which are involved in attacks." The Mayor of Nice added that "it can be seen that the presence of such a predator in our areas of human activity is incompatible."