News Archive - One voice

Bullfighting in La Brède: One Voice takes legal action

Bullfighting in La Brède: One Voice takes legal action
11.05.2026
La Brède
Bullfighting in La Brède: One Voice takes legal action
Exploitation for shows

To challenge the holding of a bullfight in La Brède on 20 June, One Voice is taking legal action. The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday 12 May at 10am at the Administrative Court of Bordeaux. While some media outlets continue to portray bullfighting as a cultural or artistic event, One Voice reminds us of the reality: bullfighting is based on the suffering and killing of a bull in front of an audience.

Tomorrow, Tuesday 12 May at 10am, One Voice will be present at the Administrative Court of Bordeaux to challenge the bullfight announced for 20 June 2026 in La Brède as part of local festivities. In France, bullfighting is a prohibited act of cruelty, with the exception of certain areas where an “unbroken local tradition” can be demonstrated.

In Gironde, this practice remains marginal. Nevertheless, the city council plans to organise a bullfight largely funded by public money, under conditions that One Voice considers questionable, both in terms of the budget and the organisation.

Behind the media narrative lies very real violence

In recent weeks, several national media outlets have run features on bullfighting or bullfighters, helping to portray this practice as a cultural or artistic show. One Voice condemns this narrative which obscures the reality of what takes place in the arena: a weakened animal, repeatedly injured, subjected to extreme stress and then killed to applause.

Bullfighting is based on organised and scripted sadism. Children may witness these scenes, contributing to the normalisation of the mistreatment of the most vulnerable, whoever they may be.

In July 2025, One Voice revealed previously unseen footage filmed during the bullfight in Céret, showing an unprecedented outburst of violence. These images serve as a stark reminder of what certain narratives still seek to conceal.

With 75% of French people declaring themselves opposed to bullfighting and 79% believing it can these days no longer be regarded as entertainment, One Voice is calling for an end to this French exception and for the permanent abolition of bullfighting.

Bullfight in La Brède: One Voice takes legal action

One Voice in court in Bordeaux tomorrow against the bullfight in La Brède

Pour contester la tenue d’une corrida à La Brède le 20 juin prochain, One Voice engage une action en justice. L’audience est prévue ce mardi 12 mai à 10h au tribunal administratif de Bordeaux. Alors que certains médias continuent de présenter la corrida sous un angle culturel ou artistique, One Voice rappelle la réalité : la corrida repose sur la souffrance et la mise à mort d’un taureau devant un public.

Demain, mardi 12 mai à 10h, One Voice sera présent au tribunal administratif de Bordeaux pour contester la corrida annoncée le 20 juin 2026 à La Brède, dans le cadre de fêtes locales. En France, la corrida est un acte de cruauté interdit, sauf exception dans certaines zones où une “tradition locale ininterrompue” peut être démontrée.

En Gironde, cette pratique demeure marginale. Malgré cela, la municipalité prévoit d’organiser une corrida financée en grande partie par des fonds publics, dans des conditions que One Voice estime opaques, tant sur le plan budgétaire que sur celui de l’organisation.

Derrière le récit médiatique, une violence bien réelle

Ces dernières semaines, plusieurs médias nationaux ont consacré des sujets à la corrida ou à des toreros, participant à présenter cette pratique comme un spectacle culturel ou artistique. One Voice dénonce cette mise en récit qui invisibilise la réalité de ce qui se déroule dans l’arène : un animal affaibli, blessé à répétition, soumis à un stress extrême puis mis à mort sous les applaudissements.

La corrida repose sur un sadisme organisé et scénarisé. Des enfants peuvent assister à ces scènes, contribuant à banaliser la maltraitance des plus vulnérables, quels qu’ils soient.

En juillet 2025, One Voice révélait des images inédites tournées lors de la corrida de Céret, montrant un déchaînement inouï de violence. Ces images rappellent ce que certains discours cherchent encore à masquer.

Alors que 75 % des Français se déclarent opposés à la corrida et que 79 % considèrent qu’elle ne peut plus être regardée comme un spectacle aujourd’hui, One Voice appelle à mettre fin à cette exception française et à abolir définitivement la corrida.

