Four lionesses rescued: Press release

Four lionesses rescued: Press release
18.06.2026
Bourges
Four lionesses rescued: Press release
Exploitation for shows

On 17 June, the Criminal Court of Bourges ordered the permanent confiscation of the four lionesses — and the tigress Isis, who has since died — which were seized in 2023 from the Ricardo Zavatta Circus. Two of the three brothers implicated were convicted and banned from working with wild animals for five years. For One Voice and Free Life, who initiated the proceedings, the main objective has been achieved: these big cats have been rescued from the circus.

In early 2023, in the Allier region, a joint investigation by One Voice and Free Life revealed the conditions in which the big cats were being kept at the Ricardo Zavatta Circus: four lionesses and a white tigress crammed into a trailer from which they were never let out. No access to the outdoors, no pool, nothing to alleviate the constant stress of confinement — to the extent that they were trying to sharpen their claws on the bars. Together with its partner Free Life, the organisation filed a complaint. In June 2023, while the circus had set up illegally in Santranges, in the Cher region, the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) inspected the premises and had the five big cats seized; they were immediately taken to a sanctuary.

The court’s ruling

Having sat on 27 May, the Criminal Court of Bourges delivered its verdict on 17 June. The ruling prioritises the animals’ safety: the four lionesses Mascotte, Terga, Elsa and Princesse, as well as the tigress Isis (who has since died), were permanently confiscated. They will not be returning to the circus.

Furthermore, two of the three brothers were banned for five years from any professional activity involving the keeping and use of live non-domestic animals, and each was fined €3,600 (180 daily fines of €20). The third brother was acquitted. The court awarded financial compensation to the association Tonga Terre d’Accueil, which took in the big cats and has been responsible for their care and custody since the start of the proceedings. It also awarded compensation to One Voice and Free Life for their non-pecuniary damage and legal costs. The defendants have until 1 July to lodge an appeal.

“We would like to thank the OFB and all the authorities who intervened to enforce the law. This is exceptional in France, where, for example, the three circuses run by the Muller family continue to keep lions, tigers and other protected wild animals in conditions that are both illegal and abusive, without ever being held to account. The rescue of these big cats and the conviction of their tormentors remain an exception, when it should be the norm,” said Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice.

The fight continues for all animals still in captivity

For these four lionesses, the ordeal is over. For many others, it still goes on. In the case of these lionesses, the authorities intervened due to the lack of a ‘recreational enclosure’. For other circuses, such as those run by the Muller family, which have committed repeated offences, nothing is being done. As a heatwave sweeps across the country, wild animals remain locked up in metal trailers and iron cages with no means of cooling down.

The Act of 30 November 2021 provides for a ban on the keeping of wild animals in travelling circuses with effect from 1 December 2028. But a law alone will not be enough to open the cages. Beyond this date, One Voice will continue its fight to ensure that every single one of these animals really is released from the circus and taken to a refuge or sanctuary where they can finally live according to their needs. Investigations, alerts to the authorities, legal action: the organisation is working tirelessly towards this goal.

Four lionesses rescued: Press release

Ricardo Zavatta Circus: Mascotte, Terga, Elsa and Princesse will never be transported in a trailer again

 

Dolphin Transfers: Press Release

Dolphin Transfers: Press Release
17.06.2026
Antibes
Dolphin Transfers: Press Release
Exploitation for shows

At the call of One Voice, campaigners and members of the public will gather on Wednesday 1 July 2026 at the entrance to Marineland in Antibes to demand a sanctuary for the orcas Wikie and Keijo and the park’s last twelve dolphins. The dolphins’ fate is now sealed: their transfer to Spain has been confirmed and will take place very soon. As for the orcas, France has approved their transfer to Spain; Spain, however, has still not given its consent. This rally serves as a powerful reminder: the last line of defence against this moral disaster lies with Spain — and it must hold firm.

On 1 July, One Voice invites the public to gather outside Marineland to say ‘no’ to the transfer of orcas and dolphins to Spanish parks and ‘yes’ to genuine marine sanctuaries.

Loro Parque: the hell that awaits the orcas

Behind the word ‘transfer’ lies a death sentence. At Loro Parque in the Canary Islands, Wikie and her son Keijo would be confined to pools half the size of those in Antibes and forced to live alongside four other orcas driven to aggression by the abuse of captivity. Such immense stress, extensively documented by scientists, leads to a life ending in suffering: shows, breeding, and the severing of family bonds. For animals which, in the wild, never leave their families, this constitutes absolute cruelty.

