The end of a slave trade

Since the 3rd of May, the fate of the French marine circuses is sealed. The Minister of the Environment has banned the reproduction of orcas and captive dolphins, as well as exchanges between parks, signifying the eventual closure of dolphinariums. Even if the fight for those who are still held continues, One Voice – member of the coalition, Dolphinaria Free Europe – is delighted with this result in which it has worked relentlessly over the last several years.

This brave statute comes along at the same time as the industry was requesting new installations which would impose further animal suffering which One Voice has been opposing for the last 20 years. Recap of a year of fighting towards victory…

• April 2016: One Voice learns that the industry is attempting to renegotiate the the ruling of the 24th of August 1981, regulating dolphinarium activity. The globally recognised New Zealand biologist, Ingrid Visser, is invited to visit the French sites by One Voice. She is particularly concerned about the state of Galeo, detained at Port-Saint-Père…
• May 2016: publication of Ingrid Visser's report, translated by a court certified translator, and transmission of case documents to the Minister for the Environment. Complaint filed on behalf of Galeo.
• June 2016: Application to the tribunal for a visit in a bailiff's presence of the Port-Saint-Père marine park. Libération publishes an article by Corine Pelluchon, philosopher, exposing the truth about dolphinariums and to save Galeo.
• August 2016: the Bailiff visit takes place, but the dolphinarium attacks One Voice with an interim order before the findings can be used.
• October 2016: visit to the dolphinarium with Naomi Rose, Doctor in Biology and American specialist in marine mammals. An urgent report concerning Aicko (Port-Saint-Père) provokes a new complaint; discovery of Femke's state (Park Asterix), monitoring is initiated.
• November 2016: the death of Aicko (6 years old), emergency procedure launched for expertise into the conditions of his death. Meeting at the Ministry, handing over of all produced reports: explicit request to ban reproduction in captivity and exchanges between dolphinariums.
• February 2017: a judicial expert is appointed by the High Court of Nantes, where the president looks at One Voice's arguments and raises the issue of the fundamental rights of dolphins, a first in France!
• February 2017: One Voice runs its campaign as part of the public consultation opened by the Minister of the Environment on the revision of the 1981 ruling. More than 16,000 citizens protest at our request regarding this consultation…
• March 2017: a meeting of experts (lawyers and specialised veterinarians) at Port-Saint-Père as part as the legal expertise consultation.
• April 2017: the park visits being reopened, Femke is seen (Park Asterix), evaluation of her critical state by Doctor Pierre Gallego, specialist cetacean veterinarian; our video is shown abroad (more than 1 million views). Final contacts with the minister, sending of arguments in a letter / file on the 13^th of April.
• May 2017: final decision by the Ministry. Victory! The reproduction and transfer of cetaceans between parks is now banned. The dolphinariums are going to have to close.

One Voice continues its fight for captive dolphins. They won't be replaced but their plight is still ongoing. An emergency proceeding has been launched regarding Femke, for whom we are very concerned.