Wolf attack kills 64 sheep in France’s Vercors, farmer confirms

Farmer Sébastien Robert confirmed on Tuesday, 8 September, that a wolf attack killed 64 sheep from his flock overnight on 30–31 August in Bouvante, in France’s Vercors massif. Around 20 animals remained missing, he told AFP, whose report was published by [Le Parisien](https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/un-chiffre-jamais-vu-plus-de-60-brebis-tuees-dans-une-attaque-de-loups-dans-le-vercors-08-09-2026-V4HSNPMFONHB5BC737KODEVK6U.php).

The flock numbered 580 animals grazing on mountain pasture, AFP reported. The missing sheep are separate from the confirmed deaths: the published account does not establish their fate. Although the news emerged on Tuesday, the attack happened more than a week earlier.

In its evening coverage, [Le Dauphiné Libéré](https://www.ledauphine.com/faits-divers-justice/2026/09/08/c-est-un-carnage-dans-le-vercors-un-eleveur-perd-64-de-ses-brebis-tuees-par-le-loup) reported that the French biodiversity agency, the Office français de la biodiversité, had officially attributed the 64 deaths to wolves. The newspaper described local mayors and fellow livestock farmers gathering around Robert at his farm in Oriol-en-Royans on Tuesday morning to offer support.

Jean-Jacques Dallon, the mayor of Oriol-en-Royans, called for stronger wolf population control in comments to AFP. He described the scale of the losses as apparently unprecedented for an outdoor attack. That assessment remains his characterisation; the sources reviewed do not establish a verified national record.

The immediate consequences concern Robert’s flock and livelihood. Le Dauphiné Libéré described his distress and reported that he had already experienced wolf attacks. Its account puts the farmer’s losses at the centre of a dispute over how livestock can be protected where wolves are present.

The wider policy background has changed. The [Council of the EU](https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2025/06/05/habitats-directive-council-gives-final-approval-to-the-new-protection-status-of-wolves/) approved weaker EU protection for wolves in June 2025, giving countries more management flexibility while retaining conservation obligations. In coverage of the preceding parliamentary vote, [VRT NWS](https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/05/08/wolf-beschermingsstatus-europees-parlement/) reported opposition from a coalition including WWF, which urged greater attention to livestock protection measures.

For Belgium, the connection is that shared European framework. The Council explicitly allows countries to retain stricter protection; this French incident itself establishes no change to Belgian policy.

The outstanding questions are the fate of the missing animals and the response to this particular attack. The reporting reviewed does not specify compensation, a new control operation or a timetable for further official findings. A direct agency assessment would also clarify the evidence behind the reported attribution.