After a long legal battle, the wild boar Maurice will finally be able to stay with his foster family

After years of conflict with the law, the couple from Corrèze who took in an injured boar won the battle. While the boar was threatened with euthanasia, he will finally be able to stay with his foster family, safe and sound.

Remember: in 2009, a couple living in Corrèze collected a markswithout . The animal, which was injured, had taken refuge in the garden of the inhabitants. They decided to treat him and keep him to take care of him. Over time, Sylvia Bachellerie and her husband became so attached to the animal that they named it Maurice.

Photo credit: Save Maurice

But in 2019, the couple was reported to the Biodiversity Office and the problems with the law began. According to the law of July 7, 2006, it is strictly forbidden to keep a wild animal at home, especially if this animal can be hunted, as is the case with Boar .

Thus, the couple was faced with two options: euthanize Mauritius or place it in a suitable shelter.

A long legal battle

As Sylvia was very attached to the animal and considered it a member of her family, she refused to euthanize it. A long legal and media battle followed this decision, and an online petition was even created to try to save the animal.

Photo credit: Save Maurice

This Tuesday, October 11, a trial took place in Tulle. The couple was prosecuted for two things: the removal of a wild animal from the wild and the possession of a wild boar. Sylvia and her spouse were released for the first sentence. Regarding the second, they were condemned but without any sanction. Thus, they will not have to pay a fine, will not go to prison and Maurice is no longer threatened with euthanasia and can stay with his foster family.

A final decision for Mauritius

If the battle seems won, a final threat hangs over the heads of the couple and Maurice. Indeed, the prefect could still reject this statement and the prosecutor could choose to appeal the judgment. However, these two options seem a priori unlikely, because these acts have never resulted in similar cases.

“On the criminal level, we are completely cleared, but the ball is in the court of the prefect of Corrèze” , said Patrice Grillon, lawyer at the Paris bar.

Photo credit: Save Maurice

This first decision by the judge is a real relief for Sylvia, even if the latter remains suspicious about what will happen next. If the law still prohibits keeping wild animals at home, there are some exceptions to the rule, of which Mauritius could be one.