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ANIMALS

Second ban for Olympic equestrian champion

Germany's five-time Olympic medallist in equestrian events Isabell Werth was handed her second sixth-month ban on Tuesday after being found guilty of giving her horse illegal stomach medicine.

Published: 5 November 2013 17:21 CET
Second ban for Olympic equestrian champion
Photo: DPA

The ban will prevent her from taking part in competitions either at home in Germany or abroad.

Her horse, El Santo, tested positive for Cimetidine after a disciplinary committee ordered his urine be tested in 2012, the country's equestrian umbrella organisation the FN said on Tuesday.

Cimetidine is generally used to treat stomach pain in horses, but it not allowed to be used by professional riders competing in German competitions. It is not classed as a “doping” drug, but is listed as a banned medicine. It is allowed at a international level.

Its use was, the FN said, a negligent breach of Werth's duty of care. She is not only banned from competing for six months but must also pay a fine of €2,000.

Werth said she had not ordered the medicine be administered but suggested that El Santo had drunk contaminated water in his stall. The FN's disciplinary committee said this was “highly unlikely.”

This is 44-year-old Werth's second sixth-month ban from competing. In 2009 she was found guilty of giving her dressage horse Whisper psychotropic drug Fluphenazine.

READ MORE: Lucky escape for girl and her little pony

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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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