Mauritius: 446 macaques illegally captured for laboratories and a silent massacre

Mauritius: 446 macaques illegally captured for laboratories and a silent massacre
04.05.2026
Maurice – France
Mauritius: 446 macaques illegally captured for laboratories and a silent massacre
Expérimentation animale

In 2023, 446 macaques were snatched from the forests of Mauritius. Hammerhead International Ltd, the company responsible for the captures, acted without prior notice or authorisation. Seized by the Mauritian government, the animals appear to have been subjected to appalling conditions of captivity. Three years later, only 192 have survived, some of whom were mere infants at the time.

Faced with this ethical and sanitary disaster, One Voice is taking action alongside its long-standing partners Action for Primates, Progress Science Mauritius and Monkey Massacre in Mauritius. Together, we have written to the authorities, demanding answers and the immediate implementation of strict, verifiable safeguards to protect the survivors.

©Monkey Massacre in Mauritius

To further its plan to breed primates for foreign laboratories, the company Hammerhead International Ltd orchestrated the capture of 446 macaques in Mauritius in 2023. Among them, some were very young and still dependent on their mothers. So what! The animal experimentation industry acts with complete impunity, as their breeding operation had not even been officially authorised yet. Alerted to the situation, the authorities intervened to seize the animals and, pending the outcome of the investigation, transferred them to a breeding facility known for its exploitation of living creatures: Biosphère Trading Ltd. This facility is one of seven “primate factory farms” that ship more than 10,000 of these animals to laboratories in the United States, Canada and Europe, notably to France.

Our on-site investigations in 2023 have already documented overcrowded cages, repeated outbreaks of disease and mass culls.

192 survivors out of 446: so many lives wasted for nothing

Since their seizure and relocation, the statements from the authorities have sought to be reassuring. The truth only came to light in March 2026. In an official letter mentioning a visit by the institutional veterinary services in January 2026, the news broke: only 192 macaques had survived.

178 were killed after testing positive for tuberculosis, a consequence of trafficking and the conditions of their captivity.
A further 73 died as a result of neglect: untreated injuries, trauma, diarrhoea.

In total, more than half of the captured animals perished. This catastrophic toll confirms the major health failures already identified in these “factory farms”, but also the direct responsibility of the authorities who approved their transfer to this facility, which had been denounced for such mistreatment since 2021.

Hammerhead’site ©Monkey Massacre in Mauritius

Primates breeding centre of Biosphère ©Monkey Massacre in Mauritius

Mauritius, a key hub in the global trade in macaques for experimentation

Classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2022, long-tailed macaques nevertheless remain the most traded primates in the world for laboratory use. In this abhorrent trade, Mauritius occupies a strategic position: over 10,000 primates are reportedly exported every year, 100,000 over the last twenty years, notably to France, the United Kingdom and the United States. In France in 2024, 1,413 primates used in our laboratories came from this trade, representing 81% of the total number of primates for that year.

Primatology Centre in Rousset: a trade set to continue

The planned expansion of the Primatology Centre in Rousset will only serve to reinforce these dealings.

The CNRS thus plans to purchase, over a three-year period, 314 female and 32 male long-tailed macaques imported as “breeding stock”. This public procurement contract, approved in 2025, explicitly mentions animals of Mauritian origin. Their transport would be handled by Silabe, a hub for the primate trade for laboratories in France and Europe. And despite this so-called “resilience”, imports will also remain very high in parallel. This project will “supply” only 35 to 40% of the primates used in French laboratories each year – which is still nearly 1,200 individuals! For this, over 30 million euros of public money will be spent on these tortured lives.

Primatology Centre in Rousset: a trade set to continue

The planned expansion of the Primatology Centre in Rousset will only serve to reinforce these dealings.

Badgers: press release

Badgers: press release
06.05.2026
France
Badgers: press release
Wildlife

While the courts have recently ruled in favour of One Voice and its partners in several cases concerning the protection of badgers, the Ministry for Ecological Transition has decided to appeal to the Council of State in an attempt to retain the additional periods for underground hunting. This is a scandalous decision, symbolic of a government that remains ready to defend the interests of the hunting industry rather than wildlife.

Despite numerous legal victories secured by One Voice in conjunction with other organisations (notably AVES and ASPAS), the Ministry for Ecological Transition has just appealed to the Council of State in an attempt to retain the additional periods for underground badger hunting.

In other words: allowing badgers to be hunted down, dug out with dogs and then killed at a time when their young are still dependent on their mothers.

