Convicted couple gets suspension for maintaining a pet panther
Black Panther on the Loose in Lille: Couple Found Guilty of Illegal Pet Ownership
In a shocking turn of events, a black panther named Louise was found roaming nearby rooftops in Lille, France, in September 2019. The authorities quickly sprang into action and, after a daring rescue, Louise was safely captured and is now living at the Stichting Leeuw big cat sanctuary in the Netherlands.
The couple who illegally kept Louise as a pet in their apartment were found guilty of the offence. The woman received a four-month suspended sentence and a two-year animal possession ban, while the man was sentenced to 18 months in jail, suspended, a 10,000 euro fine, and a five-year ban on keeping animals. It is important to note that the man's sentence did not include jail time, and the person who previously illegally kept Louise is not named in publicly available sources due to privacy concerns.
The black panther's escape from the apartment was a close call, with no injuries reported during her time on the loose. Wendy Karsten, a caretaker at the sanctuary, reported that Akilla, as Louise is now named, is doing well, is playful, and interacts well with a neighboring panther through the fence.
Graziella Dode, a lawyer for an animal rights group, described keeping Akilla as "tantamount to species trafficking." Xavier Bacquet, representing another foundation, called the crime mistreatment, stating that Akilla's "physiological needs" could not be met in captivity.
Interestingly, the owner of Akilla initially told French newspaper La Voix du Nord in 2019 that he no longer saw Akilla as a panther, but rather as a "big, affectionate baby." The couple had purchased Akilla for 2,500 euros from a traveling community.
A photo of Akilla is available from the Ligue Protecteur des Animaux du Nord de France, AFP. The public is encouraged to support animal welfare organisations and report any suspected cases of animal abuse or illegal pet ownership.
