The fox, a discreet animal, but which occupies the judges.
Useful for some, to be eliminated for others, it has become the symbol of the fight between the defenders of the animal condition and the hunters.
And the prefect of Seine-Maritime finds himself at the heart of the battle.
Classified as a harmful species by a 2012 decree, it can be hunted, but the Rouen administrative court has decided otherwise.
Seized two years ago by three animal rights associations, he has just canceled (lately) an order from the prefect which had authorized the slaughter of 850 goupils in 2020. To authorize operations to destroy foxes, the prefect was based on “the importance and the dynamics of the populations of foxes in the department”, recalled in its decision the court, which disputes the method of calculation used.
The state must also “pay 1,300 euros to associations”
The State representative also highlighted "the predation of this species on small game, more particularly gray partridges" as well as "the risk of spreading diseases transmissible to humans and carried by the fox", and " the need to protect poultry farms”.
Arguments that did not fly.
The decree canceled, the State must now "pay 1,300 euros to associations", specifies
Paris Normandy
.
The 30 million friends Foundation, considering that "the sensitivity and ecological role" of this animal are well established, reiterates its request to exclude it from the list of "pests".
In September 2020, the Rouen administrative court had already suspended an order from the prefect of Seine-Maritime authorizing the slaughter of 1,430 foxes.
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