SNCF fined over crushing cat taking refuge under TGV at French station
The state-owned railway operator was found guilty of negligence
SNCF has been fined after Neko was crushed by a train in January
DR / La Fondation 30 Millions d鈥橝mis
France鈥檚 state-owned railway operator SNCF has been found guilty of negligence and fined after a train crushed a cat to death.
Neko was run over by a TGV at Montparnasse station in Paris on January 2.
It had a ticket to travel with its female owner on a service from Paris to Bordeaux. But as the woman and her 15-year-old daughter were boarding, the cat escaped and hid underneath the train.
Despite the pair鈥檚 protests, the train with 800 passengers on board departed, crushing the cat.
鈥楢re you not ashamed?鈥�
SNCF Voyageurs - the subsidiary responsible for transporting passengers - said Neko was not visible until the train left.
In the aftermath of the incident, SNCF was criticised.
The animal welfare foundation set up by French actress Brigitte Bardot - Fondation Brigitte Bardot - asked 鈥淎re you not ashamed?鈥� while France鈥檚 Interior Minister, G茅rald Darmanin, said he was 鈥減articularly shocked鈥� by the incident.
The day after the cat鈥檚 death a petition was launched to ask the SNCF 鈥渢o set up suitable procedures to safeguard the integrity and life of animals in the same position as Neko鈥�.
Read also: Scammers use cute kitten pictures to con animal lovers in France
鈥榃e stop for abandoned luggage but not an animal鈥�
Complainants, with the support of the animal welfare foundation 30 Millions d鈥橝mis, took SNCF to court.
On Tuesday (July 4), the tribunal de police - which judges less serious offences - found the firm guilty of negligence.
The president of the police court criticised "the lack of commitment of human resources necessary to recover the cat" crushed by the TGV.
SNCF Voyageurs was ordered to pay 鈧�1,000 to each of the complainants.
The plaintiff鈥檚 lawyer in court said the SNCF鈥檚 refusal to delay the departure of the train which ran over Neko was an 鈥渦nacceptable act鈥�. He added: 鈥淲e stop a train for abandoned luggage but not for an animal鈥�.
SNCF鈥檚 lawyer said the incident had been 鈥渕anipulated鈥� by animal welfare charities.
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