What to do if you find a wild animal in distress in Creuse?
After spending six months at the Puydomois Panse-Bêtes care center, two young forest cats were this week released into the wild near Champsanglard in Creuse. They were “found” by a hiker who saw fit to take them home.
France’s Creuse Biodiversity Authority and the Puydomois association Panse-Bêtes insist that the gesture, which begins with good intentions, can be counterproductive and reduce a wild animal’s chances of survival. , in addition to being young, there are also severe punishment consequences.
Two young forest cats find freedom in Kreuse after six months in a care center
Be careful before touching, handling or removing a wild animal
Morgan Pochoday, OFB department head of service, reminds: “When you want to help a wild animal, especially a protected one, you have to be vigilant. When you find the young alone, it is not necessarily because of abandonment, it is not because you have not seen the adults. It is often until she leaves to join her cubs. Therefore, it is important not to touch small children, otherwise the mother will abandon them.Marie-Laure Thierry is a volunteer at Panse-bêtes. Together with OFB Creuse agents, he participated in the release of two forest cats seized from a private individual by the courts after six months of rehabilitation at @ Bruno Barlier care center.
“We always tell people to call us before working on an animal. They will be asked remote questions to determine the situation. »
Marie-Laure Thierry (optional Panse-Beasts)
The shelter prefers “substitute solutions”: pay attention to where the animal is, look for a while, come back a few hours or the next day and check if the animal is still there. If it doesn’t move or is injured, she recommends calling a volunteer care center and repatriating the animal. Departments also have a network of “repatriators” to transport dangerous animals to the care center.
A forest cat, a symbol of our village, was treated in Kreuse after a road collision
In Creuse, the Capvéto veterinary practice (35 boulevard de la Gare, in Guéret, tel.: 05.55.52.94.47) is also an authorized local relay to which a wild animal can be sent before being treated by a special care center. .
Under no circumstances should wild animals be kept at home. Even if we think we are doing our best. Marie-Laure Thierry de Panse-Bêtes emphasizes that keeping wild animals in captivity is “a big problem in France”.
“For example, we have a lot of hedgehogs in captivity. But you should know that a hedgehog can have several hectares of territory, it can run for kilometers in one night, and if you put it in a pen, it will be as if you were kept in a bathroom all your life. Compares Panse-Bêtes volunteer.
In 2017, an injured young forest cat returned to its home in Kreuse
If you find a wild animal in distressContact the Creuse French Biodiversity Office at 05.55.61.90.55 or the Panse-Bêtes association at 06.46.62.36.89, www.pansebete.fr.
Text: Julie Ho Hoa
Video: Valerie Guinard
Photos: Marie-Laure Thierry (Pance-Bêtes) and Bruno Barlier
