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ANIMALS

Switzerland detects ‘atypical’ case of mad cow disease

Switzerland on Thursday reported an "atypical" case of mad cow disease but said there was no danger to human health.

Published: 6 February 2020 15:46 CET
Switzerland detects 'atypical' case of mad cow disease
Photo: AFP

The 13-year-old cow was slaughtered immediately and the carcass incinerated, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office said in a statement.

“The analysis showed that this was not the classical type but the atypical strain of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy),” the statement said.

Atypical BSE refers to “naturally and sporadically occurring forms, which are believed to occur in all cattle populations at a very low rate,” according to the World Organisation of Animal Health (OIE).

“This atypical form of BSE is not dangerous for human health,” a spokeswoman for the Swiss agency told AFP.

The isolated case, the first in Switzerland since 2012, was predicted to have no consequences for the herd from which the animal came.

The appearance of the first cases of mad cow disease in 1986 in Britain caused a public health scare that lasted several years.

The European Union ordered a worldwide embargo on British beef and its derivatives that was lifted in Europe in 1999.

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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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