Over the new year, when we were vacationing in New Zealand, the Mayor of our village kindly offered to keep an eye on our house. On one of his walks through the grounds, he discovered 14 (!) wild boar digging up our garden.
Unbeknownst to us at the time, he recruited the hunters of our village to shoot the boar in an effort to protect our land. When we returned home, he updated us on these events, and confirmed that the hunters had caught 4 of the boar.
Fortunately, we haven’t seen any of the other boar in our garden since. We really love wildlife, but wild boar are best kept out of private gardens, especially those frequented by toddlers.
Image via Jennifer Farris Travel Blog.
I had wondered what became of the boar caught by the hunters, and then last week we received a flyer in the mailbox announcing a party to celebrate Bastille Day with, you guessed it, wild boar on the menu!
The invitation reads: “The hunters of our village have the pleasure of inviting you to a soiree of wild boar on the spit."
I have since learned that if hunters catch wild boar on your land, the tradition around here is that the butchered meat is to be shared among all the residents of the village. How cool is that? Our village have taken things a bit further and turned it into a full party, along with aperitifs and amuses bouches to start, wild boar on the spit, free flowing wine, and cheese for dessert. It’s going to be an almighty feast.
I was relieved to know that the animals killed on our land are being eaten, and delighted to discover this tradition. We're really enjoying immersing ourselves in the community here, and learning more and more about life in a rural French village. I also love the fact that our invitation was a flyer in the letterbox... Nothing happens by email in these parts, and it's such a refreshing change!