Bird activists ruffle Frenchman's feathers, chased with spade

By AFP | AFP – Mon, Nov 9, 2015

A Frenchman became an online sensation on Monday after being pictured storming out of his house in his underwear brandishing a spade to chase away bird conservationists.

It began when a few members from the League of Bird Protection (LPO), accompanied by journalists, sneaked into a cornfield in the village of Audon in southwestern France early on Monday morning.

Their mission was to destroy traps laid to catch finches, which are hunted despite the songbirds being a protected species.

However, the bird enthusiasts were soon interrupted by a local man who flew at them with a spade, dressed only in a blue shirt and his underpants.

"When we wanted to free the finches, people came at us with violence, we were hit three or four times with a spade," said LPO president Allain Bougrain-Dubourg.

A second resident emerged with what appeared to be a hoe, threatening the conservationists and journalists. The angry locals also punctured the wheels of several cars belonging to the reporters and activists.

The clash lasted about 15 minutes before police arrived.

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