And yet, in its ruling of 24 February 2026, the Administrative Court of Appeal of Bordeaux had reiterated this fundamental principle: it is forbidden to kill young mammals. It had also confirmed that a ‘young’ animal is defined as one that is not yet able to fend for itself and remains dependent on its mother, as is the case with young badgers who are not yet independent at the time of these additional hunting periods.

Even in recent weeks, the courts have ruled in our favour on several occasions:

*in Calvados, with the cancellation of an order authorising an additional period of underground hunting in 2024;

*in Eure, with the cancellation of hunts at the authorities’ initiative and a new additional period of underground hunting in 2025;

*in Tarn-et-Garonne, where the administrative court also overturned an order authorising this practice in 2022.

Tomorrow, once again, we will be appearing before the judge in urgent proceedings to defend badgers in the Marne region.

And if the appeal is allowed by the Council of State, we will also be standing up to the Ministry, as it persists in defending the interests of hunters in defiance of scientific knowledge and environmental law.

One Voice expresses its deepest indignation at this relentless persecution.

“Once again, we must take the matter to court to ensure the law is upheld in the face of the subservience of the Ministry of Ecology towards hunters and farmers… », protests Muriel Arnal, president of One Voice. « But we will continue our fight for badgers, who have every right to be in our countryside!”

Meanwhile, several public consultations regarding badger hunting are currently underway, notably in the Marne, Ille-et-Vilaine, Cher, Loire, Finistère, Pas-de-Calais, Eure-et-Loir, Allier, Sarthe and Morbihan regions.

One Voice calls on everyone who cares about wildlife conservation to take part in these consultations to reject this practice of unacceptable cruelty.

Badgers: press release

The Ministry for Ecological Transition is once again siding with the hunters!

Animal experimentation: France complicit in transfers to a laboratory of shame

Animal experimentation: France complicit in transfers to a laboratory of shame
06.05.2026
France, Spain
Animal experimentation: France complicit in transfers to a laboratory of shame
Animal testing

Alerted by our Spanish partner Abolición Vivisección, we immediately contacted the French authorities, demanding all documents relating to these sales. The documented shipments began in 2021. Over five years, we have counted hundreds of puppies and young primates shipped without ceremony from France to Spain. Final destination: the Vivotecnia laboratory, known for acts of animal abuse that are massive, filmed and indisputable. These cruel acts were tried on 7 May 2026 in Madrid. Behind the suffering inflicted on millions of animals by laboratories every year, there is a thriving business.

© Cruelty Free International – Carlotta Saorsa

Babies without identity, reduced to numbers

We know almost nothing about them.

No name. No history. Reduced to mere numbers on tattoos or microchips, 355 puppies, 4 long-tailed macaques and 32 primates – whose species are not even specified – were sent from France to the Spanish laboratory Vivotecnia between 2021 and 2025.

The only certainty at this stage regarding their identity: they are babies – puppies aged between 4 and 6 months, and young monkeys ranging from a few months to two and a half years old. Torn prematurely from their mothers, they endured journeys lasting 11 to 21 hours – an interminable ordeal. The beginning of a living hell.

Atrocities revealed in 2021, only brought to trial on 7 May 2026

Once locked up in Vivotecnia’s cells, their fate is sealed: these young animals are subjected to toxicity tests for the food, chemical and cosmetics industries all day long. Yet, since 2021, this laboratory has been at the centre of a major scandal. That year, an investigation carried out by Cruelty Free International – a coalition of which One Voice is a member – brought to light systematic acts of cruelty: slaps, insults, restraints. Acts that could go as far as the killing of some of them in full view of their fellow sufferers. The images sent shockwaves through Spain and beyond, leading to the suspension of Vivotecnia’s operating licence by the Spanish authorities. The investigation revealed an entire system based on violence. Yet their licence was reinstated in exchange for a paltry fine of 37,000 euros. In total, 25 offences were identified by the Madrid regional government following the revelations. Given the seriousness of the events, the Spanish organisations FAADA and AnimaNaturalis have filed a complaint to ensure these appalling practices do not go unpunished. The trial brought by several organisations, including Cruelty Free International, against two employees, begins on 7 May 2026.

