Letter to Elisabeth Borne, Minister of the Ecological and Inclusive Transition

Dear Madam Minister,

We know your interest in the cause for animals which was expressed in particular through your involvement concerning the bear Micha.

This is why, we would like to bring to your attention the major dysfunctions of the veterinary inspection services of the departmental directorates of social cohesion and population protection (DDCSPP) in terms of animal protection.

The death of Micha, on November 12th within the La Tanière zoo-refuge in which he had been placed in September 2019, is unfortunate proof of this.

Indeed, in the case of Micha as in the case of the elephant Maya, the lion Elyo (Nale) or even the hippopotamus Jumbo, the inspection reports of the DDCSPP did not raise any breaches of regulations that were in force or danger concerning animal welfare.

For these four individuals, as for many others, we must wait until our association mandates independent veterinary experts and publishes images from these investigations before the alarm bells are sounded.

Elyo was legally detained in a circus under intolerable conditions. It is only after the filing of our complaint for acts of cruelty, that the public prosecutor of Dunkirk had mandated a veterinarian to inspect the animal. The report is final, Elyo is in physical and psychological suffering. However, our complaint will be dismissed by the prosecutor, forcing us to summon the defendants to appear in court.

Maya, was exploited for 40 years in a circus and was released in 2018 after years of fighting led by our association. After reading the unanimous reports from six independent specialists mandated by the association, the Prefecture of Lot-et-Garonne finally agrees to mandate an independent investigation which leads to the same conclusions as our experts.

Maya lived in conditions unsuitable for her age, her needs and in violation of the legislation in force.

Another iconic example is Jumbo, the hippopotamus that we still fight for today. The veterinary services of the DDCSPP consider that the living conditions for this hippo are in full compliance with legislation. On the contrary, following our complaints, both ONCFS agents and our experts demonstrate that the animal’s physiological and biological needs are not being met.

These examples highlight the failings of the official veterinary services to identify and put an end to situations of proven animal abuse.

DDCSPP inspections today consist only of a summary verification of the animal’s sanitary conditions. These animal protection services do not fulfil their missions.

Such failures leave situations of lawlessness in France, where not only the regulations in force are not respected, but where wild animals, protected on a national, European and world scale lead to suffering and mistreatment which can lead to their death.

This is why our association calls for an end to the exploitation of wild animals in circuses. In the meantime, we ask you to take measures to put an end to these failings. These measures could consist of:

• The creation of an independent authority responsible for the control of establishments holding captive wild animals and capable of removing animals in the event of serious breach of the legislation in force.

• The urgent establishment of a network of independent veterinary experts specialized in the different species and read to mobilize within 48 hours after their referral, to organize a controlled visit of establishments and the removal of animals where necessary.

• The involvement in emergency procedures of specialist veterinarians appointed by the applicant associations.

Our association is of course willing to provide its expertise on this subject and remains at the disposal of your Ministry for any appointment it wishes to grant.

Thank you for the attention you have paid to this letter, we ask you to believe, Madam Minister, in the assurance of our consideration.

Muriel Arnal
Présidente de One Voice