Tuesday 08 October 2019 | 24

In battle for Boulie, the "circus" hippopotamus

In battle for Boulie, the "circus" hippopotamus

Mis à jour le 07 May 2020

Boulie is along with Jumbo the other hippo who is currently being used by a French circus. If it benefits from a more sophisticated communication than that of the Muller circus, its existence is of course of the same order: solitary slavery. We file a complaint for Boulie.

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We can't deny that: William Kerwich, director of the Royal Kerwich circus, the general delegate of the Circus Collective, has understood how much our fight has been for the liberation of Jumbo, held by the Muller circus. More over for circuses in general to be without animals. So, he deploys “communication” as a smoke-screen around “his” hippo Boulie…

"What happiness!"

The images posted on his circus Facebook page should not be misleading: Boulie is shown there in a temperary pool and also in a muddy water hole at the edge of the field which must be her winter quarters. In fact, many Internet users congratulate the circus on the good care given to animals, one even going so far as to conclude: "Adorable! Animals love to play and show off! Reality! What happiness. Objective achieved, finally with those who believe in it, and who want to believe in it at all costs.

Because the place of a hippopotamus will and must never be in the cages of an itinerant circus or under the crushing sun of the Côte d'Azur and where none of them should exist. Even when out of water and if watered from time to time, this fundamentally gregarious animal is found here, in the presence that is Boulie, the only representative of its species. Alone and kept captive in an environment that has nothing to do with her essential needs: swimming freely, which relieves her joints, free fodder, the calm of the nights in the thickets bordering the river, and a permanent communication, in and out of the water, with its congeners…

Abusive messages

So do not confuse good "communication" with reality, because between the two the gap is large. Boulie is thus present on certain recent posters of a circus with a totally misleading dialogue. One of them entitled: "Closer to the animals", and even boasts an intuitive educational and cultural show: "with animals from a breeding and preservation program for species monitored by state veterinarians", a program we would love to know all about!
It sounds like social work, a humanitarian action, when it comes to a wild species which is over exhibited and lugged around from pillar to post. A true work of wildlife conservation, without a doubt! It goes without saying that the circus obviously does not have a permit to be a zoological park, any more than for it to be a "day care centre". Furthermore, the newly opened winter quarters which are open to the public do not comply with the regulations of a zoological park.

In an article about this “really” Royal circus, we see a photo showing a trainer feeding Boulie and which is captioned: “Rodolphe Kerwich (eighth generation artist) and Boulie. They are both 21 years old and grew up together.” One would almost cry in front of so much love, but the first character here, the trainer, is free and the second, the hippo, is held and exhibited to the public, before and during a show, without any particular artistic interest what so ever (to climb upon a platform, oh such a beautiful affair!). The impact of such shows is totally counterproductive in terms of teaching, especially for children who should never be led to believe that an animal, wild by nature, can ever be happy in a circus.

A prisoner, that's all she is, strolling along the roads then to be thrown into a pasture full of noisy and hilarious audiences, over and over again.

Boulie, Jumbo: the same fight

The fight for Jumbo will soon arrive on the judicial front: indeed, the trial for ill-treatment will finally take place. We are not fooled by the reality which is that of Boulie and we file a complaint for ill-treatment, ill-treatment committed by a professional. Placement or maintenance of a captive wild animal in a habitat, environment or installation that may be the cause of suffering and exploitation. Improper holding of non-domestic animals, violation of the conservation of non-domestic animal species ... We hope that the judges will hear the argument that the life offered to such an animal, protected, can only be suffering , even in disguise ... and of which we cannot laugh either, when Boulie escaped the circus in 2018 to go for a walk in the vegetable patch of a local person living near the marquees as in our video of this summer 2019. An unusual variety of facts revealing in fine detail all the lack of seriousness with which one considers the life of a living being and the way in which in reality only shows suffering and loneliness of this hippo.

Support the fight for Boulie by sending a message to the Prefect of Var:

  • via postal mail, taking inspiration for example from the letter download it here, at: Préfecture du Var boulevard du 112ème Régiment d´Infanterie, 83070 Toulon, France

Please continue to sign and share our petition for #CirquesSansAnimaux.

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 24

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

murgod2018 | Monday 28 October 2019

Je plains cet hippopotame!

Karine et Philippe | Sunday 13 October 2019

Les Cirques MULLER ou Royal KERWICH doit prendre conscience que les animaux sont considérés, au regard du Code Civil, comme des êtres vivants dotés de sensibilité, en l'occurrence, nul n'a le droit de les asservir ou de les exploiter, pour non respect de la loi et du bien-être animal. La place d'un animal sauvage n'est pas dans un cirque, mais dans son élément naturel. Boulie, un hippopotame détenu en captivité est malheureux, contrairement à ce que les badauds peuvent penser, bien-sûr, qu'il est arrosé et a de la boue à sa disposition, mais la question qu'il convient de se poser, est-il heureux derrière des grillages, dans son élément qui n'est pas naturel, qui le serait à sa place?????? Il devrait vivre avec ses congénères en toute liberté. Boulie et Jumbo sont innocents. Pour la santé mentale de tous ces animaux, il convient de les transférer dans des sanctuaires loin de la folie humaine. Quand nos élus vont prendre en considération que plus de 80 % de la population française est contre la captivité en tout genre des animaux et cesser de cautionner cette maltraitance et de se rendre complices. Leur rôle est de s'engager pour le bien-être animal, en changeant le statut juridique de l'animal et de faire figurer la maltraitance, l'abandon, la zoophilie et le crime dans le Code Pénal. On juge une grande Nation de la manière dont elle traite ses animaux. La France, pays des droits de l'homme, est très en retard voire archaïque en ce qui concerne la considération de tous les animaux. Nous manifesterons notre mécontentement lors des élections municipales et présidentielles, pour le bien-être animal et humain, car ce que l'on fait aux animaux on le fait aux personnes.

CANNELLE44 | Saturday 12 October 2019

Il suffirait que les politiques s'attaquent sérieusement au problèmes et fassent interdire purement et simplement les animaux dans les cirques. Ce n'est certainement pas leur place, ils doivent être dans la nature, en liberté ! De plus, si les gens réfléchissaient un peu (malheureusement ce n'est pas donné à tout le monde) et n'allaient pas dans les cirques où se trouvent des animaux, le problème serait vite réglé !

Penelope | Saturday 12 October 2019

Cela ne changera jamais le gouvernement actuel est contre les animaux ils n'en n'ont rien à faire c'est le laxisme pour tout