French breeding farms for laboratories at the heart of the scandal

How, under these circumstances—known since 2021—can France authorise such sales? Our investigations have shown that the animals come from the Yonne and Allier regions, the location of the Beagle and Golden Retriever breeding farms in Mézilles and Gannat, which are owned by the American giant Marshall BioResources (MBR), against whom we have been campaigning for many years.

As for the primates, a crucial piece of information has removed all ambiguity. The Prefecture of the Bas-Rhin region has confirmed to us that they do indeed come from the Silabe laboratory. This establishment, which we have been denouncing for many years as a European hub for the trade in macaques and a future supplier to the threefold-extended breeding facility in Rousset, thus stands out as a central link in this opaque industry.

Extract from transport documents

Animal suffering, economic interests and cross-border health risks

Beyond the ethical concerns, this trade in living beings also raises serious public health issues. Primates used in laboratories pose risks of disease transmission, regularly highlighted in health alerts. Vivotecnia has, in fact, been directly named in the Spanish press in this regard.

One Voice demands answers

These exports are not isolated incidents: they are part of the vast profits generated by animal experimentation, as in the case of the 1,600 beagles from the Mézilles breeding facility imported to Italy in 2025, for whom we are still fighting alongside LAV.

France remains at the forefront of this ethical disaster, with over 2 million animals used in 2023, a figure that has remained unchanged for 10 years, evidence of persistent inaction.

Meanwhile, previously unseen footage, filmed over a decade and up until 2025 by a whistleblower in British laboratories, serves as a stark reminder that extreme suffering, shattered lives and organised silence are still very much a reality.

The conclusion is clear: France is not content merely with widespread abuse; it blindly supplies lab animals to the entire European network of laboratories, even the worst ones. It is time to put an end to this. No research based on fear, pain and death is justifiable.

Big cats in cages: Press Release

Big cats in cages: Press Release
05.05.2026
Melun
Big cats in cages: Press Release
Exploitation for shows

Having set up in mid-April without permission on private land in Melun, the Hartini-Muller Circus is the subject of an eviction order supported by the town council and the owner of the land. Alerted to the situation, the organisation One Voice conducted an on-site investigation and filed a complaint with the District Court of Melun, denouncing the animals’ conditions of confinement as contrary to regulations.

The Hartini-Muller Circus set up without prior authorisation on a plot of land in the Champ de Foire area, between a commercial zone and a car park. The City of Melun immediately mobilised its services to carry out an official inspection in the presence of government representatives. Since 2020, the town council has taken a stance against hosting circuses with animals within its territory.

A complaint was filed by the landowner, and the town council has initiated proceedings to secure an emergency eviction.

Alarming conditions observed on site

Sent to the site, an investigator from One Voice observed several animals being kept in severely abusive conditions. In particular, four big cats – two lions and two tigers – were pacing round and round in their cramped trailers, as well as chickens crammed into a tiny cage, a dog pacing between four fences, three ponies, a goat, a horse and a llama kept on the tarmac without any bedding. The lions, tigers and dog all display stereotypical behaviour with repetitive actions that betray their deep distress.

>> video link: CIRQUE HARTINI 1–16 APRIL 2026 | Videos & films on Vimeo

Furthermore, the big cats are reportedly not taking part in the show and are being presented to the public in their cages, which raises questions about the compliance of their captivity with current regulations. According to the law, their captivity is conditional upon their participation in the acts.

On the basis of these facts, One Voice has filed a complaint against the Hartini-Muller Circus with the District Court of Melun.

Same family, same practices

Cousins of the Muller Circus – the very same circus that keeps the hippopotamus Jumbo for whom our association has been fighting for decades – the Hartini-Muller family moves from place to place without staying long in any one spot and without giving advance notice of their arrival. This hypermobility is, of course, strategic: it complicates inspections and hinders interventions, despite repeated reports.

These methods, which follow a clear logic of evasion, are by no means exceptional: they are the norm in a sector that operates with complete impunity. Far from putting a stop to this, the State continues to fund and support them through subsidies, indirect aid and administrative leniency.

Behind every failure on the part of the authorities, there are captive animals of endangered species, silenced and forced to pay the price for this inaction. Animals are not objects of entertainment. Our association invites the public to sign our petition to end the use of animals in circuses.