A transfer that flouts French law

In 2021, France banned the keeping and breeding of cetaceans in captivity. By authorising their transfer to Spain, the Ministry for Ecological Transition is failing to comply with this law: it is effectively relocating the circumvention of the law. One Voice condemns a decision dictated primarily by the financial interests of Parques Reunidos, the owner of Marineland, which views these animals merely as assets to be liquidated.

The ‘magical sanctuary’ already exists

‘There is no such thing as a magical sanctuary’, the minister has dared to claim. This is false. In Taranto, Italy, the San Paolo Dolphin Refuge — which One Voice has helped to fund — is set to welcome its first dolphins as early as this summer. In Nova Scotia, Canada, a semi-wild sanctuary for orcas is currently being created. This proves that, with a little political courage, an alternative exists and is a realistic option.

What about the twelve dolphins?

The dolphins’ fate, however, is sealed. They are due to leave in early summer. Eight of them will endure a traumatic round trip via Spain (Málaga) before arriving at Beauval, in a new dolphinarium disguised as a ‘research and conservation centre’ — an absurd project that One Voice will fight all the way to court. Breeding, pools made of glass and concrete, an approach which is primarily economic: here again, the very opposite of a sanctuary. The other four dolphins – Sharky, Malou, Nala (who will be separated from her daughter Lua) and Ollie – will be sent to the dolphinarium in Valencia to stay there permanently.

For the orcas, the final line of defence is in Spain: it must hold

It’s not over yet. Spain has not given its consent, and its own scientists – the Spanish CITES authority – have spoken out against the arrival of the animals from Marineland at Loro Parque. This is now where the battle lies: One Voice, alongside Spanish organisations, is urging the Spanish government to stand firm where France has given in, and to refuse to become complicit in this farce. Spain must listen to its scientists: this is now the last line of defence for Wikie and Keijo.

One Voice will not give up

The organisation has already thwarted the sale of the orcas from Antibes to China in 2019, then to Japan in 2024, and halted a dolphinarium project in Beauval in 2016. Both on the ground and in the courts, it will continue the fight to the very end. Join us on 1 July outside the former park, for Wikie, Keijo and the twelve dolphins.

“France has chosen to get rid of Wikie and Keijo by sending them to Loro Parque, where captivity is already taking its toll on orcas. But nothing is decided yet: Spain has not signed. On 1 July, we’ll be outside Marineland to reiterate the obvious — a sanctuary, and nothing else. And we’re counting on the Spanish government’s courage to stand firm where France has given in, resorting to a web of lies. After ten years of campaigning, we thought we’d seen it all when it came to the cynicism of the Ministry of Ecology, but it has still managed to leave us speechless.” Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Date: Wednesday 1 July 2026

Venue: Rond-Point de la Brague, 06600 Antibes

Time: 1 pm to 2 pm

Event: facebook.com/events/983790217788429

Petitions: ‘A sanctuary and nothing else!’ and ‘No to the Beauval project!’

Dolphin transfers: Press release

Dolphin transfer confirmed for early summer: One Voice calls for a rally on 1 July outside Marineland

Animals in circuses: an overview of European legislation

Animals in circuses: an overview of European legislation
16.06.2026
Europe
Animals in circuses: an overview of European legislation
Exploitation for shows

The map we are publishing shows it quite clearly: across Europe, progress for circus animals – both ‘wild’ and ‘domestic’ – is on the rise. France, however, is lagging behind. It still condones the captivity and exhibition of animals. Worse still, with substantial public funding, the State supports the continued operation of circuses featuring animals, going so far as to fund their settlement in permanent locations, all the while turning a blind eye to the abuse and illegal breeding that we continually report.

When Europe bans…

Portugal, Spain, Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria, … In these countries and many others, the keeping of wild animals in circuses is already a thing of the past: total or near-total bans, an end to exemptions, and recognition that travelling captivity is incompatible with respect for the animals’ vital needs. Some go the whole way and also include so-called domestic animals.

Our analysis of European legislation, illustrated by the map we are publishing, bears this out: today, Europe is moving forward, driven by advances in scientific knowledge and by a growing societal awareness of these outdated spectacles.

Thus:

• Twenty countries have legislation that is more ambitious than France’s, including three with a total ban on all types of circuses and on all animals, both wild and domestic,
• Six countries have legislation similar to France’s, but their laws are already being enforced,
• Two have legislation that is slightly less ambitious but is already being enforced, and
• Just one has no legislation at all.

