Sunday 05 May 2019 | 13

Baby’s trainer faces justice on May 6th in Marmande

Baby’s trainer faces justice on May 6th in Marmande

Mis à jour le 11 May 2023

Do you know Baby? Perhaps your thinking no or probably you do. For more than 30 years, this elephant has been surveying film sets, appearing on advertising spots, participating in television shows, sitting on stools in circus shows... His trainer passes before the Agen Correctional Court in Marmande at 2.00 pm on Tuesday, May 6th for the irregular exploitation of a non-domestic animal.

Hr blog

Editorial on 6th May 2019

The judgment is deliberated on June 3rd, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.

An elephant uprooted

Originally from Africa, Baby was captured in 1985 when she was two years old. Like all baby elephants kidnapped in the wild, she had to live through many traumas before ending up in France to perform in shows. Since then, she has been offered for rental by Gilbert Bauer, she has been used to host both official inaugurations, Christmas trees, trade fairs, municipal parades, children's snacks, birthdays and other private parties. Listening to the trainer, Baby is like his daughter and swims in happiness by his side ... The public is fooled by this illusion, but is this the life for an elephant?

Uprooted from her native land, isolated from all contact with her family - while elephants are highly social animals - and suffering from a disability in the rear left foot, she is so alone ... At her age, Baby should live on the burning hot planes of the savannah along with his aging mother and sisters, baby elephants and nephews. Walking would be their daily life, helping to teach little ones, the transmissions from the matriarchs. Their common memory would take them from place to place, those of love, those of meditation, those of feasts ...

But Baby is far from this life, she can only dream of it now, forced as she is to turn around on a stool, to return the ball to thunderous music, to pose for photos or to be forced to parade on tarmac, close to humans she should never have met.

The penal procedure

The association has been tracking and monitoring Baby for a long time, and has consistently gathered evidence to denounce and rescue her.

On May 27th 2017, Gilbert Bauer went too far, and our warnings were heard by the authorities. That day the trainer paraded Baby without respecting the regulatory safety measures concerning the presentation of wild animals to the public. Inspectors from the National Office of Hunting and Wild Fauna (ONCFS) were able to observe that no electric barrier or fence separated the crowd from the elephant. Also, these elephants had to support performers that were perched upon their backs and that any of the public, including children, could approach her very closely.

The consequences of this offense could have been dramatic and Gilbert Bauer is now being prosecuted for the illegal exploitation of non-domestic animals. He is scheduled to appear before the Agen District Court on May 6th at 2 p.m. It is a step forward. One Voice however wishes to go further and requests that this criminal procedure be reclassified as ill-treatment and that Baby be entrusted to us.

For her and all of the animals exploited for the entertainment of certain humans, we call for the ban on this practice. Their place is in a sanctuary !

Hr blog

In the subject

Against all odds for Samba, the last ‘circus’ elephant, whose suffering has broken the State’s indifference We will defend the animals from the Franco-Belge Circus before the courts.

Comments 13

I accept that publication of my comments is subject to the code of conduct.

bidule | Wednesday 15 May 2019

Il est vrai que les gens qui regardent les spectacles ne voient pas derrière la scène, les drames qui se déroulent en dehors : le dressage brutal parfois, la privation de liberté, la privation de son environnement naturel et d'affection de ses congénères, l'obligation de répondre présent et ceci de manière constante à des sollicitations indignes de son statut d'être vivant méritant du respect et même de la considération et surtout de beaucoup d'amour.

dany | Sunday 12 May 2019

J'éspère de tout coeur que cette éléphante va être libérée de cet esclavage. Depuis l'âge de 2 ans elle est à la merci de gens sans scrupules, il faut que ça cesse. Les animaux ont un cœur énorme rempli de gentillesse et ça me révolte de voir que certains (soi disant) humains abusent de leur innocence.

Béa | Saturday 11 May 2019

Juste envie de pleurer à l'idée d'une telle maltraitance pendant de si longues années ! Comment des parents peuvent-ils encore emmener leurs enfants voir de tels spectacles ignobles ? Comment un gouvernement peut-il cautionner de telles MONSTRUOSITES ! Il est grand temps que Mr Macron se réveille car NOUS NE VOULONS PLUS CELA EN FRANCE...

Gribouille | Friday 10 May 2019

De tout coeur avec vous en souhaitant que cette magnifique créature sensible et intelligente ait la possibilité de fouler un sol normal pour elle en toute liberté avec ses congènères