-
GR, GRP, PR: What do the French hiking signs mean?
What are the coloured symbols on French hiking routes? Who paints them there and why?
-
Miss France: glam - but not sexy
Miss France organiser Geneviève de Fontenay fears she is fighting a losing battle to protect her 'Cinderella dream' from vulgarity
-
Normandy Landings visit for Queen
Queen Elizabeth has confirmed a state visit to France, ending rumours she is handing over duties to Charles
Stuffed owl sale causes trouble
Couple from Nantes fell foul of the law when they put some stuffed owls they used to collect for sale online
A COUPLE from Nantes fell foul of the law when, after an attic clear-out, they put some stuffed owls they used to collect for sale on a website.
A National Office for Hunting and Wildlife employee, posing as a buyer, came to the house to confiscate the birds and told the couple to expect to be prosecuted.
A 1976 law on bird protection forbids the sale of rare or endangered species, dead or alive. A 1979 EU bird directive applies similar regulations throughout the union.
Even if you accidentally kill or find a dead protected bird, you cannot transport it, let alone stuff it, sell it or even give it away. Harming swallows, martins, swifts, their nests and eggs is likewise illegal – as police themselves have found out.
In January, 120 swallows’ nests were destroyed at the police station in Saint Roch d’Avignon, prior to renovation. As a result, the regional branch of the bird protection league (LPO) is taking them to court for an offence that carries up to a €9,000 fine or six months in prison.
As the French legal saying has it: nul n’est censé ignorer la loi (ignorance of the law is no excuse) – and that applies to ones protecting birds.
If in doubt – check with your mairie.