In recent weeks, Julie, the last elephant, and Sona, the last tiger in circuses in Portugal, have been taken to sanctuaries and refuges, following a law passed in 2017 and rigorously enforced.

… France circumvents, condones and even subsidises

While a great many neighbouring countries are working to end the use of animals in circuses, the French government, for its part, has chosen the path of hypocrisy. Having passed in 2021 a law that is only nominally protective, it now plans to compensate circuses, the perpetrators of this violence and these illegal practices, with millions of euros of public money, while we are sounding the alarm about the lack of sanctuaries and refuges to rehome these deeply suffering animals. In its theoretical implementation, this law actually supports the interests and practices of the circus industry. In reality, the animals continue to be exhibited, trained, bred and confined, despite their widely documented and recognised suffering, and with complete impunity.

Neither wild nor domestic!

While the consequences of captivity, training and life on the road are terrible for wild animals, so-called ‘domestic’ animals also suffer and are the great forgotten of the 2021 Act. They, too, suffer trauma linked to such conditions of confinement: they are under constant stress, malnourished, isolated, crammed into lorries or tethered too tightly when they are not being forced to perform in shows. They, too, suffer from severe stereotypies. This arbitrary classification is, moreover, contested by many scientists, particularly regarding camels and dromedaries, which remain very similar to their wild ancestors and have the same social and physiological needs.

Our analysis of the European legislative landscape regarding circuses reveals one clear fact: protecting all captive animals is neither an exception nor a utopian ideal; it is a societal choice already embraced by many countries.

One Voice calls for the immediate and effective preparation for the ban on wild animals in circuses scheduled for 2028, without delay or circumvention. The development and registration of adequate shelter solutions for all these living beings are urgent and must become a priority, not to mention penalties commensurate with the reported cases of abuse. And subsequently, the law must be amended to include domestic animals, following the example of countries that are pioneers in this field.

Animals in circuses: an overview of European legislation

One Voice has analysed the laws currently in force across Europe: while our neighbours are freeing animals, France continues to exploit them

 

… la France contourne, cautionne et même subventionne

Quand de très nombreux pays voisins œuvrent à la fin des animaux dans les cirques, l’État français, lui, fait le choix de l’hypocrisie. Votant une loi faussement protectrice en 2021, il prévoit à présent d’indemniser les cirques, auteurs de ces violences et de pratiques illégales, avec des millions d’euros d’argent public, tandis que nous sonnons l’alerte à propos du manque de sanctuaires et de refuges pour placer ces animaux en proie à une grande souffrance. Dans sa mise en œuvre théorique, cette loi soutient en réalité les intérêts et pratiques des circassiens. Dans les faits, les animaux, eux, continuent d’être exhibés, dressés, reproduits et enfermés, malgré leurs souffrances largement documentées et reconnues, et ce en toute impunité.

Ni sauvages ni domestiques !

Si les conséquences de la captivité, du dressage et de l’itinérance sont terribles pour les animaux sauvages, les animaux dits « domestiques » subissent aussi et sont les grands oubliés de la loi de 2021. Ils présentent également des traumatismes liés à de telles conditions de détention: le stress y est permanent, ils sont malnourris, isolés, enfermés dans des camions ou attachés trop court quand ils ne sont pas contraints de se produire en spectacles. Eux aussi souffrent de graves stéréotypies. Cette classification arbitraire est contestée d’ailleurs par de nombreux scientifiques pour ce qui est des chameaux et dromadaires notamment, qui restent très semblables à leurs ancêtres sauvages et ont les mêmes besoins sociaux et physiologiques.

 

Notre analyse de la situation européenne des législations relatives aux cirques révèle une évidence : protéger tous les animaux captifs n’est ni une exception ni une utopie ; c’est un choix de société déjà assumé par de nombreux pays.

One Voice appelle à la préparation effective immédiate de l’interdiction des animaux sauvages dans les cirques prévue pour 2028, sans report ni contournement. Le développement de solutions d’accueil adaptées à tous ces êtres vivants et leur recensement sont urgents et doivent devenir prioritaires. Sans oublier des sanctions à la hauteur des maltraitances signalées. Et de faire ensuite évoluer la loi pour y inclure aussi les animaux domestiques aussi, à l’exemple des pays pionniers en la matière.