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WEATHER

In Pictures: Paris as a winter wonderland

Paris became the City of White on Sunday as a blanket of snow covered the French capital. It is not often Paris experiences such heavy snowfalls so below are a few photographs to mark the rare occurrence.

Published: 20 January 2013 16:23 CET
In Pictures: Paris as a winter wonderland
The famous Louvre museum and its pyramid looking even more impressive than usual with a covering of snow. Pierre Verdy / AFP

The city's Velib bikes not proving too popular in the cold weather. Photo: The Local

Canal St Martin on Friday evening, by Sunday parts of the canal had begun to freeze over. Photo: The Local

A Parisian decides whether to risk the icy steps of the snow covered bridge over the Canal St Martin. Photo: The Local

High point- The Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre still welcomed thousands of tourists on Saturday despite the snow. Photo: Beatrice Haranger

The famous Paris Opera house in the background is hardly visible and the avenue almost deserted as the snow falls on Sunday. Photo: Pierre Verdy / AFP

For more photos of Paris in the snow visit The Local France's Facebook page by clicking here.

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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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