Couple fined for keeping panther at their home in northern France
The animal, named Louise, was spotted prowling rooftops near Lille
The panther was captured by firefighters in 2019 after being seen roaming rooftops in the north of France
Sapeurs-Pompiers du Nord - SDIS 59 / Facebook
A couple in northern France have appeared in court and received sentences for keeping a panther at their home, bringing to an end a six-year-long drama.
The panther, purportedly named ‘Louise’ by the couple, caused a national stir in September 2019 when it was spotted on the rooftops of Armentières (Nord).
Firefighters managed to trap and sedate it in one of the properties before taking it to a nearby zoo in Maubeuge.
Less than a week later however, it was stolen from the zoo.
Now known as ‘Akilla’, it was found a year later at a wildlife sanctuary in the Netherlands.
She has remained there to this day, where according to keepers interviewed by French news service AFP, she leads a happy life.
Panther was ‘big affectionate baby’ and seen as pet
It is still a mystery what happened to the panther in the missing timeframe.
The Dutch sanctuary’s owner states that a couple turned up to hand over the animal, saying they could no longer look after it.
It is not clear if this was the original owners – a couple in their 40s from Armentières – who had taken it from the zoo only to find they could in fact not look after it, or an entirely different couple.
The police prosecuted the couple from Armentières with the case coming to court earlier this week. One, the man, named by press as Nordine B, received an 18-month suspended sentence alongside a fine of around €10,000, was banned from keeping any pets for five years and must attend an animal awareness course.
A woman received a four-month suspended sentence and a two-year ban on possessing any animals.
Both must also pay respective fines of €750 each to several animal welfare organisations.
The man said he saw the animal as a “big, affectionate baby,” after allegedly purchasing her for €2,500 from a community of travellers.
“It wasn't in good condition, I wanted to treat it,” he said.
Evidence pointed towards this being the case – pharmaceutical equipment was found in the couple’s flat, and the animal was in good health with its claws clipped.
It had also been domesticated and was not aggressive towards humans.
Nordine B had eight previous convictions, including one for illegal possession of a monkey.