Big cats in cages: Press Release

Big cats in cages, laws flouted: the Hartini-Muller Circus running wild in Melun

Big cats in cages, laws flouted: the Hartini-Muller Circus running wild

Big cats in cages, laws flouted: the Hartini-Muller Circus running wild
05.05.2026
Melun
Big cats in cages, laws flouted: the Hartini-Muller Circus running wild
Exploitation for shows

Installé mi-avril à Melun sans autorisation sur un terrain privé, le Cirque Hartini-Muller concentre à lui seul tout ce que nous dénonçons : conditions de vie dégradantes et illégales pour les animaux, irrégularités en cascade, mensonges. Lions et tigres tournent en rond dans des remorques exiguës, entre parking et centre commercial. Nous avons porté plainte.

Enfermés dans un décor de bruit et de béton

Derrière les grilles rouillées de la remorque, une lionne immobile, un lion qui va et vient, deux tigres qui végètent sans stimulation. Privés d’espaces pour se mouvoir, de points d’eau essentiels à leur bien-être, ces fauves magnifiques s’éteignent sous les enseignes criardes d’un magasin, dans le vacarme des voitures, les cris des passants, les vapeurs d’essence. Autour d’eux, des poules entassées dans une cage minuscule, un chien enfermé qui tourne en rond, trois poneys, une chèvre, un cheval et un lama, eux aussi détenus à même le bitume, sans litière. Le lion, les tigres et le chien présentent tous des stéréotypies, ces comportements répétitifs qui trahissent leur désarroi profond. Des êtres vivants dépérissent sous nos yeux.

generics.video.play

Une installation contestée, des conditions illégales

Sitôt alertés de la présence du Cirque Hartini-Muller à Melun, nous avons dépêché un enquêteur. Une fois encore, les conditions observées ne respectent pas les besoins fondamentaux des animaux. Mais l’illégalité ne s’arrête pas là : à Melun, les dresseurs se sont installés sur un terrain privé sans autorisation ni du propriétaire ni de la commune. Sur place, notre enquêteur a également constaté que les fauves ne participaient pas au spectacle. Présentés au public dans leur cage dite « de détente », ils sont réduits à des objets d’attraction. Or, selon la loi, leur détention est conditionnée aux numéros.

Opposée depuis 2020 aux cirques avec animaux, la municipalité a immédiatement dénoncé cette installation contraire aux règles locales, sans prise de contact préalable, et un référé d’expulsion a été déposé.

Même famille, mêmes pratiques

Cousine du Cirque Muller, celui-là même qui détient Jumbo pour lequel nous nous battons depuis des décennies, la famille Hartini-Muller multiplie les déplacements, décampe rapidement, ne communique pas. Cette hypermobilité est bien évidemment stratégique : elle complique les inspections et entrave les interventions, malgré les signalements répétés.

Ces méthodes, qui relèvent d’une véritable logique d’évitement, n’ont rien d’exceptionnel : elles constituent la norme d’un secteur qui agit en toute impunité. Loin d’y mettre un terme, l’État continue de les financer et de les soutenir à coups de subventions, d’aides indirectes, de tolérances administratives.

Nous refusons de les laisser faire. One Voice porte plainte contre le Cirque Hartini-Muller. Car derrière chaque manquement des pouvoirs publics, ce sont des êtres captifs, réduits au silence qui paient le prix de l’inaction.

Les animaux ne sont pas des objets de divertissement. Signez notre pétition pour la fin des animaux dans les cirques.

Peyrolles-en-Provence, inauguration of a new Chatipi: Press Release

Peyrolles-en-Provence, inauguration of a new Chatipi: Press Release
30.04.2026
Peyrolles-en-Provence
Inauguration of a new Chatipi: Press Release
Domestic animals

On Wednesday 6 May, the municipality of Peyrolles-en-Provence will inaugurate a Chatipi dedicated to free cats. Led by One Voice in partnership with the local council and the association “Animaux en péril”, this initiative aims to manage the population of stray cats whilst improving their living conditions and their coexistence with local residents.

A new Chatipi has been set up in Peyrolles-en-Provence. This facility dedicated to stray cats will be inaugurated on Wednesday 6 May at 3pm at the Domaine du Réal (1146 Route des Alpes, 13860 Peyrolles-en-Provence), in the presence of the mayor of the town, Mr Thomas Arcamone, the president of the local association “Animaux en péril”, and representatives from One Voice, who is leading the nationwide roll-out of this initiative. Educational activities related to feline straying will be on offer, suitable for both children and adults.

