Rillette the Wild Boar Escapes French Authorities

In April 2023,  Elodie Cappé found an abandoned boar piglet near the rubbish bins on her horse farm in Chaource, France. She tried to release the piglet back into the wild, unsuccessfully, so she named it – Rillette, after the local dish of shredded pork – gave it a pen, and had the boar sterilised and vaccinated.

Local authorities demanded Cappé surrender Rillette, as it was against the law to keep a wild animal. They threatened to remove or euthanize the piglet, and Cappé herself faced potential prison time and a fine of up to €150,000 for “capturing or detaining wild animals.” 

Cappé fought back. Her appeal to a French court to save Rillette brought worldwide attention, as Cappé took calls from Germany, Ukraine, Brazil, Canada, and the US while fighting the case. A petition gathered signatures in defense of Rillette, by now a full-grown beast who was attracting some A-list fans, such as animal-lover Brigitte Bardot, who voiced her support.

“Help! I demand that Rillette be spared,” the 90-year-old Bardot wrote in a letter also shared on X. “What monsters are demanding she be put down … this little animal has the right to live, indeed it is a duty. She is innocent. Euthanasia is a crime! We are governed by assassins.”

Last week the courts decided in Cappé’s – and Rillette’s – favor, at least for now. A court in the nearby city of Châlons-en-Champagne ruled that the authorities must reconsider Cappé’s original application to keep Rillette. It also ordered them to pay her €15,000 in damages, according to Reuters.

Rillette’s case has drawn natural comparisons to that of Peanut the squirrel, which did not end well for that not-so-wild animal. The squirrel could have used some of that Brigitte Bardot energy. (Check out her foundation here.)

Cappé is understandably ecstatic with the reprieve of her beloved pet. She celebrated with cake and champagne, noting that cake is among Rillette’s favorite foods.

Photo credit: BBC News