Against all odds for Samba, the last ‘circus’ elephant, whose suffering has broken the State’s indifference

In July, the publication of our latest investigation footage, along with the announcement of our complaint to which testimonies from veterinarians specialising in elephants were attached, sparked things off... Or rather, Max Aucante, Samba's trainer, had done a runner, before the planned performances had even started.

Since then, we feared that the last circus elephant in France would be sent abroad, like Dumba, then Kamala, and around the same time Bambi and Rosa as well as Nelly and Brigit, and finally Baby... with authorities helping or turning a blind eye. Samba’s ordeal would have continued, and we would then no longer have had any legal leverage to offer her a better life.

Authorities are waiting for a ‘thank you’ from Samba and those who defend her...

Also, when the Cirque d’Europe circus was brought to our attention in Morangis, a suburban town next to Orly Airport, we didn’t think twice: we went there to confirm their presence and filmed them... prey to stereotyping. Since then, we had a bit more hope, but there wasn't enough time for a check of any kind to take place.

Yesterday, a supporter let us know of their presence in Épinay-sur-Orge, still in the Paris region. And there, once again, the pitfalls are piling up. The town published a press release stating that a veterinarian would be there “so that the animals’ suffering would be reduced”. The initial reaction was to celebrate, but why would we still let ourselves be fooled like this?

...or a “tide”?

A memorandum from the Ministry of the Ecological Transition, which we knew about and dated back to mid-October 2023, “relating to the checking procedure for travelling establishments keeping animals from a non-domestic species with a view to showing them to the public” specifically aims to put pressure on communities who refuse the presence of a circus with animals in their town.

The wording of this document and the accompanying email are totally biased. There was already a previous one a few years ago, between the ministerial measures and the law against animal mistreatment being drawn up.

This update is harmful: it presumes that the checks that it plans to carry out “will guarantee the absence of animal mistreatment”! In travelling establishments, this is specifically targeted.

An overwhelming step back after the passing of the weak 2021 law

Nothing surprises us any more when this so-called ‘Ecological’ Ministry, who has still neither written nor published any kind of implementing decree, even though the implementation of the law was supposed to take place on its second anniversary at the end of the month. Neither for the animals kept in lorry-cages nor for the rest of them either (feline straying, dolphinariums, etc.). It is no longer about resistance: we went past this stage a long time ago.

The captive animal portfolio, from their exploitation to their disappearance in the wild

The rare progress made in 2020-2021 has been reduced to nothing. Circus performers’ proficiency certifications are now the same as those for zoos, and the regulations of those is about to be reviewed at a cut-rate. We are going to go to the State Council to fight against this dumbing down.

Worse, a leaflet glorifying the circus, written, created, and published by them, is being distributed by prefectures.

We will never stop calling out State ministers and junior ministers who follow each other’s lead: there has only been a guilty silence in response to our letters... But for Samba and all the others, after more than twenty years of persistent fighting, nothing will stop us.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice