A campaign for Jumbo: Press release
Having set up without permission in the car park of a supermarket in Mérignac, the Zavatta Circus is once again flouting the regulations. One Voice is organising a protest this Saturday 4 April, to draw attention to the alarming situation of the hippopotamus Jumbo. This circus continues to exploit an animal over 40 years old and in distress, disregarding its most basic needs.
The Zavatta Circus has just set up in Mérignac. With complete impunity and without regard for administrative procedures, the Muller family has erected their facilities in the car park of the local Carrefour supermarket, without seeking prior authorisation from either the City of Mérignac or the site’s owner.
Repeated violations at every circus location
Since the end of 2025, we have stepped up our efforts on behalf of Jumbo, a hippopotamus held captive by this circus for 40 years. We have tracked his every move. Everywhere, the same findings. At every location, several violations are observed: breaches of public safety, an unsuitable environment (no access to a proper warm-water pool, a life in a cage-truck, rarely any access to grass for grazing…)
Veterinarians say the same: Jumbo, who is overweight, is suffering greatly, both physically and mentally. And yet… nothing is being done. The circus has even changed its act, now forcing Jumbo to carry a woman on his back.
In 2019, a seizure was organised on the orders of the public prosecutor, but the operation was halted due to violence from the circus staff.
In 2020, however, the Criminal Court in Valence recognised that Jumbo’s conditions of detention were causing him distress. Those responsible were convicted. And yet, Jumbo was left in their hands. Condemned to live in a cage-truck. With a rubbish-filled pool of cold water as his only view.
One Voice is keeping up the pressure in the face of the authorities’ inaction
Recently, the Ministry for Ecological Transition responded to our alerts by claiming that everything was ‘in order’. We responded point by point, with evidence contradicting these claims.
Jumbo is not a number. He is not an attraction. He is a sentient being, a descendant of whales, trapped between metal walls, far from the water. On his behalf, we have filed a new complaint, which has once again been dismissed!
This old hippopotamus’s place is no longer on the road but in a sanctuary. We refuse to allow fear or complacency to permit this exploitation to continue. To raise awareness among the people of Mérignac and to thank the town hall for standing up to the Muller-Zavatta circus, One Voice is organising an event this Saturday at Place Charles de Gaulle, from 10am to 1pm.
The association is also inviting the general public to sign its petition: Save Jumbo! – One Voice
A campaign for Jumbo: Press release
A campaign for Jumbo this Saturday following the arrival of the Zavatta Circus in Mérignac