France: Pregnant woman killed by hunting dogs

The lifeless body of young woman Elisa Pilarski was discovered on the afternoon of Saturday, 16 November 2019, in Aisne in the Forest of Retz northeast of Paris by her husband. She had gone for a walk that afternoon with one of her dogs.

Investigations are underway to determine the origin of the dog bites on the 29-year-old woman. 67 dogs were tested in the area: those belonging to the victim (5) as well as dogs that had taken part in a deer hunt organised nearby. A genetic DNA analysis and the comparison of samples could thus enable the identification of the dogs.

Victim bled to death after bites from multiple dogs

The autopsy revealed that the woman bled to death following bites from multiple dogs. These dogs continued to bite even after the victim was already dead.

According to an eyewitness, the dead woman was lying face down on the forest floor. She had multiple bite wounds on her head, arms, legs, and abdomen.

The 29-year-old Elisa Pilarski, who was six months pregnant, had called her husband, who works at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport, at around 1:00 p.m. asking for help. She was very distressed because a pack of dogs was attacking her and her own animal. Her husband immediately left work but arrived too late. He was led to the scene in the forest by Curtis, Elisa Pilarski's dog, who had also been injured in the attack and was barking loudly while remaining by the body. Their unborn child also did not survive the brutal attack.

During her walk and before calling her partner, she had sent him a text message in which she mentioned having had a confrontation with the owner of a Belgian Shepherd that was running off its leash.

Together with her boyfriend, she dedicated all her free time to her dogs and also took part in competitions. Her partner Christophe (30) proudly posted photos of his girlfriend and their animals.

Facts versus hunters' tales

The French hunting association — or rather, the hunt association — considers a hunting accident unlikely, as stated in a press release. Their hunting dogs are trained to pursue a specific animal and to obey humans under all circumstances. The hunting association emphasized that, at the current stage of the investigation, there is no evidence of the involvement of hunting dogs in the woman's death. “Under no circumstances are these dogs aggressive towards people. On the contrary, they are very affectionate with adults and children”, it states.

The family of Elisa Pilarski and their lawyer Caty Richard find the conduct of the hunting association to be indecent. They were never contacted by the association.

Elisa's mother has been deeply affected by this tragedy. Having recently lost her husband, she has now lost her only daughter and her unborn grandchild.

In France there are more than 30’000 hunting dogs that repeatedly tear apart wild animals during these hunts, much to the delight of the recreational hunters, as that is precisely what they are trained to do. The internet is full of photos and videos!

Investigations and eyewitness accounts

The public prosecutor's office is investigating on suspicion of manslaughter by dog attack.

Brigitte Bardot, president of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, declared herself “shocked and profoundly scandalized” and, in an open letter to the responsible minister Elisabeth Borne, called for “all hunting permits for this season” to be immediately suspended.

The Office for Hunting and Wildlife in France documents that since the year 2000, at least 364 people have been killed by mistake. Between 80 and 90 percent of the registered fatalities were themselves out hunting and were either mistaken for an animal or struck by a ricochet.

The deceased's partner commented on the tragedy as follows:

“I was looking for her, I saw her SUV. I called out for my wife and Curtis the dog. I walked towards a ravine, but about 30 hunting dogs came towards me. Curtis was in a ditch in front of the victim”, Christophe told the French broadcaster BFMTV. He added that Ms. Pilarski was covered in bites and some of her clothes had been torn off, exposing her abdomen. The dogs had eaten parts of her head, arms, hands, and legs. This can only have been a hunt. Christophe took Curtis back to the car, sought help from the neighbors, and informed the police.

Before making the horrific discovery, Christophe said he had encountered various people in the forest. First, a rider who belonged to a hunting party. Then he came across a group of four or five people near a car. Christophe assumes that these individuals also belonged to the hunting party.

Later he encountered more riders, repeatedly asking whether anyone had seen his girlfriend and her dog. «I advised one of the riders to keep an eye on his dogs, as I didn't know whether my dog was still on the leash or not.» The rider is said to have replied with a smirk: «I would worry more about her dog than about mine.»

Christophe now hopes that justice will take its course. For him, there is no doubt that the hunting party's dogs are responsible for his girlfriend's death. He apparently even wrote a letter to the French President, Emmanuel Macron, asking for his help. Christophe E.: «I hope he will get in touch with me or do what is necessary to speed up the investigation.»

A crucial question will be whether Curtis, the dog accompanying Elisa Pilarski at the time of the tragedy, was wearing a muzzle or not. If it turns out that a muzzle was indeed worn, it can be ruled out that Curtis attacked his owner or participated in the attack. He would also not have been able to defend himself.

A lieutenant colonel of the local Gendarmerie in Aisne, Jean-Charles Métras, also took part in the deer hunt on that Saturday. To avoid any collusion or cover-up, prosecutor Frederic Trinh handed the case over to another department for investigation.

Just last October, a 75-year-old hiker was attacked by a hunting dog in Germany and escaped with serious injuries. This past spring, a woman was fatally mauled by a hunting dog in Ganderkesee.