Joy, like a boar before death, was allowed to stay with its owner

In France, animal rights activists are celebrating after a domesticated wild boar that was threatened with death was allowed to stay with its owner.

The boar, named Rilette, was found in 2023 by piglet Elodie Capet at her horse farm in Chaurs, central France, after apparently being abandoned by her mother.

Local authorities denied Ms. Cape a permit to keep wild animals. Unable to find a safe place to take Rilette, she faced the possibility of being euthanized.

A French court ruled that the authorities’ decision should be reviewed.

Mrs Cape’s husband thought it was a joke when she came home on April 1 – April Fool’s Day – with a boar she had raised.

She told the BBC she initially tried to release Rilette back into the wild, but the boar returned.

“She’s happy here,” Ms Cape said.

Because of their size, wild boars can carry diseases and cause trouble for farmers. Weighing between 60 and 100kg, according to the Woodland Trust, they are capable of knocking down fences, damaging fields and killing livestock.

Although attacks on humans are rare, wild boars are increasingly being spotted roaming cities and towns across Europe, prompting officials to authorize culls in several countries.

When Ms Cape’s local authorities refused her a wildlife permit – and were unable to find a shelter that would accept the large animal – she was faced with two options.

She could give the boar to a woman who trained animals for film for profit, or Rilette would be euthanized – she didn’t want either.

Ms Cape described Rilette, who she hugs and strokes, as her “best friend”.

“We both play a lot. I am learning a lot. She knows how to sit (on command), lie down, play with dogs.

“She joins us to ride horses. She sleeps with dogs. She is a clown! She spends her days doing stupid things to play.’

However, keeping the boar meant Ms Cape faced three years in prison and a €150,000 (£127,000) fine.

Her appeal to the French court attracted worldwide attention. She said she received calls from Germany, Ukraine, Brazil, Canada and the United States while fighting the case.

Rilette’s story has been compared to last year’s case in the US, where a domestic squirrel named Peanut had a large following on social media was stopped by the authorities, which caused an uproar.

In France, animal rights activist and movie star Brigitte Bardot joined the campaign to save Rilette.

A court in the nearby town of Chalons-en-Champagne has now ruled that the authorities must reconsider Ms Capet’s original application.

He also ordered them to pay her €15,000 (£12,700) in damages, Reuters reported.

The judge said that “although the capture of live wild boars in the wild is in principle prohibited, the prefect nevertheless has the power to permit it.”

Ms Cape was ecstatic as her lawyer handed down the decision: “I started the party – I screamed really loud because I was so happy.”

She said she was going to buy cake and drink champagne, explaining that cake is one of her pet’s favorite foods, along with apples.

Additional reporting by Alex Phillips