{"id":13676,"date":"2025-07-22T14:16:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T12:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.praloup.com\/100-nature\/a-walk-with-the-local-animals\/"},"modified":"2025-10-02T15:29:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T13:29:22","slug":"a-walk-with-the-local-animals","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.praloup.com\/en\/100-nature\/a-walk-with-the-local-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"A walk with the local animals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A walk with the local animals<\/strong><\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Home<\/a><\/span> 100% Nature<\/a><\/span> A walk with the local animals<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n
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The Mercantour, a wild neighbour of<\/strong> Pra Loup<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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When we think of Pra Loup, we often think of skiing, hiking, grandiose landscapes. But what we sometimes forget is that just a stone’s throw from the resort hides one of the most beautiful wild territories in France: the Mercantour National Park. An open-air sanctuary, where animals live in complete freedom… if you know how to take the time to observe them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This park is much more than a nature reserve: it is a real living territory, straddling the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes, where alpine and Mediterranean influences intersect. It is home to more than 9,000 animal species. Yes, nine thousand! Suffice to say that each walk is an opportunity to meet. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jacques Blanc<\/div><\/div>

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And here are some of them! <\/h3><\/div>\n\n
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A jewel to be protected<\/h2><\/div>\n\n
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Thomas Bruno<\/div><\/div>\n

But first, what is a national park? It is a protected territory, where we take care of both biodiversity and the reception of the public. It is divided into two areas: the “heart of the park”, which is strictly regulated, and the “adhesion area”, where you can walk more freely. Uvernet-Fours, the municipality of Pra Loup, has 46% of its territory in the heart of the park. That’s how much we live in contact with nature here. <\/p>

And this history goes back a long way: in the nineteenth century, an Italian king (Victor-Emmanuel II) had already sensed the importance of protecting the local fauna. He forbade hunting in this territory to save the chamois. This first royal reserve became, much later, the Mercantour National Park, officially created in 1979. <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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Thomas Bruno<\/div><\/div>

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One of my best hikes: The lakes of the Cayolle<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

To really connect with this nature, nothing beats a good walk. Head for the Col de la Cayolle, a few bends from Pra Loup. An accessible and peaceful hike of about 4 hours takes you to the high-altitude lakes. The setting? Alpine pastures, scree, torrents… and silence. The real thing. The one where you hear the wind, the cries of birds, the whistling of marmots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a little patience, you might come across:<\/p>\n\n\n\n