In Mayenne, dog hair to scare wild animals

Why not recycle dog hair to help the agricultural community? It’s the idea of ​​a certain Elodie Royer, canine groomer from the Mayenne department. For several months, she has been giving dog hair to local farmers, individuals, and an environmental association, the Permanent Center for Environmental Initiatives (CPIE).

A bright idea to avoid waste but also, above all, to help field workers, often finding their crops ransacked by wild animals such as deer or wild boar. Each year in France, game would be held responsible for more than 80 million euros in damage. A situation that Elodie could not let pass without finding a solution, which seems to be bearing fruit. “We said to ourselves: why not try it? And it works. It scares the animals, it helps the farmers and that’s great”exclaims the shopkeeper.

Poodles, German Shepherds, Bichons… Each week, the groomer collects more than 150 liters of hair from several species of dogs and donates them immediately. In February, they were laid down to protect a 300-meter bocage hedge, just planted. The subterfuge seemed to work to protect crops or young shoots, as noted by Raphaël Vendé, project manager for the CPIE Mayenne. “it works: in the areas where we planted the dog hair, I did not see any plant being eaten or being pulled out. To see and test on other places but it remains effective for the moment”.