Mandral case: breeder-hunter finally sentenced
After years of investigations, reports, legal actions and seizures, the trial of breeder-hunter Richard Mandral was held at the Limoges legal tribunal on November 29. We were there to speak out on behalf of all the dogs he had exploited for hunting, keeping them in unworthy conditions, and were partly heard. On December 13, he was sentenced to 4 months’ imprisonment under electronic surveillance and a fine, with no possibility of the dogs who were seized being returned to him.
It was in 2019 that we discovered the ill-treatment inflicted by Richard Mandral on the too many “hunting” dogs he kept locked up. Not giving them any attention, he let them wade in the mud and feed on the remains of other dogs who had not survived these unspeakable conditions. We immediately took action on their behalf, moving heaven and earth to bring them to safety. Repeated investigations, appeals to the authorities, complaints and emergency procedure… Our determination and the evidence we constantly provided were constantly thwarted by the immobilism of the Dordogne prefecture, when it wasn’t knowingly putting obstacles in our way, unconcerned about those who were, in its eyes, nothing more than “hunting” dogs. No matter, our tenacity paid off in the end: in 2020, we rescued 16 dogs from this hell, then some 70 more in 2024, even though their torturer had moved his activities to the Haute-Vienne region in an attempt to escape the proceedings initiated against him.
Richard Mandral will have to be accountable for his actions
On November 29, we were at the legal tribunal in Limoges to see justice done, at last, for the dozens of dogs who had fallen into the clutches of this individual. In front of the judges, he constantly tried to minimize his responsibility, daring to claim that he loved his animals. He would have us believe that he had nothing to do with the deaths, illnesses and suffering that were omnipresent on his sites. According to him, the only culprit was… the local SPA, guilty of not having been able to take in all his animals. While he himself let them reproduce ad infinitum without batting an eyelid… Who are we kidding?
Neither the president nor the prosecutor were fooled. Our images leave no room for doubt: Richard Mandral is an abuser. On Friday December 13, he was found guilty and sentenced to 4 months’ imprisonment under electronic surveillance, a fine, compensation for the plaintiffs and final confiscation of the dogs seized. A victory that remains incomplete, as the court chose to reclassify the acts of mistreatment as a contravention, failing to pronounce the ban on keeping animals that we had been asking for. The breeder will therefore be able to keep the animals he still has, with all the risks this entails. We are ready to resume proceedings should he have the bad idea of starting up again. A strong message addressed to all hunters who consider their dogs as mere tools to be put away after use.
Sign our petition to put an end to the impunity of the torturers of so-called “hunting” dogs, and to ensure that these dogs receive the proper treatment they deserve. Just like the 70 or so dogs we rescued in March, who are now discovering the sweetness of life in loving homes where they are sheltered, warm and fed to their fill. At last.