an environmental senator invites himself on a hunt in the Aisne

Chasing hunters out of the forest is the objective of elected environmentalists who invite themselves to hunting parties with hounds, accompanied by association activists, to better denounce this practice which they consider archaic and cruel. Daniel Salmon, the senator for Europe Ecology-Les Verts from Ille-et-Vilaine (Brittany) invited himself to a party in the forest of Retz in the Aisne.

>> 50 personalities, including Claude Lelouch and Brigitte Bardot, demand the abolition of hunting with hounds

Tricolor scarf hidden in his pocket, Daniel Salmon sinks, hiking shoes on, in a muddy path. “He never lock yourself in your ivory tower”, launches the senator. AT barely arrived, he starts running with activists from the collective “Agir pour la vie animal”, in order to catch up with the hunt which has already begun and obtain proof of what they consider to be an act of cruelty: the tracking of a deer by a pack of dogs in the lined.

“The tradition must be alive, otherwise it’s no longer a tradition, it’s a sclerotic thing.”

Daniel Salmon, environmental senator

on franceinfo

“They disturb the entire forest, sorry Daniel Salmon. If I understand correctly, the goal is to lonely at least one deer to go all the way.”

Of the hunters on horseback, in black coats with hunting horns slung over their shoulders, gallop five centimeters from the environmental senator. “It is anachronistic, one has the impression of being in the Old Regime, with Monsieur the Baron who is on his horse!”, he laughs.

A man approaches. “We have just learned that a senator is present”, asks Bruno, who presents himself as a follower. “My pleasure is that. There are some weirdos who want to stop us from doing something that is completely legal and does no harm to anyone.”he blurts out.

To avoid the conflict, the senator walks away. “This kind of hunting, like other cruel hunts, must be abolished.” points Daniel Salmon. Near, the tone shows between Léa, an anti-hunting activist, and Bruno, the enthusiast. “This National road is very accident-prone and there are accidents because of hunting with hounds every year. Last year, they hunted on the National on horseback”warns the activist. “Oh the villains”ironically Bruno.

“I come to see the chase as others go to watch a game.”

Bruno, a supporter of hunting with hounds

on franceinfo

“What is missing is a law, adds Leah. We are alerting to problems that have been serious for years and we have had measures. We were not even told ‘We have understood the problem, now we are taking measures’… Perhaps in the Senate and the National Assembly, we forget a little, it is good that people return to the field to remember what matters in people’s daily lives”.

>> Hunting with hounds: a deer hunted down and killed in the middle of town in the Oise

The environmentalist senator has tabled a bill to completely ban hunting with hounds, which he intends to defend with his experience in the forest of Retz. take in account the balances in Parliament, the text has little chance of succeeding.