A hopeful decision for Maya the female elephant!
One Voice leads a nonviolent fight to defend animal rights and respect all life forms. The organization operates independently and is thus free to speak and act freely.
Thanks to the six new expert evaluations carried out by specialists at the request of One Voice, the Prefect of Lot et Garonne is asking for a new veterinary inspection as soon as possible in the circus that is holding Maya. We are all behind her, we will not let go!
At first a disappointing inspection
During the first veterinary inspection carried out following our intervention, at the request of the Prefect of Lot & Garonne, Mrs. Patricia Willaert. Two assigned veterinarians had concluded that Maya was well and that her living conditions within the circus were conforming to the legal requirements. One of them is a specialist in dogs and cats, the other works in a zoo that does not currently hold any elephants, and whose conclusions are in contradiction with those of the elephant representative of EAZA, which we asked for ourselves!
Perseverance
Following this, we organized a rally in Agen for Maya and provided the Prefecture with a new file, supported by 5 new opinions from international experts, in addition to the previous 3. On November 30th, the response we received filled us with hope.
Convinced by the new items that we added to the file, the Prefect is now asking for a new veterinary inspection in the circus that holds the elephant and this as soon as possible! We welcome her decision but remain wary: we did not ask for an inspection, the first had already proved its limits, but an expertise of well-being and animal protection, based on an article of the rural code. We wish that the person who will assess Maya’s health has the knowledge and skills to do so… In response to her mail, we have protested by reiterating our request for an expert inspection with a complete evaluation, and asked to be present or represented when it takes place. If necessary, we will not hesitate to seize the tribunal again to that effect.
8 expert evaluations confirming Maya’s dramatic state of health
The certificates we have obtained are from scientists, renowned worldwide for their expertise with elephants or wildlife (see box below). All, without exception, concluded that Maya was in poor health and two of them clearly declined the necessary examinations to be performed on the elephant, which we passed on to Patricia Willaert. According to Dr. Yaduraj Khadpekar, the stereotypical behaviors displayed by Maya seem to increase in the presence of the keeper. Her physical condition is extremely bad, which is probably due to malnutrition and poor nutrition. Her muscles are so weak that she cannot lift or support her head. He concludes: “(…) it is recommended that the elephant be moved to an appropriate recovery center and receive immediate long-term veterinary treatment and lifelong care.”
The fight must go on
More than 100,000 signatures have already been collected to obtain #JusticeforMaya. Our petition, addressed to the President of the Republic, Mr. Macron is also supported by several public figures (whose names are cited in the petition).
In addition to the letter we sent him, we asked for an appointment with Mr. Nicolas Hulot, Minister of Ecology, to expose Maya’s case and the conclusions of various experts.
For Maya, the fight goes on!
The experts we consulted
Ethologist Lucy Bates, Dr. Peter Gallego, Wildlife Veterinarian, Dr. Yaduraj Khadpekar, Chief Veterinarian at the SOS Wildlife Elephant Care and Conservation Center, Mathura, India, Dr. John Knight, Wildlife Veterinarian wild captive, Dr. Joyce Pool, co-founder and Scientific Director of ElephantVoices, Dr. Scarlett Magda, Veterinarian and Founding President of Veterinarians International, Dr. Willem Schatennaar, EAZA’s Senior Veterinarian for Edwin Elephants, Ed Stewart, co-founder of PAWS, known and sought after worldwide, especially for his experience with captive and wild elephants.