Mandral case: five years later, the abusive breeder is brought to justice
After years of mobilization, investigations and legal proceedings, breeder-hunter Richard Mandral will finally face the judges. From the Dordogne to the Haute-Vienne region, our investigations have documented the horror he inflicted on his dogs for years. Today, we expect to see a fitting punishment meted out to the man who for too long has benefited from the complacency of the State and the justice system. Hearing on November 29, 2024 at 8:45 a.m. at the Limoges legal tribunal, where we will be as plaintiff.
In the Dordogne region: horror for dogs and carelessness on the part of State services
It was in 2019 that we first came across the dogs kept by Richard Mandral in the Dordogne region: tied up in chains or left to their own devices in muddy enclosures, locked in carcasses of vehicles or cages. At the time, over a hundred of them lay amidst bones, the weakest devoured by the others, starving, injured or sick. Despite an immediate complaint, the breeder-hunter received only a suspended fine for failing to reduce the size of his pack after a formal notice to limit it to 45 dogs.
Subsequently, the Dordogne authorities consistently refused to seize the dogs, despite their own findings as well as our images and the evidence gathered during the rescue of 16 of them. Faced with our numerous complaints and requests, until 2023, the authorities passed the buck, some considering that it was up to the legal tribunal to act, others believing that the situation of the dogs was the responsibility of the administration and therefore of the administrative court.
Richard Mandral, for his part, didn’t wait for everyone to come to an agreement: he had left the area a long time ago!
In the Haute-Vienne region, to flee and start again: for an exemplary sentence!
We tracked him down in October 2021 in the Haute-Vienne region and immediately alerted the authorities. With a new region, a new prefecture and a new court, the whole procedure had to start from scratch. It took two and a half years before the Haute-Vienne prefecture finally ordered a seizure. We worked hand in hand with them to find placement solutions for all the dogs mistreated by Richard Mandral.
On March 4, 2024, we were on the spot to get them out of there (nearly seventy). Thirty-five were entrusted to us and placed in partner shelters, while the others were taken in by various organizations. The frightening veterinary findings revealed a lack of care for all the dogs: dirty coats, scabs, alopecia, infestation by numerous parasites: fleas, ticks, ear mange, thinness, bloody diarrhea, sagging teats, loose, worn or broken teeth…
After getting them back on their feet, most of the dogs were adopted. They discover the warmth of a home, the softness of a sofa, the tenderness of kind-hearted humans, the joy of walks and full bowls. “Hunting” dogs are dogs just like the others. Sign our petition so they can finally enjoy the same protection.
To ensure that Richard Mandral never re-offends, we will be present at his trial on November 29, 2024 at 8:45 am at the Limoges legal tribunal. He will be on trial for “mistreatment of animals placed in his care by the operator of an establishment holding animals” and “continued operation of a classified installation subject to declaration not in compliance with a formal notice”. We are calling for a total ban on keeping animals against the man who has made them suffer for decades, and we are not forgetting the birds, rabbits, sheep and goats who remained at his home after the seizure, which only concerned dogs.