The days of the big cat are numbered. The prefect of Pas-de-Calais whistled the end of the game of hide and seek between the gendarmes and the wild animal seen for the first time, last Wednesday, near Auxi-le-Château. A prefectural decree issued on Friday, called “puma decree”, now authorizes “sampling shooting”, in other words, the slaughter of the big cat.
Since it was seen for the first time by a resident of Auxi-le-Château on Wednesday, the animal described as “big feline” by the authorities has been rather discreet. He admittedly appeared fleetingly several times, allowing photographs to be taken from afar, but could never be caught.
“The absolute need to protect populations”
It is not for lack of having employed great means with the mobilization of numerous gendarmes, staff of the French Biodiversity Office, firefighters and even a helicopter. All this in vain, the beast is still running. “The speed of its movements and its ability to hide in the forest massifs do not allow to organize its capture”, notes the representative of the State.
Failing to be able to get hold of it gently and to have been able to find the owner of the animal, the prefecture puts forward “the absolute need to protect the populations” from the danger represented by “the straying of such an animal” to authorize the “withdrawal”. Louveterie lieutenants will therefore be able to shoot on sight as soon as the big cat points the tip of its nose.