France, Sept. 9 -- The case is being heard in Orleans, around 120 kilometres south-west of Paris, where public prosecutor Emmanuelle Bochenek-Puren on Tuesday also requested the maximum €750,000 fine and a five-year ban on activities linked to hunting.

Protected predators were killed to preserve game for regular hunting parties, Bochenek-Puren argued, describing an organised system that continued for years under "the same owner".

"Damage to biodiversity was major," she said, condemning methods she described as "prohibited" and "barbaric".

Most French favour Sunday hunting ban amid safety concerns Carcasses and banned traps

Investigators searched Bouygues's Fontenaille estate in La Ferte-Saint-Aubin after an anonymous tip-off.

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