The Grands Causses, whether the Causse Méjean or the Causse de Sauveterre, are home to a large number of animals of all types, some of which live between the earth and the sky…
Herd of sheep and their shepherd, on the Causse Méjean.Herd of sheep and their shepherd, on the Causse Méjean.|
The animals of the Grands Causses
Sheep, vultures and wild horses ...The fauna of Grands Causses
Corniche hike with vulture watching.Corniche hike with vulture watching.|
DID YOU KNOW?
Vultures are birds of prey that measure over a metre!
#1
Vultures
The vultures that nest in the Gorges du Tarn et de la Jonte are numerous, as are kites and other birds of prey . There are several species of vulture: griffon vulture, black vulture, bearded vulture and Egyptian vulture.
Griffon vulture landing.Griffon vulture landing.|
#2
The birds
This dry, arid landscape is home to a large number of birds. Whether you’re an Alpine Accentor, a Red-billed Crab or a Wheatear, you’ll be able to spot them on your walks in the wilds of the Grands Causses…
Alpine Accentor Alpine Accentur, a rare bird of the Grands Causses|
Przewalski's horse on the Causse Méjean.Przewalski's horse on the Causse Méjean.|
#3
Przewalski’s horse
The Grands Causses is also a land of welcome: Przewalski’s horses, no longer found in the wild, have found refuge here. Here, they learn to acclimatize to the harsh living conditions of their natural environment, the Mongolian steppes, before being reintroduced. The TAKH association, created in 1990, is at the origin of this project, and has been involved for over 20 years in the preservation of these horses, as well as in the study of equine populations, thus facilitating the management of the reintroduced population.
#4
Ewes and agropastoralism
Last but not least, how could we fail to mention the enduring inhabitants of these arid plateaus? Ewes, man’s companions for millennia, are perfectly adapted to the arid climate and sparse vegetation of these high plateaus. Their breeding has shaped the landscapes of the Grands Causses and the architecture of the Caussen hamlets.
As a result, the Grands Causses and Cévennes are listed by UNESCO as a “cultural landscape of Mediterranean agro-pastoralism”. Even if today’s farming methods have changed, sheep farming continues to be one of the main activities of the Grands Causses, and you’ll come across numerous flocks and large sheepfolds along the way.
Lacaune ewes grazing on the Sauveterre plateau Lacaune ewes grazing on the Sauveterre plateau |
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