• Near Rennes, a motorist was seriously injured by the shooting of a hunter while traveling on a busy four-lane between Nantes and Rennes.

  • Several mayors of the territory have written to the authorities to demand measures to regulate the practice.

  • The proliferation of wild boars also questions the elected representatives of this rural territory, often confronted with complaints from farmers.

She had been particularly touched by the sudden media coverage of the attack on several cats by a pack of hunting dogs in her town in September. Target of threats and attacks by anti-hunting activists, the mayor of Laillé saw a new dramatic accident occur in her town this weekend.

While driving on the RN157 connecting Nantes to Rennes, a 67-year-old man from Maine-et-Loire was very seriously hit by a 9.3 mm caliber shot. A 69-year-old hunter suspected of being behind the shooting was indicted on Monday. His victim was still between life and death on Tuesday. But the accident continues to make people talk so much it has shocked. First, because it intervenes in a context where the practice is more and more contested. But also because accidents, if they remain relatively rare, are more publicized.

It is in this context of strong division that five mayors of the southern outskirts of Rennes have decided to write to political leaders, from the Minister of Energy Transition Barbara Pompili to the local deputy Gaël Le Bohec via the prefect of Brittany Emmanuel. Berthier.

Françoise Louapre, mayor of Laillé, joined forces with the mayors of Bruz, Pont-Péan, Orgères and Noyal-Châtillon-sur-Seiche to sign this open letter in order to "take all the necessary measures to guarantee the public security ”of fellow citizens.

Reinforced medical control

Elected officials demand in particular "a reinforced medical check" for all hunters, regardless of the category of weapon. As for sports activities, "it seems essential to us that the practice be more controlled" and this "even if it is not considered as a sport". Elected officials would like a different hunting license to be applied for depending on the weapon used. On Saturday, the driver was hit by rifle fire, with a range of up to two kilometers.

Often at the forefront of conflicts between residents and hunters, mayors are regularly contacted by farmers in their territory. The latter, annoyed to see their corn crops ravaged by wild boars, often ask for the organization of beatings, as was the case during the accident involving cats in Laillé. “This overpopulation of wild boars, increasingly abundant year after year, is becoming an issue of public safety and loss of biodiversity. Animals are causing increasing agricultural damage in our municipalities and the department. The evolution of the size of animals also raises questions, ”raise the five mayors. To cope, hunters must grow their packs, increasing the risk of non-control.

This new accident comes after the EELV presidential candidate Yannick Jadot said Friday he wanted to ban hunting during weekends and school holidays.

In Rennes, an investigation was opened to try to understand the circumstances of the tragedy which struck this motorist.

Society

Hunting accidents: "There is no such thing as zero risk", says Willy Schraen, boss of hunters

Miscellaneous

Ille-et-Vilaine: How did a hunter seriously injure a motorist?

  • Wild boar

  • Mayor

  • Accident

  • Rurality

  • Hunt

  • Hunters

  • Reindeer

  • Society