The creation of this shelter and care centre dedicated to stray cats is part of the ongoing efforts by the local council and the association “Animaux en péril” to neuter stray cats, whilst improving their living conditions as well as the working conditions for the association’s volunteers.

A concrete response to the issue of feline straying

In France, more than 11 million cats live as strays, exposed to disease, hunger and difficult living conditions. Their presence can also lead to misunderstandings and conflicts with local residents.

It is against this backdrop that One Voice has developed the Chatipi programme: an educational and operational initiative designed to stabilise populations of stray cats through neutering, provide them with shelter, whilst improving their care (feeding, health monitoring) and their coexistence with humans. More than sixty Chatipis have already been established across the country.

A development integrated into a wider local project

This new Chatipi, which One Voice helped to set up, is situated in a rural setting, away from the road, on the site of an old disused watermill, at the entrance to the town. The local council purchased the site a few years ago and planted 240 olive trees of different varieties in view of developing an educational programme there. Activities and school visits may take place at this site.

The presence of the chalet will help raise awareness about the issue of feline straying, the importance of neutering, and the love and respect to which animals are entitled.

The local council constructed the concrete slab and is responsible for the maintenance and any future repairs to the Chatipi facilities. The association “Animaux en péril” installed the chalet and the information board, fitted out the chalet, and is now responsible for feeding, trapping and monitoring the health of the cats, as well as cleaning the chalet. The cats are microchipped in the association’s name.

One Voice, for its part, funded the chalet, the cat flaps, the information board and the educational display. The association also provided 30 kg of dry food to help get the project off the ground and will be funding the neutering, microchipping and testing for major feline diseases for 15 resident cats at the Chatipi site.

A replicable initiative

With this sixth Chatipi in Provence (and the third in the Bouches-du-Rhône), One Voice is continuing its commitment to ethical and sustainable solutions to the issue of feline straying. The scheme is intended to be replicated in other areas facing the same challenges.

Inauguration of a new Chatipi: Press Release

In Peyrolles-en-Provence, a new Chatipi to improve the care of stray cats

Layish’s arrival in South Africa: Press release

Layish’s arrival in South Africa: Press release
30.04.2026
South Africa
Layish’s arrival in South Africa: Press release
Exploitation for shows

On Thursday 30 April, Layish, a five-year-old lion, set foot on South African soil for the first time. Having arrived at the SanWild Sanctuary after four years behind the bars of a lorry trailer, the lion, rescued from the circus world, is finally discovering the real life of a big cat. For One Voice, who has been following him since he was abandoned and who organised his transfer, this new life marks a crucial milestone – but above all it serves as a reminder of the urgent need to act for the hundreds of animals still held in circuses in France.

Taken in by the sanctuary Le Repère in 2024, and looked after by One Voice, who entrusted him to the Tonga Terre d’Accueil sanctuary in late 2025, Layish had until then known only the extreme conditions of captivity typical of travelling circuses.

After several months of care and preparation, Tonga Terre d’Accueil was able to organise his transfer to SanWild Sanctuary, along with that of four servals. Layish’s transfer was fully funded by One Voice.

After a long journey, the young lion was released into a temporary enclosure before moving to a much larger space, which he is expected to share with a lioness, Mel. Having known only confined spaces, upon arrival he took refuge in a small shed whilst he acclimatised to his new life. From now on, Layish will live in semi-freedom within a vast South African reserve, an ideal setting for a lion scarred by four years of confinement in just 3 square metres of living space and unable to survive alone in the wild.

>> Report on his transfer and arrival at SanWild Sanctuary (+ hyperlink to photo/video gallery)

This move is part of a wider initiative to help exploited wild animals, notably through the Roar Project led by Tonga Terre d’Accueil, as well as by welcoming big cats to our sanctuary in Tuscany.

Layish, a symbol of a system on its last legs

While Layish’s story has a happy ending, it remains the exception. In France, more than 600 wild animals are still held in travelling circuses: big cats, monkeys, hippos, birds and even reptiles…

For years, One Voice has been documenting cases of abuse, illegal detention and trafficking. Several establishments have been convicted by the courts for these offences, revealing a system where violations are frequent and often go unpunished.

