Hearing in Blois on 12 May 2021 for acts of cruelty on the Poliakovs’ animals

Do we need to remind you of the conditions in which Micha, Bony and Glasha had to survive? In nefarious prisons open to draughts, fed with mouldy fruits and vegetables, living with rats potentially carrying diseases which, for the bears, have not been treated for years and years… Little Mina, kept for six years in a space measuring 50 square centimetres, then transferred in her current cage which had appeared previously to only be a waste disposal at the property with so many empty yogurt pots and other items accumulating there. The Poliakovs didn’t even have permission to keep her! The horses’ hooves weren’t trimmed and the rare birds, macaws and cockatoos, as well as the turtledoves were kept confined in cages inside a shed without daylight.

But no one forced the couple to keep animals!

They were attached to them, we were told during the court hearings… Can you believe it?
The maggots were teeming, not only on Micha’s paws but also coming out of his respiratory tract. The bear, who had scarring from repeated beatings on his battered body, had lost a considerable amount of weight and on an ongoing basis for at least four years.
The laryngeal cancer, which he was diagnosed with after we had sent our images to the Ministry of Ecology and distributed them publicly, had only been detected because Micha had been removed from the Poliakovs’ custody! Without this, he would have died in his medieval cell in utter silence, far from public view and without their knowledge.

What would have happened to Bony and Glasha? To Mina? To the birds? What would happen without this indispensable work that we’ve carried out by keeping watch and whistleblowing? The animals die without anyone worrying about it, since the State itself, at a ministerial level, doesn’t list the animals kept by the trainers. And on a Prefectural level, they are satisfied with the inspections, that could be politely described as lenient, by staff who aren’t specialised in the species concerned and who are understaffed, and who over the years make reports without clamping down. This is what is happening for so many of them.

Keeping wild animals and keeping them captive is nonsensical, even more so based on current scientific knowledge and the serious threats that endanger them in the wild. But since the law allows it under certain conditions, this must ensure accountability of these people who are, in frustrating circumstances, professionals. In any case, the animals should not be subjected to such moral, emotional, and medical misery.

Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice, stated:

For our lawyer, Ms Moreau, “over more than twelve years, the owners have left domestic and non-domestic species of animals to live in conditions which have caused great suffering… In any case, these animals have not been kept in conditions designed for their well-being and health.” As for the mistreatment, the owners have acted with full knowledge of the facts, given that they are professionals who hold certifications. In addition, Mr Poliakov is an habitual offender. Finally, concerning the acts of cruelty, the witness accounts are explicit. He used violence towards the animals, notably when he was in an inebriated state.

We are requesting that all of the animals kept by the couple are taken away from them and that they are entrusted to us and that permanent custody of Bony and Glasha is given to the sanctuaries who have taken them into their care. But this doesn’t stop here: we request that the Poliakov-Bruneau couple can never keep animals or perform professional or social activities linked to animals.

SOME KEY DATES OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS (2018-2021)

Translated from the French by Joely Justice