Wednesday 16 March 2022 | 29

New investigation at Parc Saint Léger where cats are visible from the road

New investigation at Parc Saint Léger where cats are visible from the road

Mis à jour le 06 June 2022

Following our complaint in August 2021 for the lemurs and big cats at Parc Saint Léger, we went back there at the end of February 2022. Indeed, the advert in the press putting the park up for sale and the winter closure were concerning to us when it came to the state of the animals.

Hr blog

Our investigators knew the place well. They have been there regularly since Spring 2019 when we published our first images of Parc Saint Léger and of Parc Saint Paul where we saw tigers being passed from one person to another for photos. Our complaint against Kid Bauer, the boss and big cat trainer, is incidentally still ongoing, and still current. Since, the investigations have come one after another in the area: Baby, owned by Gilbert Bauer, Kid’s brother, and the ten tigers in a lorry, belonging to Mario Masson, who had once had hired his services and tigers out (if not more) to Parc Saint Paul...

When they arrived there, our investigators immediately saw the tigers and lions from the road, pacing up and down in the lorry-cage; the foliage was sparse in winter.

It was impossible for them to approach the animals this time however, for obvious reasons. The park was closed to the public and with the family of circus performers having settled their circus there and having lived there for eight years, the circumstances were not the best for a ‘close-up’ investigation.

But with a bit of distance, it is still possible to see things and, in a twist of fate, this allows an even better understanding of reality. The establishment, previously called ‘Parc des Félins’ [Big Cat Park], is situated on the edge of a roundabout, where the secondary road leads to the entrance of the main road that links Beauvais with Rouen. Trucks and cars drive quickly along here. Day and night, the lions, tigers, panthers, tortoise, lemurs and other farm animals are therefore submitted to a noise level that is far from negligible, as well as to the traffic pollution. This is a far from rural environment.

The lionesses, the white lion, as well as the tigers are closed in the lorry-cage almost all day and pace up and down (‘pace’ is not only a turn of phrase here: they can only take three paces before bumping into a fence again) ...

The circuses, whether travelling or settled, are hell for the animals who are locked up in them. They are synonymous with captivity, boredom, training, serious injuries, illnesses, separation of babies from their mothers, absence of choice, dependency, and a lack of privacy. But also very often — and confirmation of this is due to the experience of our proceedings — with irregularities regarding regulations, undeclared work, trafficking...

Settled circuses are not affected by the law that has just been passed, a godsend for many trainers who will settle. For the others, the implementing decree has still not been published... and reproduction will still be permitted for several more years yet (and will fuel the trafficking that is already happening), in the knowledge that it will suffice for the animals to remain at the mercy of the trainers who will later settle or leave to go abroad...

We are considering sending a new complaint to supplement the one that is already ongoing, with regard to these new images, where one of the lionesses is being hit with an iron bar by a member of staff.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Julia Mothé
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 29

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

trochu | Tuesday 17 May 2022

A quand une loi ferme et définitive pour interdire la présence des animaux sauvages et autres animaux dans les cirques ?
Que font toutes ces autorités et qu'attendent elles pour agir et vite ?
Il n'y a que cette loi qui dissuadera les gens à se rendre encore dans de tels cirques et qui leur ouvriront les yeux, car apparemment, il en faut beaucoup pour qu'ils comprennent que ces merveilleux ANIMAUX SAUVAGES n'ont rien à faire dans des cirques et que cela relève de l'évidence ! Que ces fabuleux animaux ont leurs vies dans la nature, la savane, ou des grandes réserves naturelles dans lesquelles ils vivent libres, protégés et avec les leurs. Soit, ces personnes aiment ces cirques par indifférence et égoïsme, soit parce ils ne réalisent pas à quel point ces animaux sont en grande souffrance, en grande détresse, exposés au stress, à la maltraitance et à la cruauté, dans un univers qui n'est pas le leur et qui ne correspond en rien à leurs environnements naturels.

Sayami | Monday 21 March 2022

Il faut que la maltraitante animale s’arrête

Gabriel RIO | Monday 21 March 2022

Voter une loi interdisant la captivité des animaux non domestiques découragera un certain public insensible à la réalité exigée par la Nature. Mais tous ces employés complices et autres "propriétaires" d'animaux en souffrance totale ne comprendrons pas que ces animaux ne sont pas destinés à ces lieux devenus par le fait : des lieux de tortures ; ces gens-là n'ont pas été sensibilisés au respect de l'animal, ce qui ne les affranchi nullement. L'éducation de l'humain se décide à la base, après c'est trop tard et seuls nos députés pourront intervenir alors. Conclusion : plus du tout d'animaux "sauvages" dans les cirques et le public endormi par son manque de réflexions général changera de camp.. Le passé est toujours présent et difficile sera l'avenir si les cerveaux restent éteints.

An O'Neem | Monday 21 March 2022

Comme d'habitude, la France est hyper en retard par rapport à ses voisins europoéens et encore plus hypocrite quand il s'agit de conscience animale.
Une française expatriée qui a honte de son beau pays d'origine