Despite the forthcoming ban on performances involving wild animals by 2028, problematic practices persist: illegal births, appalling conditions of captivity, and a lack of planning for the animals’ retirement.

A transition still poorly prepared

Whilst solutions do exist, particularly in specialized sanctuaries, their development remains insufficiently supported. These facilities lack the resources, visibility and public support to address the urgent needs. And animals held illegally all too often remain in the hands of lawless trainers.

At the same time, the government has allocated a plan worth tens of millions of euros to support circus operators, which raises serious concerns. One Voice warns of the risk that public funds may benefit establishments that have broken the law.

“Layish must be the beginning, not the exception”

For One Voice, Layish’s arrival in South Africa illustrates what the future should be for all captive wild animals: appropriate care that respects their needs and prioritises their welfare.

“Layish is now discovering the savannah after four years of confinement in a trailer with eight other lions, all of whom have been taken into care. His story shows that another way is possible. But above all, it highlights the urgent need to end the exploitation of big cats in circuses, to put a stop to the areas of lawlessness and to organise, starting now, their transfer to sanctuaries », says Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice.

Layish’s arrival in South Africa: Press Release

One lion saved, but hundreds more animals still trapped in circuses: for One Voice, the fight continues!

Court hearing in Marseille: wolves filmed illegally in the Calanques National Park

Court hearing in Marseille: wolves filmed illegally in the Calanques National Park
23.04.2026
Calanques National Park
Court hearing in Marseille: wolves filmed illegally in the Calanques National Park
Animaux sauvages

When passion becomes intrusion: filming wolves out of love for nature also means disturbing them, with dramatic consequences for the packs. A documentary crew will face charges of intentionally disturbing a protected species on 27 April at the Judicial Court in Marseille. Already facing de-classification and poaching, wolves must not also have to endure the pursuit of footage.

In September 2025, a team linked to a wildlife documentary project entered the heart of the Calanques National Park to film a pack of wolves accompanied by cubs. The site was protected. Any recording of images or sound relating to this species was explicitly prohibited there. The team knew this. And yet…

The videographer admitted to filming without authorisation, setting up camera traps – which are also prohibited – and actively seeking out the animals prior to filming. Communications even reveal a deliberate intention to film the wolves whilst avoiding attracting the attention of the authorities. The director admitted to having approved these shots. The production company, for its part, denies any direct involvement.

Shortly after the incident, the pack abandoned the site

Wolves are a species particularly vulnerable to disturbance, especially during the breeding season. Repeated human presence, recording equipment installed in the immediate vicinity, filming in the heart of a sensitive site… all these factors constitute disturbances that can lead to the abandonment of pups, forced relocation or even the permanent loss of a territory. Consequences that are invisible on screen but very real indeed!

This is precisely what the law aims to prevent. The rules governing the recording of sound and images in a national park are not administrative red tape. They are a condition for the species’ survival. Observing or filming wildlife is never harmless, even with the best of intentions. Indeed, the pack abandoned the site after the incident.

The race for the perfect images: a new threat?

This case raises a crucial issue. Recording technologies – camera traps, drones, miniaturised cameras – are now accessible to everyone. And social media reward the most spectacular footage.

This quest creates growing pressure on wildlife, exerted not only by hunters or poachers, but also by naturalists, photographers and passionate filmmakers. Yet, paradoxically, a love of wild animals can harm them when it is accompanied by an overpowering desire to get close to them, to capture them on film, to turn them into a product to be displayed. At that point, the passion turns into intrusion.

Wolves already under pressure

This hearing comes at a particularly difficult time for wolves in France, with the entry into force of new ministerial decrees simplifying their killing. No shooting permits are required anymore: a simple declaration is now sufficient. This is a setback that One Voice is fighting in the courts, on the streets and all the way to the Council of State. Calls for poaching have already led to emergency mobilisations to save entire families such as that of Milo and Mina.

Wolves do not need a new threat. They are already under unprecedented political and legal pressure. Allowing the frenzy for images to become an additional danger would be a collective failure. This hearing is an opportunity to remind everyone of that.

On 27 April 2026 at 8.30am, at the Judicial Court in Marseille, three defendants will face charges of deliberately disturbing a protected species. One Voice will be present. Because wolves are already suffering too many violations: shooting, poaching, and European declassification. Their peace is non-negotiable. To defend them on all fronts, sign our petition.

