A pregnant mare was found dead on Saturday with her left ear cut off in the town of Sauvelade (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), the Orthez gendarmerie said on Sunday, November 1.
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The gendarmerie considers that the mutilation is "
of human origin
", the attacker (s) having "
probably
" taken the ear "
as a kind of trophy
".
The act would have been committed three days ago but the owner, who does not monitor his land daily, realized it on Saturday, according to the gendarmerie, confirming information from the local press.
A criminal identification technician from the Pau gendarmerie and a veterinarian made Saturday observations and readings on the corpse of the mare, which was to give birth in the spring.
Since August, acts of mutilation, mainly of horses and ponies, sometimes fatal, have been reported all over France, especially in the South-West.
About 200 investigations were opened.
