Fauna

There have always been plenty of stags around here over the centuries. If there had not been, François I would certainly never have chosen the place. Nowadays, stags are kept in large numbers (700 in fact) to facilitate their observation on the part of visitors and their capture by net (known as “panneautage”).

   

The wild boar has had its ups and down over the course of the centuries. Much prized by the hotheaded Marshal of Saxony, who delighted in hunting it, the animal was judged as being not quite the thing by the Princes de Bourbon Parme, who preferred small game. These days, the boar population is kept at high levels (up to 1200), for observation by the public and organisation of prestige hunts.

Unlike many other areas, Chambord is home to only a few roe deer (no more than 150).
The Corsican mouflon, a non-native species, was introduced into various mountainous regions of France in 1950. About 100 are kept at Chambord for scientific purposes.

There is also a wealth of regional forest animals that have made their homes here. The bird population, in particular, is extremely rich – 150 species in all, including 12 that are listed in Appendix I of the European Birds Directive. 7 species of animals are listed in Appendix II of the European Habitats Directive, including bats, newts and dragonflies. Salamanders also sometimes make an appearance.

Such outstanding diversity, along with good management of animal populations and the human resources employed in carrying it out, make Chambord a real centre of excellence for studying fauna.