Deer hunting dogs maul pregnant woman to death in France

Hunting season in France has claimed its third human victim this year. A 29-year-old resident of Villers-Cotterêts town in northern France became the victim of a pack of hunting dogs. Elisa Pilaski was walking her dogs in the Retz Forest when she called her husband to tell him that there was a pack of dogs following her. When her partner rushed to Pilaski's aid, he found their dog curled up next to her dead body.

The dog-loving couple, who met for the first time at a dog-show, shared their home with five dogs. The six-month pregnant mother-to-be was supposedly walking one of her dogs when the attack happened. Pilaski called her partner, Christophe Pilaski, when she felt threatened by a group of hunting dogs that had been stalking her during the walk.

Pilaski's husband recalled that his wife was being followed by the pack, which was barking aggressively at her. After Pilaski's call, her husband immediately left work and drove to Ritz Forest. He spotted her car and started looking for her. Upon hearing their dog's distressed cries, Christophe found his wife dead.

Christophe could not approach his wife as he saw around 30 dogs prowling the area. He left the forest and the police was alerted.

The post-mortem report revealed that severe hemorrhage and blood loss caused by dog bites to the head, arms, and torso caused Pilaski's death.

The police are treating the incident as a case of manslaughter. Investigators have collected DNA samples from Pilaski's five dogs as well as 93 dogs owned by hunters in the area. Comparing the samples with the DNA collected from Pilaski's wounds will reveal the identity of the attacking dogs.

The Hunting Association in France claims that their dogs are not the perpetrators of the attack. The association claims that hunting dogs are trained to only hunt their prey and follow human commands.

Actor and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot urged the French government to suspend hunting permits this year.

Earlier this year, two men have been mistakenly shot by hunters. The 2017-18 hunting season saw 113 accidents and 13 human deaths as pointed out by the Mirror.