Monday 24 December 2018 | 15

When Larousse explains the circus to toddlers...

When Larousse explains the circus to toddlers...

Mis à jour le 14 January 2019

For Larousse, circuses necessarily exploit animals, and "it's magic!" The renowned publishing house gives toddlers the belief that traveling circuses are normal living places for animals. However, psychologists warn about this distortion of reality, hindering the healthy development of their empathy, which in the long term hinders the defence and protection of animals, some of which are, however, in serious danger of extinction in the wild. One Voice is protesting against this propaganda with deleterious consequences!

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"The encyclopaedia for little ones" (L'encyclopédie des petits) published by the Larousse Publishing House shows that a circus for animals is no problem in the collective imagination of a whole generation of children, even though it is a form of trivialized violence.

On the cover "read, discover and understand". But what do they understand? How normal is it for an elephant to contort into difficult positions? For tigers to suffer the lash behind bars?

The cartoon about Dumbo shown in 1947 already illustrated the shame of exploitation! And yet, more than 70 years later, we are still in this position. Still here after 20 years of incessant struggle for the animals who are ripped from their families, sold, transported, brutally trained and to end up continually exhibited. To end up dependent in the worst psychological situation, where the hand that holds the whip or the ankus is also the one that feeds.

Not happy to show real images - certainly always drawn - but in that cartoony style, with animals that seem happy to be there, disguised, locked up in a small enclosure, an elephant on a stool, ridiculed, the accompanying text suggests that it is all "magical" and impressive. No perspective, no real position taken! Where is the balanced and correct information that is expected from an encyclopaedia?

These animals are in fact in circuses, individuals of veterinary institutions have reiterated that their well-being could not be ensured in these itinerant establishments. Psychologists have also warned of the dangers of letting children believe that animals play while they act only under duress... This spectacle of the strongest over the weakest is unacceptable, both for children and the animals. Larousse and the parents must take responsibility for wild animals (tigers and lions), elephants and hippos, but also for monkeys, llamas, bears, camels ... and other animals that form our planet's biodiversity of which we all share.

We have immediately written to Larousse to demand that these illustrations be removed, from the cover to the inside pages, and have this definition of a circus corrected! 

Julia Mothé
Hr blog
#Cirques
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Santhore | Thursday 27 December 2018

Mesdames et Messieurs,

Je sais que changer des lignes dans un dictionnaire a un coût onéreux...mais par pitié n'encouragez pas les enfants à accepter l'esclavagisme des animaux pour les cirques. Ce n'est pas en effet lui apporter le meilleur dans sa vie et c'est empirer le sort des animaux que l'on arrache à leur milieu naturel sans ménagement. Je vous en supplie, ne soyez pas complice de cette situation problématique alors que le monde est en train de changer...
Je vous remercie par avance de la bonne décision que vous apporterez à ma requête qui à n'en pas douter ne sera pas la seule à vous parvenir.
Edwige

Fernand | Thursday 27 December 2018

Il est grand temps d'évoluer pour que cesse ces barbaries faites a nos animaux...SEULS LES SPECTATEURS IRRESPONSABLES APPLAUDISSENT AUX SOUFFRANCES DE CES ANIMAUX SANS DÉFENSE..AUCUN DRESSAGE N'EST HEUREUX...TOUT EST VIOLENCE.. LEURS VIES SONT FINIES DES QU'ILS SONT ENTRE LES MAINS DES CIRCASSIENS. Ecouter André Joseph Bouglione c'est édifiant...CE MONSIEUR a cessé d'UTILISER des animaux et offre un cirque qui mérite une place d'honneur.. Évoluons vers un monde protecteur ...

AD | Thursday 27 December 2018

La place d'un lion, d'un éléphant ..de tous les animaux sauvages n'est pas dans une cage mais dans la nature et cela un petit est capable de le comprendre. Le cirque c'est magique pour les femmes, les hommes artistes, sportifs ..acrobates, musiciens, jongleurs etc.. qui ont beaucoup travaillé et qui méritent d'être admirés et applaudis.
Voilà la définition du cirque !

trochu | Thursday 27 December 2018

Très choquant et sidérant de la part du larousse qui en 2018 continue de cautionner l'exploitation animale et qui apparemment ferme les yeux et n'a pas évolué dans son questionnement concernant la vie animale concernant le respect des animaux et leur considération c'est franchement à dénoncer, nous ne pouvons accepter cela étant donné que c'est la porte ouverte à toutes maltraitances et barbaries envers les animaux encore considérés pour le larousse comme "inférieurs et objets d'amusement et de divertissement", je n'en reviens pas.............