Stop the persecution of wolves!

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Shooting wolves? The courts say no

Filming protected wolves puts them in danger. Let’s put an end to the race for footage!

Stop à la persécution des loups ! Stop à la persécution des loups ! Stop à la persécution des loups ! Stop à la persécution des loups ! Stop à la persécution des loups ! Stop à la persécution des loups ! Stop à la persécution des loups ! Stop à la persécution des loups ! Stop à la persécution des loups ! Stop à la persécution des loups !

Layish, born in a circus, soon to be free in Africa

Layish, born in a circus, soon to be free in Africa
22.04.2026
Afrique du Sud
Layish, born in a circus, soon to be free in Africa
Exploitation for shows

From three square metres of living space to the vastness of a living land. On 28 April, Layish’s fate will change. In partnership with Tonga Terre d’Accueil, we are organising his transfer to South Africa to a sanctuary where he will live in semi-freedom, surrounded by his own kind and closely monitored.

Far from whips and bars, Layish will be free from degrading performances for good. He will finally be able to become the free being, guided by instinct, that he should always have been.

He was born on 18 February 2021 and spent the early years of his life at the Claudio Zavatta Circus. Like so many others, his fate was predetermined: captivity, breeding, training. Layish spent his early years in a trailer. Three square metres of metal to grow up in, to pace back and forth, to waste away.

Deprived of everything, Layish sank into deep distress. Out of sheer boredom, he even self-harmed. When we met him, his skin was raw, his fur torn out by compulsive licking. These injuries are typical of serious ‘stereotyped’ behaviours, revealing his extreme distress.

A slow recovery

In July 2024, Layish was abandoned by his trainers at our partner shelter ‘Le Repère’. Faced with this emergency, we acted immediately, covering veterinary costs, funding his accommodation, and creating a secure enclosure. Then, to give him every chance of recovery, we transferred him to Tonga Terre d’Accueil. Little by little, he was able to rebuild himself, heal his trauma and regain confidence.

Circuses funded, sanctuaries abandoned

Layish is no exception. Like Jon, he is a reflection of the hundreds of wild animals and other creatures still locked away and forgotten in the big tops. Their presence in travelling circuses was supposed to end by 2028. Yet this commitment remains an empty promise. Thus, since 2023, their breeding has been banned. In reality, no penalties are in place for breaches, and births continue in complete illegality. And whilst circuses remain supported and funded by the State, the sanctuaries, for their part, are sorely lacking in resources to take in the victims.

At the dawn of a new life

On 28 April, Layish will leave Europe to return to the land of his ancestors. At SanWild Sanctuary in South Africa, he will no longer be an object of spectacle, he will no longer be locked in a metal cage, and he will no longer have to disappear behind an unnatural role. In this wild environment, dotted with vast grasslands and waterholes, he will be able to go exploring, bond with his fellow lions, feel the wind and the sun. Start his life anew. Be a lion, at last.

Layish, born in a circus, soon to be free in Africa

Born in a cage and later abandoned, the lion Layish is about to return to the land of his ancestors. He is set to travel to South Africa on 28 April.

Des cirques financés, des refuges abandonnés

Layish n’est pas une exception. Comme Jon, il est un miroir des centaines de fauves et d’animaux encore enfermés et oubliés dans les chapiteaux. Leur présence dans les cirques itinérants devait prendre fin d’ici 2028. Or, cet engagement reste lettre morte. Ainsi, depuis 2023, leur reproduction est interdite. Dans les faits, aucune sanction n’est prévue en cas d’infraction et les naissances continuent dans l’illégalité la plus totale. Et pendant que les cirques demeurent soutenus et financés par l’État, les refuges, eux, manquent cruellement de moyens pour accueillir les victimes.

À l’aube d’une nouvelle vie

Le 28 avril, Layish quittera l’Europe pour rejoindre la terre de ses ancêtres. À SanWild Sanctuary, en Afrique du Sud, il ne sera plus un objet de spectacle, il ne sera plus enfermé dans une cage de métal, il n’aura plus à disparaître derrière un rôle contre nature. Dans cet environnement sauvage, ponctué de vastes étendues herbeuses et de points d’eau, il pourra partir en exploration, nouer des liens avec ses congénères, sentir le vent et le soleil. Commencer sa vie. Être un lion, enfin.