Joy as wild boar facing death allowed to stay with owner

Animal rights activists in France are celebrating after a pet pig threatened with euthanasia was allowed to live with its owner.

The pig, named Rillette, was found in 2023 as a piglet by Elodie Cappe at her small horse farm in Chaource, central France, after being abandoned by her mother.

Local officials denied Ms. Cappe permission to keep wild animals. Unable to find a sanctuary to take Rillette, he faced the possibility of being killed.

A French court has now decided that the decision of the authorities will be reviewed.

Ms Cappe’s husband thought it was a joke when she came home with a pig on April 1 – April Fool’s Day – that she had raised.

He told the BBC that he initially tried to release Rillette into the wild, but the boar returned.

“They are happy here,” Ms Cappe said.

Wild pigs can carry diseases and are a nuisance to farmers because of their size. Weighing between 60-100kg, according to the Woodland Trust, they can tear down fences, destroy fields and kill livestock.

Although attacks on humans are rare, wild boars have been seen in large numbers in towns and cities across Europe – prompting authorities to authorize culling in several countries.

After Ms Cappe’s local authorities refused her a permit to keep the wild animals – and she couldn’t find a sanctuary that would take the giant animal – she was faced with two options.

He could give the pig to the woman who trained the animals in the movies for profit, or Rillette would be punished – neither of which he wanted to happen.

Ms Cappe described Rillette – who held and stroked her – as her “best friend”.

We all play a lot, I learn a lot. He knows how to be [on command]sleeping, playing with the dogs.

“He goes horseback riding with us. He sleeps with dogs. He’s funny! He spends his days doing silly things to play.”

Keeping a boar, however, means Ms Cappe risks up to three years in prison and a €150,000 (£127,000) fine.

His appeal to the French court gained international attention. He said he had received calls from Germany, Ukraine, Brazil, Canada and the US while fighting the case.

Rillette’s story has drawn comparisons to a story in the US last year, in which a squirrel named Peanut had a huge following on social media. it was taken down by the authorities, which caused an outcry.

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

A court in the nearby city of Châlons-en-Champagne has now ordered the authorities to reconsider Ms Cappe’s initial request.

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

The judge said that “although the seizure of wild pigs from the wild is prohibited, the officer has the power to permit”.

Ms Cappe was delighted when her lawyer handed down the sentence: “I started partying – I screamed out loud because I was so happy.”

He said he was going to buy cake and drink champagne, and explained that cake, along with apples, is one of his pet’s favorite foods.

Additional reporting by Aleks Phillips