she accuses the hunters of having stressed her horse to death

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Did a horse die from stress caused by a gunshot? The question is currently agitating the equestrian microcosm of Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines) and will perhaps soon also concern to justice.

L’association One Voice has just filed a complaint against a lieutenant of louveterie des Yvelines. This hunter charged by the prefecture with the regulation of species is accused by an equine owner of being responsible for the death of her animal.

Night shooting authorized by the prefecture

The facts date back to November 5, 2024. That evening, the wolf scout, accompanied by two other hunters, carried out night shots against wild boars in the Maisons-Laffitte park area. The operation is authorized by a prefectural decree.

Around 11 p.m., the hunting team tried to kill a wild boar at the level of the equestrian training center. A shot rings out, the animal escapes and disappears into the night.

Subsequently, the three men have an argument with a resident of a stable, Isabelle Dreyfus, the owner of the deceased horse. She came into contact with them in the small woods adjoining her property, reproaching them for sound of detonation.

“The walls shook in my house”

“I heard a monster gunshot, the walls shook in my house. My horses panicked,” she assures 78actu, after posting on social networks, via the environmental association Futur of which she is a member, a video in which she tells her story.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCj1sbYtLEs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA ==

The matter could have ended there. Except that, the next morning, Koukou, 26 year old horseis found dead in his box by the owner. The night before, the animal was sweating a lot and seemed particularly stressed, as the cubs pointed out to the owner in a second, rather “courteous” exchange later in the evening.

No autopsy

For Isabelle Dreyfus, there is no doubt, Koukou died of stress caused by the detonation. “It’s very concomitant,” she adds. You don't have to be a great cleric to see a cause and effect link. He was scared, it killed him. He was doing very well before that. » She did not have an autopsy performed to support her claims.

According to our information, in his report transmitted to the authorities, the lieutenant of louveterie recounts the incident with the resident and indicates that he respected all the safety rules that evening.

The Louveterie lieutenant denies any responsibility

According to him, the shooting in question was carried out from the equestrian training center, at About 150 meters from the complainant's home, with a hunting rifle equipped with a silencer and a thermal scope. He himself carried night vision binoculars.

He disputes any link between his action and the death of the animal, claiming to have been in front of the Dreyfus property to look for the wild boar who had escaped his shot.

The owner, of which another of her horses would be fell ill following this incident, assures on the contrary that given the noise, he could only have pulled the trigger very close to his home. “I don’t understand how we can authorize hunting in urban areas,” she says indignantly.

The wolf scout also plans to go to court

The animal rights association One Voice is stepping up to the plate for her with this complaint for “unintentional harm to the life of an animal” and “endangering the lives of others”. She also requests the dismissal of the lieutenant of louveterie who would consider suing those who accuse him for defamation.

“The regulation of wild boars leads to this type of abuse, with people not always properly trained, authorized to fire weapons of war,” declares its president, Muriel Arnal, openly anti-hunting. These practices are ineffective, cruel and dangerous. If we let the wolves come, they would do it much better. »

The mayor speaks of wild boar invasion in his city

Jacques Myard (LR), the mayor of Maisons-Laffitte – the city of horses with its racecourse and its numerous stables – believes that this history must be brought back “to its proper proportion”.

“The horse was not injured by the louveterie lieutenant, who is an experienced person. Was he afraid? It's possible, but then again, he wasn't hit by a bullet. Wild boars have invaded Maisons-Laffitte. They cause damage to properties and public spaces. We have already seen them in the city center. We must act and put an end to their proliferation because it is becoming problematic. »

Man sentenced for causing death of animal by firecrackers

In the past, justice had already sentenced a man to four months suspended prison sentence for the fatal stress he had caused to an equine, as reported by Linfo.re.

During a Christmas Eve in 2011in Reunion, he lit firecrackers in a stable, causing several animals to flee, one of which died from an attack of colic caused by the incident.

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