Ühiskonna vastukajad huntide Prantsusmaale taasilmumisele. Katse analüüsida kuulujuttude tõe pähe võtmist
Social Reactions to the Return of Wolves in France: a tentative Analysis in Taking `Rumours' seriously

Summary/Abstract: Since the beginning of the 1990's, the return of wolves in France has caused a passionate controversy, pitting the militant environmentalists, who see in their reappearance the crowning of the restoration of primeval nature maimed by the excesses of human exploitation, and the mountain sheep-farmers, for whom their return points to a conspiracy aimed at evicting them from the territories they have developed through sheep-farming. If one wants to understand these debates, it is necessary to go beyond the slogans and what has been taken for granted. Instead one needs to pay attention to the generally despised social discourse of rumours. This paper will describe how the situation has evolved from the spring of 1993, when first announcement of the "official" return of wolves in France appeared until the spring of 2000, when the official Wolf Plan, a plan to regulate the species according to the geographical areas where it appears, was adopted. The author describes the opposition between sheep-farmers and their political representatives from the mountain areas, the associations of ecologists and friends of the wolves, various administrations. Another issue discussed in the paper is the generally ignored existence of uncontrolled wolf-raising in France, leading up to their release (either voluntary or accidental). This fact is also linked to the evolution of the image of wolf. From the most rejected of species to the emblem of a reconstructed natural wilderness, the wolf remains an "animal of the utmost", polarizing passions. An analysis of rumours about wild animals and their truth value is presented. These rumours, involving themes of animal-release, exist all over the world and one of their main manifestations is the variously attested ubiquity of Mystery Cats. The article concludes with reflections on the future of the wild wolf in France.

• Details
• Contents