Circus: One Voice calls for the release of three elephants

A female model body painted in the style of a tiger, which is the emblem of One Voice, will be in Vannes Tuesday, August 29th at 10:30 in front of the circus of Saint Petersburg to demand the release of the elephants Lechmee, Mina and Kamala. The situation is particularly dramatic for Lechmee, who is blind and lame and cannot eat without the help of her companions and who does not participate in the shows.

Lechmee,
Mina and Kamala were born in Asia in the 60s. They were torn from
their family as infants and bought by the Tyseley Pet Stores. Once in
Britain, they were sold to the Chipperfield circus and then to the
Medrano group. For almost half a century now, these three elephants
have suffered the spikes and screams from their trainer, the cries of
the crowd. Confined to cramped trucks where they are transported for
hours, one city to another. This treatment made Lechmee lose the use
of his right front foot. Walking on the asphalt or the metal floor of
the truck accentuates her pain with every step. It is a real handicap
more so for an old elephant, whose blindness is already a heavy
handicap. One Voice filmed Mina helping her to feed herself because
she is no longer able to do it alone, and she has not been involved
in shows for a long time. Mina and Kamala, despite their advanced age
and their blatant fatigue are still forced to perform.

Dr.
Pierre Gallego, a wildlife veterinarian and consultant for One Voice,
described Lechmee’s case as proven abuse and found that the three
elephants of this circus were in a state of physiological misery.
According to him, it is “imperative to get them out of the
circus to offer them a retreat in an environment adapted to their
species. In addition, it is necessary to plan to keep these three
elephants together because they have forged very important social
links that depend on their survival.”

A
simple application of the decree of 18^th
March 2011, would require that Lechmee be placed in a fixed
residence, given her state of health. But it is unthinkable to
separate her from her companions. One Voice has already initiated
several proceedings to release them: a request for interim release,
based on the violation of their fundamental rights and the referral
of the Comptroller General of Places of Deprivation of Liberty,
procedures usually reserved for humans. The association also
requested the cancellation for the authorization of the owner to open
shows for the three elephants and made an application for an interim
suspension. One Voice also called on the Ministers of Agriculture and
Environment to rescind the 2011 decree, which would prohibit the
detention of wild animals in circuses, as which has already happened
in 8 countries in Europe, 20 countries in the world, and 66 cities in
France.

Muriel
Arnal, founding president of One Voice says, “The ordeal that
Lechmee, Mina and Kamala are going through is unbearable. Their case
must be taken into consideration without delay. How long will Lechmee
manage to endure so much suffering, physical and mental? With this
action in front of the circus that holds them, we want to make known
their fate to a large audience to support our request. It is urgent
to free these three elephants !“