Man arrested over horse killings and mutilations in France

More than 20 horses have been mutilated or killed across France since the start of the year
FAMILY HANDOUT/AFP via Getty Ima
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

A man has been arrested over a string of horse mutilations and killings across France.

The suspect was arrested in the Haut-Rhin department in the east of the country, according to French media.

More than 20 horses have been found with their ears cut off, eyes gouged out and genitals mutilated since the start of the year.

On Saturday night, police launched a major search operation in Côte-d’Or region of eastern France after a farmer spotted two people on his land.

The suspects got away before officers reached the scene.

This photo released by Veronique de la Brelie shows her horse Cimona lying injured in a ditch after it has been attacked in northwestern France
FAMILY HANDOUT/AFP via Getty Ima

But on Monday, a man was detained after a e-fit image was circulated of a suspect, a police source said.

Authorities in the central region of Yonne constructed computer-generated image thanks to the help of Nicolas Demajean, a stable manager whose premises were attacked in August, the Guardian reported.

Mr Demajean was injured after attempting to confront two attackers, who cut two ponies and mutilated a horse.

Detectives are still working to identify motives for the attacks, with theories ranging from satanic rituals, macabre trophy hunts or internet challenges,

"For now there are no clues," a police spokesman said.

Remy Marehcal, a farrier who shoes horses in the northern town of Preux-au-Bois, described discovering one pony with its eye gouged out in July, and two horses injured in August.

"At first, I thought it was accidental. I told myself, in a small village like this, it cannot be possible," Mr Marechal said.

Investigations continue.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT