What happened at the French Canicross Championship? The last day of this pedestrian race with dog, which took place in Vauvert (Gard) this weekend, had to be shortened. In question: the deaths of three dogs, early this Sunday morning, and the medical care of a fourth. The Federation of Canine Sports and Leisure speaks of poisoning.
“An investigation was immediately opened in flagrante delicto” for “act of cruelty to animals, for which two years’ imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 euros are incurred”, explained during the day the public prosecutor of Nîmes. , Cecile Gensac.
The gendarmerie company of the Vauvert group is in charge of the investigation. “A reconstruction of the evidence is underway to identify what happened,” added the prosecutor.
“Abject criminal act”
The Federation of Canine Sports and Recreation evokes on its Facebook page “a despicable criminal act by person(s) who put poisoned meatballs on the site” and crossed out its logo with a black banner. She complained and the second day of the championship final.
The town hall of Vauvert also announces to file a complaint and to have taken a municipal decree to prohibit access to the basin of the plains and to the woods during the time of the investigation, confirmed the office of the mayor.
According to France 3 Occitanie, the three dogs died between ten and fifteen minutes after ingesting one of these meatballs. The fourth is “between life and death”, “only by having sniffed the vomit of other dogs”, specified to the local channel Yvon Lasbleiz, president of the federation.
“It’s a pure act of cruelty, everyone came there to spend a moment of complicity with their dog… I think of those who leave without”, also declared Émilie Nelson, vice-president of the Canicross30 association.