Thursday 22 February 2018 | 62

Humiliation for the circus, the court affirms our right to defend Maya!

Humiliation for the circus, the court affirms our right to defend Maya!

Mis à jour le 12 July 2018

The judge has taken the side of the freedom of speech for the defence of animals!

Hr blog

On February 13th, we were put on trial by the circus that owns and exploits Maya. The circus advocated censorship, forbidding us to defend her, demanding not only our silence, but our public apology.

Not fulfilling our mission was out of the question, we had to do everything in our power to defend the animals!

Justice has proved us right.

For several weeks, Maya was nowhere to be found, and our letters to the circus were left practically unanswered. They allowed the rumour to spread that she was dead, while they alone could dispel the doubt.

At the hearing, we learned that Maya was alive. The veterinary inspection requested by the Prefect had taken place the day before, and the circus had had her abscess treated at the hindquarters a few days before. We had raised the alert about this growth in October!

But a priori, nothing has been done for her feet, while her posture shows us in a blatant way that it is from there that she physically suffers the most! She gathers her feet under her, to make up for her weight from the back to the front and tries to relieve them by lifting them one after the other.

When we know that the vast majority of elephant health problems come from their feet, we can only worry about such a lack of knowledge. All the elephants at this circus were filmed trampling in their excrement, because they were stuck on the spot, we even filmed Maya drinking from a garden hose on the ground!

Maya’s stereotypical behaviour is also very worrying, it is related to her pain, but also to her impossibility to walk, an imperative natural need for elephants. Let us repeat, elephants are made for walking and the richness of a group life, and in circuses their mobility is all the more limited and this all year long. To this must be added the perpetual truck journeys, on winding roads that places great demands on the elephant’s feet and legs.

We will soon know if this veterinarian has taken into account her well-being as a whole or if he has focused only on the health aspect, as have the veterinarians of the circus so far.

During the hearing, the circus attorney repeatedly showed that he did not know the anatomy of an elephant and made use of bad faith as a specialist.

Selected extracts:

"Salières (temporal gland area) are towards the flanks" while in fact they are above the temples;

"Abscesses appearing on the hindquarters are usual past 50 years" while they are actually due to abuse.

"Maya is living in this circus, and not captive, she is part of the family, and is not considered a work tool ..." So, she can leave when she wants, right?

"All studies show that an elephant lives longer in captivity than in the wild ..." For us, a life of detention and exhibition is not a dignified life. In nature, they must be protected, and in captivity they must be released!

We have other actions planned for her in 2018, it is time that Maya get a little respite, and to be helped, this is a priority of her requirements! We also file a complaint against the ill-treatment suffered by Nelly and Brigit, the other two elephants held by this circus. These elderly and suffering elephants deserve, like all the others on this planet, an elephant life, not a Circassian life. They will not silence us! 

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 62

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

bb38 | Tuesday 27 February 2018

J'espère que vous arriverez à retirer ces éléphantes de ces cirques et que vous pourrez aussi stopper tout ces cirques avec animaux. Les animaux n'ont rien à faire dans les cirques !! Les animaux doivent rester dans des espaces protégés au milieu de savane. Heureusement que des associations se battent pour elles et que vous arrivez à vous faire entendre. L'argent est tellement facile avec les animaux que ce soit le cirque, la production, la consommation, la fourrure....
J'espère un monde meilleur pour les animaux car quand je vois ce qu'est capable de faire l'être humain, je suis écoeurée de faire partie de cette même "race"

Vonzy | Monday 26 February 2018

Comme souvent en toutes sociétés il y a les bons, heureusement les plus nombreux, les brutes et les truands. L'univers circassien est une société qui n'échappe pas à la règle et de même que des humains ne prennent pas soins -euphémisme- de leur propre progéniture, alors celles des autres, celles des animaux... même s'il s'agit le plus souvent dans le monde du cirque de leur gagne pain. Et le carnet de santé de l'animal s'il n'est contrôlé que par le vétérinaire maison, il n'offre pas toutes les garanties. Des inspections menées par les services compétents devraient être plus nombreuses et impromptues. Fini le temps ou on achève bien... les animaux à la tâche.

Dom | Monday 26 February 2018

Bravo pour votre engagement sans failles!...
Mais d'autres animaux souffrent dans d'autres cirques...
N'oublions pas que sans spectateurs, pas de spectacles !: donner notre soutien aux associations, c'est bien, mais notre comportement a valeur d'exemple et nous pouvons tous faire savoir autour de nous notre réprobation pour ce genre de spectacle.

chipie66 | Sunday 25 February 2018

oui mais en attendant MAYA est toujours prisonnière de ce maudit cirque sera t 'elle libérée un jour je me pose des questions ce drame traîne depuis si longtemps