A large, exhausted deer escaped French hunters with the help of environmental activists after he sought refuge near a building site north of Paris. The anti-hunting group AVA released footage of the deer, who was falling on the street from exhaustion.
The stag was completely out of breath, with his tongue out of his mouth, collapsing on the street in the city of Compiegne on Saturday. He was surrounded by hunting dogs, police and bystanders.
Environmentalists chased away the dogs, after which the panicked deer gets up, crashes into metal fencing, and then escapes back into the woods.
AVA spokesman Stanislas Broniszewski said his group had been tracking a deer hunt on Saturday when they spotted the animal.
“As more and more bystanders witnessed the scene, the hunters had to retreat and let the animal go. This kind of thing happens several times a week, but normally it remains hidden in the woods,” Broniszewski told Reuters.
“They are setting 50 to 60 dogs free in nature to hunt wild animals. It is no longer acceptable to torture animals for hours like that,” Broniszewski said.
Hunting groups say the activity is legal and should not be interfered with. “These images are regrettable and which society today does not accept, which we understand,” French hound hunting association head Pierre de Roualle said on BFM TV.
AVA and other environmental organizations want to organize a national referendum to ban hunting with horses and hounds.
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