An investigation was opened this Wednesday, November 18 following new mutilations on a horse in Vacquières (Hérault), the Montpellier prosecutor's office told AFP.
The nature of the mutilations excludes
"that they are the result of an animal act"
, said the deputy prosecutor of the Republic of Montpellier Jacques-Philippe Redon.
However, it remains difficult to accurately identify the number of mutilated equines throughout France.
Contacted this Wednesday, the Ministry of the Interior notes "
a real decrease in the number of mutilations on horses compared to August, when the violence had reached a peak
" but explains that "
they have not disappeared for as much
”.
Read also: Mutilated horses: for owners, the temptation of vendetta
When reports of violence against horses began to multiply last May, they appeared to be located in the northern half of the country.
Today, no department is spared.
In total, no less than 400 reports of mutilations on equines have been recorded since last spring.
The Ministry of the Interior also affirms that only “
20% of the violence observed can be attributed to human hands
”.
For the remaining 80%, it would be wounds made by carrion, other horses or even by the injured animal itself.
Sexual deviations
However, the Interior Ministry welcomes the progress made by the technical and scientific police when it comes to identifying and determining the causes of the injuries noted on animals.
“It saves us a lot of time while allowing us to calm the psychosis that can sometimes take hold of horse owners.
There is a great expectation of answers from the equine world ”
explains the Ministry of the Interior.
To read also: Yonne: dozens of undernourished horses deprived of rescued care
If no lead can yet be ruled out to date, the gendarmes have already made four arrests.
"It is mainly about sexual deviance with acts of zoophilia"
specifies the Ministry of the Interior.
The investigations are continuing at the national level but the investigators know it, it is
a question of
"
a long term affair
".
On the equine side, anxiety is still present.
At the beginning of November, a collective called
“Urgence Chevaux et Milieu Rural en Danger”
was created.
Bringing together more than 2,500 professionals, individuals and associations on Facebook, it intends to
"trigger an active mobilization on the part of the legal services so that the investigations evolve".
The collective calls in particular for more human, technical and financial resources to be allocated to equine, cattle and sheep owners in order to compensate for the lack of security which reigns in territories that are often isolated and poorly equipped.
The regions of Auvergne Rhône-Alpes and Île de France have already allocated a respective budget of 100,000 and 50,000 euros in video surveillance equipment.
»See also -
mutilated horses: the government sets up a telephone number for owners