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In the Camargue (Stage 20), two species of semi-feral animal can be found – black cattle and white horses. These animals are privately owned and tended by local gardians (cowboys) but allowed to roam on the salt flats and marshes. The bulls are used to provide animals for local bull fights and for meat, while the horses are used as mounts for the gardians and for equestrian sports such as dressage and three-day-eventing.

Gardians (cowboys) from the Camargue gather in Arles for the bull running (Stage 19)

There is a wide range of interesting birdlife. White swans, geese and many varieties of ducks inhabit the river and its banks. Cruising above, raptors, particularly buzzards and kites, are frequently seen hunting small mammals, while flamingos can be found in the Camargue. Birds that live by fishing include cormorants, noticeable when perched on rocks with their wings spread out to dry, and grey herons, which can be seen standing in shallow water waiting to strike or stalking purposefully along the banks.