Arpi’âne, based in the French Alps, took to Facebook on Sunday to announce “the assassination of almost all of our herd of donkeys” by an unnamed Swiss hunter.

Their viral post criticised “people shoot at animals who come out of the woods without bothering to check what they’re shooting at”.

Accusing the hunter of fleeing after realising he shot domestic animals, they called off future tours to look after their sole surviving donkey.

The director of the Savoie hunting federation said the incident was “incomprehensible” and “bad for the image of hunting in Savoie”. He said most hunters “are not like that Swiss hunter”.