Sheep flock to Eiffel tower as farmers protest over wolf attacks
Frustrated farmers have flocked to the Eiffel Tower with their sheep to protest wolf attacks in the capital, and what they call the government's anti-farmer environmental policies.
The protesters have urged tougher measures against attacks by wolves which some say have been "overprotected" by the government.
Sheep grazed at the foot of Paris' most famous monument as the farmers demanded and effective plan to stop the attacks, reports the Telegraph.
"There is nothing natural about being eaten by wolves. We are against wolves from the moment they attack our farms," Claude Font, head of a sheep farmers' organisation from the central region of Auvergne, said ahead of the protest.
The government says its existing plan on preventing attacks and compensating farmers is sufficient, reports USA Today.
Animal activists were also present at the protest, calling for the protection of wolves.
The animals were hunted almost to extinction in France in the 1930s. Since they crossed back into the country from Italy in the 1990s, they have been protected and number around 300.
The last official figures in August showed 4,800 wolf attacks, mostly on sheep, so far this year.
"The damage to herders has become too great,"
France's Environment Minister Segolene Royal said in a statement. The distress of the farmers and their families should be better taken into account," she said.
{C}
Related stories
Wolves spotted near Paris for first time in 200 years
Wolf hunt resumes in France after increased attacks
