If you can’t stand the crowing stay out of the French countryside
The French cockerel (or coq gaulois) is more than a national symbol, it is an emblem of rural life in La France Profonde.
So the nation watched with interest when a 70-year-old woman and her son in rural Alsace went to court accusing a neighbour’s crowing cockerel of ruining their life. Last night, a judge ruled in favour of the bird and its dawn outbursts, ordering the sleep-deprived villagers to pay the €400 costs for the trial.
The two had complained their neighbour’s cockerel constantly woke them from 3am. They demanded €1,500 for loss of sleep. The owner asked the judge to rule in favour of animal noises in rural areas. His lawyer, Marc Muller, told reporters: “In the countryside, there has to be a certain level of tolerance. This is a logical, commonsense judgment.”
Until yesterday, the cockerel was anonymous. But last night his owner decided to name him “Victoire“.
