There is hunting with hounds in the Hez-Froidmont forest, near Clermont. An incident that occurred Tuesday, November 26 brought it back to the good memories of the inhabitants close to the forest massif. A wild boar followed by a pack of hunting dogs – a dozen according to the hunters, around thirty according to the collective Abolisons la Vénerie Today – finally tried to find refuge in Clermont. More particularly in the Sables district and in the parking lot of a nearby shopping center.
In passing, the chase caused some disruption on the nearby RN31. The dozen dogs, according to the hunters, around thirty according to several witnesses on site, notably crossed the two lanes at the Grand Fitz-James interchange. This is the junction between the D1016 and the RN31. Not a little busy departmental road…
“I saw the wild boar coming out of the trash”
On social networks, the chaos caused caused residents of the Sables district to react. “We had an incredible time,” says a Clermont resident. “A poor, frightened wild boar and dozens of hunting dogs running in all directions between people and buildings. It lasted more than half an hour (…).” She adds: “The police did not appear until at least an hour after the wild boar passed in front of our windows. We escaped the worst, the children did not leave school.”
For another resident, “the wild boar entered a private person’s garden, right in front of my house.” “I saw it coming out of the trash cans,” adds a third.
“Intolerable propaganda”
The dogs belong to the crew of the Vautrait Tiens Bon Picard. Based in Autrêches, on the border between Oise and Aisne, he is familiar with several forests in both departments. They were able to recover their animals, once the premises were secured by the gendarmerie.
For the Oise Hunters’ Federation, whose headquarters are located a few hundred meters from the incident, the fault lies… With the opponents of hunting with hounds. And above all to their “intolerable propaganda”. “The opponents want, once again, to take advantage of this minor incident to invent scenes of chaos in the city and on the roads,” judges the body in a press release.
A complaint from the city?
For hunters, this is an “unprecedented situation”. It would be linked to “increasing urbanization” and the lack of passage for wildlife on the RN31.
A somewhat short answer for the mayor of Clermont Lionel Ollivier. The elected official indicated, shortly after the events, his intention to file a complaint against the hunting crew.
