“As more and more people arrived at the scene, the hunters were forced to retreat and leave the animal alone. This type of incident occurs several times a week” said a spokesperson for the French organization AVA
The image of a stag lying on the floor so exhausted that it’s panting with its tongue out and physically unable to continue running from hunters, is both shocking and sad. Fortunately the French organization Abolissons la Vénerie Aujourd’hui (AVA) was able to save it.
The heartbreaking incident took place on a stretch of road close to a construction site on the outskirts of Compiègne, a city to the north of Paris.
However members of the anti-hunting group AVA changed the animal’s fate: The animal rights activists kept the dogs and hunters away from the stag long enough for it to be able to get up and flee into some nearby woods.
After a dramatic escape from hunters, the exhausted stag collapses on the ground.
Watch the video:
CHASSE À COURRE : UN CERF TRAQUÉ DANS COMPIÈGNE
Quand un cerf, connu de ce quartier, est traqué par la #chasseàcourre jusque dans ses rues, les habitants sortent pour le protéger.
Un cas d’école de la résistance pour AVA ! Bravo à tous !🦌✊🏡 pic.twitter.com/y8PhGuGu7K— AVA France (@AvaFranceOff) September 19, 2020
“As more and more people arrived at the scene, the hunters were forced to retreat and leave the animal alone. This type of incident occurs several times a week but it usually goes unseen, hidden in the woods without any witnesses” AVA spokesperson Stanislas Broniszewski told Reuters.
The organization shared the video on its social media pages next to a caption that read: “When a stag from this neighborhood was stalked by hunters on its own streets, the residents went out to protect it. A textbook example of resistance for AVA! Congratulations everyone!”
In July, the AVA and other environmental organizations proposed the organization of a national referendum on a ban on hunting with horses and hounds. “They let 50 or 60 dogs loose into the woods to hunt wild animals. It is unacceptable to torture prey for hours in this way” said Broniszewski, according to the website La Stampa.
For their part, the groups in favor of hunting claim that the activity is legal and that activists shouldn’t interfere.