Hiker killed in wild boar hunt crossfire, fuels French hunting debate

A teenager had to be treated for shock and a hiker lost her life after two of France’s most popular outdoor traditions collided with fatal consequences.

A 25-year-old woman has died and a teenage hunter is in shock after two of France’s most popular outdoor pursuits collided on Saturday – with devastating consequences.

The woman was hiking with a friend in south-central France when a stray bullet killed her, shot by a 17-year-old girl taking part in a group hunt for wild boar.

The teen was initially treated in hospital for shock before being taken into custody for questioning, which continued all weekend.

She had obtained her hunting permit when she was 16 and tested negative for drugs and alcohol.

“We need to verify that the hunt was correctly communicated and marked,” said Berangere Abba, the government’s biodiversity secretary of state.

The victim had been walking with a friend on a clearly marked trail near Aurillac, in the heavily forested Cantal region, when she was hit by the bullet.

The hiker was walking in a French forest when she was hit.

Death sparks hunting debate

The accidental killing has rekindled debate among the country’s presidential hopefuls over France’s tradition of hunting – a sport which critics say needs stricter regulation.

France is a country where its rural traditions run deep, and it has the largest number of hunters of all European countries, with around one million permit-holding hunters.

But this latest tragedy has added to the growing pressure for tougher rules on hunting.

“We urgently need more regulation of this activity,” Yannick Jadot, the Greens candidate for the April presidential vote, said at the weekend.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, who is leading in the polls among left-wing candidates hoping to unseat President Emmanuel Macron, called to prohibit hunting on weekends and during school holidays “because that’s when there’s the biggest risk”.

According to French newspaper Le Monde, citing France’s biodiversity office, there have been 3325 hunting accidents in France since 2000, resulting in 421 deaths.

France is one of the few European countries that does not prohibit hunting on certain days during the season, instead allowing hunters to shoot at all times as long as they alert others of their activity – a requirement decried by critics as insufficient.