What exactly happened in the Tarn animal park? Details are not yet known. It was in any case closed until mid-January after the flight of nine wolves, four of which were shot and five other anesthetized, we learned from the prefecture on Friday.
“There was an incident with a pack of wolves that did not behave in a normal way” Sunday at the Trois Vallées zoo in Montredon-Labessonnié, said the secretary general of the prefecture of Tarn, Fabien Chaullet. “The owner had to kill four wolves and called on state services to anesthetize the other five. “
The incident occurred while this animal park, located about 35 km from Albi, was open. “There were not many people in the zoo and at no time, the public was put in immediate danger”, assured Fabien Chaullet, adding that this “security problem” however justified the closure of the zoo, effective since Thursday and “until security conditions return to normal”.
Already an administrative closure in 2020
The Trois Vallées zoo, which hosts over 60 hectares some 600 animals of 70 species, including big cats, had already been subject to an administrative closure measure, by ministerial order, on October 22, 2020 due to “major shortcomings” endangering the safety of animals, staff and visitors.
But the prefectural decree was suspended on the following November 2 by the Toulouse administrative court, “because of the serious and clearly illegal infringement of the right to property, the freedom to conduct business and the freedom of trade and commerce. industry ”, for lack of prior notice, according to a press release from the TA.
The owner of the Three Valleys, Sauveur Ferrara, then denounced a “relentlessness” of the authorities against him. Asked, the park management did not react on Friday and his website simply displayed the message : “Due to urgent works, the zoo is closed from December 23 to mid-January 2022”.