The woods, mountains and valleys in the Pays de Murat are home to a multitude of wild life. Even if it is possible to catch a glimpse of some animals while out walking, you will have more chance of seeing them in their natural habitat if you are with an experienced guide.

Discover stags rutting

Many stags, deer and wild goats live in the deciduous and evergreen woods of the Pinatelle forest.

Between February and August, stags and deer live apart, but from the end of August the stags search to regain the deer herd. It is time for the stags to rut, and it marks the beginning of a strategy of seduction.

September and October, at this time of year it is a privilege to witness the stags rutting.

Leave from the Maison de la Pinatelle
Tel 04 71 20 03 52

Outings are also organized in the Santoire valley

 

Surprise the wild sheep

They were implanted in Corsica, and later introduced in the Cantal in the 1960’s.These hoofed animals, originally from Asia Minor have very quickly adapted to the open spaces in the Pays de Murat.

They live in colonies of twenty or so animals and they can be seen around the Chamalière cirque area or along the ridges in the Santoire valley.

 

Catch a glimpse of the chamois

The chamois have found in the Santoire valley, and around the Plomb du Cantal, a rich and varied environment which is suitable to their rapid adaptation, and to the race’s progression.
At sunset, when the mountain regains its calm, they come out of the woods and climb to the summits. That is why it is possible to spot their leaping silhouettes along the ridges..

 

Watch the marmots

In the spring, after 6 months of hibernation, the marmots re- surface, leaving behind their straw lined burrows.
There are many marmots in the Plomb du Cantal area, but you can also see them and listen to their characteristic whistling around the Chamalière cirque and the Santoire valley area.