Lechmee, Mina and Kamala exhibited in the streets, One Voice sues for ill-treatment
This Friday, April 6th, 2018, a video was published, on which Lechmee, Mina and Kamala, are forced to follow their trainer, with ankus in hand, through the streets of Rambervillers in Lorraine.
This Friday, April 6th, 2018 afternoon, a video was posted on Facebook, in which we can see Lechmee, Mina and Kamala, forced to follow their trainer, with ankus in hand, through the streets of Rambervillers in Lorraine.
We file a complaint for mistreatment (which is added to the previous complaint in progress), and ask the Prefecture for their withdrawal from the circus.
A van precedes them, music plays at full volume. Announcements are made into the microphone, thundering through empty streets, the rest of the circus troop distributing leaflets for the evening performance, dancing and parading, insensitive to the distress of the three elephants.
Lechmee has a disabled foot, she is also blind. She only travels with her two companions, and Mina even helps her to feed herself as her health is worrying. According to the texts (the decree says “circuses” from the 18th of March 2011); Lechmee should have been for a long time now in a sanctuary. Together, the elephants have accumulated more than 120 years of captivity! On all our videos, we can see that they have developed strong stereotypes.
They will do several hundred kilometres on the roads in the coming weeks. However, after Diana’s death last weekend on a Spanish road, and Maya’s damning report about her health, pointing to her advanced age as a reason for retiring her from the circus, these are two strong signals … Just yesterday we sent a letter to the Ministry of Ecology, calling on him to free the elephants from the circuses.
We had already initiated a specific procedure for these three elderly elephants. The complaint has been under investigation for several months. It’s endless. For Lechmee, Mina and Kamala, it must be an eternity. Following the parade filmed today we add another complaint for ill-treatment to the Prosecutor of Epinal, with an application for the seizure of three elephants.
We send immediately in parallel, a letter to the Prosecutor of Epinal with a request for withdrawal of this circus, and a copy to the Ministry of Ecological and Supportive Transition. The state is responsible for the welfare of captive wild animals on their territory. The Prefecture must guarantee that they are well treated. This parade is the proof – if it needed yet another – which this is not the case.