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POLICE

Bus driver ‘dragged’ cyclist down Paris street

A Paris bus driver has been accused of dragging a man whose bike was caught in the wheels of his vehicle 100 metres, leaving him badly hurt.

Published: 29 June 2012 12:18 CEST

The bus driver was detained and put in police custody on Wednesday after the alleged accident. The driver is suspected of knocking over the biker and dragging him and his bike.

The bicyclist phoned the police and was taken to hospital with “several bleeding wounds”,  Le Parisien reports.  

A police source says the alleged assault occured after the biker and the bus driver had an argument over using the bus lane. In Paris, buses, taxis and bikers are all allowed to use the same lane. The police source says the biker was dragged over “a hundred metres”.

The Paris transport company RATP denies these allegations. A spokesperson told Le Parisien that the rider and the bus driver did argue but that the bicyclist hurt himself when he jumped off his bike. The bike was then dragged on the road for several metres.

Thursday afternoon, the bus driver was still in police custody.

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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