Joy like a boar that faces death allowed to stay with the owner

Animal rights campaigners in France are celebrating after a domestic boar facing death threats was allowed to stay with its owner.

The boar, named Rillette, was found in 2023 as a piglet by Elodie Cappé on her small horse farm in Chaource, central France, after apparently being abandoned by her mother.

The local authorities had refused Mme Cappé the necessary authorization to keep a wild animal. Unable to find a sanctuary to take Rillette, she faced the possibility of having to be euthanized.

A French court has now decided that the authority’s decision must be re-examined.

Mrs Cappé’s husband thought it was a joke when she came home with the boar on April 1 – April Fool’s Day – which she later raised.

She told the BBC that she had initially tried to release Rillette back into the wild, but the boar went on the rampage again.

“He’s happy here,” said Ms. Cappé.

Wild boars can carry diseases and cause nuisance to farmers due to their size. Weighing between 60-100 kg, according to the Woodland Trust, they are capable of tearing down fences, damaging fields and killing livestock.

While attacks on humans are rare, wild boars have been increasingly spotted in towns and cities across Europe – prompting officials to authorize culls in several countries.

When Ms Cappé’s local authority refused her permission to keep the wild animal – and unable to find a sanctuary that would take in the huge beast – she had two options.

She could give the boar to a woman who trained animals for movies for profit, or Rillette would be euthanized – neither of which she wanted to happen.

Ms Cappé described Rillette – whom she caresses and caresses – as her “best friend”.

“We both play a lot. You learn a lot of things. She knows how to sit (on command), lie down, play with the dogs.

“He joins us for horse rides. He sleeps with the dogs. He’s a clown! He spends his days playing fools.”

Keeping the boar, however, meant Ms Cappé faced a three-year prison sentence and a €150,000 (£127,000) fine.

His appeal to a French court gained worldwide attention. She said she received calls from Germany, Ukraine, Brazil, Canada and the United States while fighting the case.

Rillette’s story drew comparisons to a case in the United States last year, in which a tame squirrel named Peanut had a large following on social media. he was shot down by the authorities, which raised an outcry.

In France, animal rights activist and movie star Brigitte Bardot joined the campaign to save Rillette.

A court in the nearby town of Châlons-en-Champagne has now decided that the authorities must reconsider Ms Cappé’s original request.

He also ordered them to pay €15,000 (£12,700) in damages, according to Reuters.

The judge specified that “although the capture of live wild boars in the wild is in principle prohibited, the prefect nevertheless has the power to authorize it”.

Ms Cappé was ecstatic when her lawyer delivered the decision: “I started to party – I screamed very loudly as I was very happy.”

She said she was going to buy a cake and drink champagne, explaining that cake, along with apples, are one of her pet’s favorite foods.

Additional reporting by Aleks Phillips