Channel Islands Wildlife: Black Beast Sightings

In our rural regions where game abounds, the accidents de circulation involving wild boars, deer, deer and even foxes are far from rare.

News items confirm this: not 48 hours go by without a motorist, motorcyclist or cyclist being the victim of a collision with a wild boar or other wild animal. The Channel does not escape the phenomenon.

A human and heavy material toll

“Most accidents occur at sunrise or to the nightfallat a time when game is moving the most, assures Sébastien Cantrel, who took over the Viel garage a few years ago in Cherbourg-Octeville (delegated municipality of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Manche) which provides towing and recovery of broken down or damaged vehicles. We especially observe a peak in fall. »

A period which coincides with the beaten linked to hunting, the rutting period, but also the increase in road traffic for the return to school and the first journeys in conditions of reduced brightness.

Every year, these are nearly 40,000 road accidents which involve large wild animals in France, causing around 50 dead and 120 seriously injuredaccording to the latest national estimates. This represents 110 collisions every day throughout France.

In the English Channel, the collision with a wild animal has become the haunting many road users.

According to the Federation of Manche Hunters, the number of accidents involving wild boars has tripled in one yearpassant from 24 to 78 incidents reported in early 2025. The most affected areas include the south of the department, the Sélune valley, the Val de Saire and the Carentan marshes, where the natural habitat favors proliferation of these animals.

These collisions causesignificant material damage ranging from a simple dent to the complete destruction of the vehicle. The force of impact increases exponentially with speed.

For example, a collision between a car traveling at 60 km/h and a deer produces a force equivalent to almost five tons. This factor explains the gravity frequent material damage.

Éric Poutas, a bodybuilder in Cherbourg, notices this regularly. “The bodywork, headlights, bumpers, suspension systems, even the chassis, can be completely destroyed. Customers are often distraught by the cost of repairseven if their insurance covers part of the costs. »

We also see many accidents where the reaction to avoid an animal leads to other, more serious harm.

The risks of sudden steering

Faced with a animal suddenly appearing on the roadthe reflex of many drivers is to want to avoid it at all costs. “A sudden turn of the wheel risks throwing the vehicle onto the opposite lane, into the ditch or into an obstacle,” indicates Sébastien Cantrel. The damage can then be considerable. »

Better to stay on course and brake in a straight line. Often, the passage of a wild boar announces others. A few years ago, my daughter hit three wild pigs in the Balleroy area. Results: almost €8,000 in repairs. The driver traveling in the opposite direction was unlucky. He hit the slope head-on and ended up on the roof.

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