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Tiny French village celebrates first birth in 50 years after baby was born in garden

The Local France
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Tiny French village celebrates first birth in 50 years after baby was born in garden
Photo: Google Street View

A nearly abandoned village in central France has recorded its first birth in 50 years - and local authorities were at a loss for words, not least for the fact the baby was born in the garden?

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It's not often that the picturesque farming village of Auge, in the Creuse department, central France, makes national headlines. 
 
But this was the case this week after two proud parents welcomed the first baby born in Auge in 50 years.
 
Yes - you read that correctly. The village, with its population of 105, hasn't had to file a birth registry for half a century. 
 
 
And in the mad rush of birth, baby Axelle - a girl - was apparently in a rush to break the drought, and came into this world in the garden of the parents in the middle of the night. 
 
When the young couple took their little treasure into the town hall to be registered a few days later, the local mayor was left flummoxed.
 
"We had the birth register, no worries about that, but we were just concerned that we'd fill it in wrong," the mayor Élisabeth Henry said. 
 
 
She added that she was forced to call a neighbouring town hall to ask for help. 
 
As for the new family, the father is all smiles to bring some new life into the town. 
 
"It's a thing of beauty, no? My daughter, my little flower, was born in the middle of the garden," he told France Bleu. 

It was indeed high time that some new blood came to Auge.
 
The village has seen its population dipping fairly steadily for over a century. 
 
As for little Axelle, she'd better hope that more babies come to the town soon. France Bleu reported that the local school has long since closed and many homes have been abandoned as locals sought greener pastures elsewhere.  
 
The graph above shows that the population has essentially dropped for over a century. 

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