French billionaire gets maximum sentence

Olivier Bouygues, a French billionaire, was sentenced to two years in prison with probation and fined 750,000 euros by the correctional court in Orléans on October 23 for "destruction of protected species in an organized group." The sentence, which is the maximum provided by law, also resulted in the revocation of his hunting license for three years. Bouygues has appealed the decision.

Other defendants receive prison time

Five other defendants, including three gamekeepers, received sentences ranging from six months to two years in prison with probation. All six defendants will jointly pay 360,000 euros to nine associations as compensation for ecological damage.

Case began with anonymous tip

The case originated in March 2025 following an anonymous report to the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB). During a search of Bouygues' 650-hectare property in La Ferté-Saint-Aubin (Loiret), investigators discovered a mass grave containing protected species killed over forty years, including common kestrels, great cormorants, variable hawks, and great egrets.

Evidence of illegal hunting methods

They also found banned jaw traps, which have been prohibited since 1995, and highly toxic pesticides. Investigators recovered notebooks kept by gamekeepers that documented the destruction of pests and protected species, which resulted in cash rewards.

Environmental group praises ruling

Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, president of the League for the Protection of Birds, commented to Le Monde that the judgment serves as a "serious warning for other large landowners who hunt and believe they are above the law."