Meeting
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It all started two weeks ago. A resident of the small town of Angoustrine-Villeneuve-des-Escales spotted a wandering male gray wolf near the houses.
Sluggish, visibly very tired, it walked towards the shoreline without showing any sign of fear or mistrust, even allowing her to take a close-up picture of it.
Sick
After this surprising first meeting, the woman returned to her normal activities, while keeping in mind this incredible event.
But her new protégé did not return to the mountains, obviously separated from the rest of its pack. Thus, on two other occasions, she found the gray wolf and the last time was Tuesday, January 29th.
Isolated
Out of pity for the poor canine, the Pyrenees resident decided to catch the gray wolf, which surprisingly didn't resist. She decided to warm it up in a friend's garage, trying to help it and perhaps cure it.
Once security forces were alerted, intervention took place in the garage on the evening of Tuesday, January 29, as the sub-prefect of the city of Prades, Laurent Alaton, explained to our colleagues at L'Indépendant.
Too old
On-site, firefighters, a veterinarian and ONCFS agents examined the gray wolf. Very sick and irrevocably nearing death, they made the decision to euthanize the beast.
In nature, and particularly in gray wolves (very gregarious animals), it is not uncommon for old or sick individuals to leave the pack to isolate themselves and end their lives alone, far from the group. That's probably what happened to this canine.
