One voice at the administrative court of Bordeaux: hearing on 17 october 2017 to rule on the liberation of the elephant Maya from the circus who holds her
On October 3, One Voice filed a summary “appropriate measures ” to the Administrative Tribunal of Bordeaux, to request that the prefect of Lot-et-Garonne be summoned to remove the elephant Maya from the circus that holds, and to give the association One Voice the last three reports concerning the state of health, obviously alarming thereof, under penalty of 1000 euros per day of delay. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, October 17th, 2017 at 14:30 at the TA Bordeaux to discuss our request for formal notice of the Prefect.
On October 3, One Voice filed a summary “appropriate measures ” to the Administrative Tribunal of Bordeaux, to request that the prefect of Lot-et-Garonne be summoned to remove the elephant Maya from the circus that holds, and to give the association One Voice the last three reports concerning the state of health, obviously alarming thereof, under penalty of 1000 euros per day of delay. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, October 17th, 2017 at 14:30 at the TA Bordeaux to discuss our request for formal notice of the Prefect.
One Voice is pleased that the Bordeaux interim judge has agreed to set the hearing, even if it does not prejudge the outcome of the hearing. We recall that this referral takes place in a set of measures implemented by the association One Voice following many reports about Maya, to try to save this old elephant, exploited by itinerant circuses for more than four decades, her stereotypical movements and carrying multiple scars, a subject of which moves our fellow citizens a lot1.
One Voice filed a complaint with the public prosecutor for acts of cruelty2 after commissioning a report from a specialized wildlife veterinarian. His opinion on Maya is precise, well-argued and without appeal3: “(…) the conditions of deprivation of liberty in which Maya is maintained are totally inadequate and are the result of animal cruelty. Her state of health is extremely alarming and urgent, and must be evaluated by an independent elephant veterinarian designated by the authorities to establish a therapeutic and nutritional plan to improve her state of emergency. If not, I think Maya’s chances of survival in the short term are greatly compromised. (…) “
Two weighty institutions legitimize One Voice’s fight for circus animals
On October 10th, 20174 the association received the opinion of the National Veterinary Order, through the voice of its President, Veterinary Doctor Jacques Guérin, and on October 13th, 2017, that of the Federation of Veterinary Syndicates of France (FSVF) signed by its President, the veterinary doctor Jean-Yves Gauchot5.
These two opinions converge, and legitimize our fight for Maya (but also for other elephants for which we also fight6, and for Jumbo the hippopotamus7, etc.) by declaring to adhere to the recommendation of the Federation of European Veterinarians (FVE).
The two Presidents write, respectively, “to promote the prohibition“, or “the strict and definitive prohibition” of “the use of wild mammals in itinerant circuses“, and both confirm that the “conditions under which the animals are held do not meet their physiological and social needs”.
Muriel Arnal, President-founder of One Voice, recipient of these letters, called on the Minister of Ecology, Nicolas Hulot, requesting that the state draws all the consequences of these opinions and takes its responsibilities as a matter of urgency. “From this position, the State will have to explain to us how their veterinary inspectors can report on the welfare of animals in circuses. The same goes for the veterinary practitioners who came to Tours at the circus festival, or on other occasions to say that everything was going well. Who are they kidding? Meanwhile animals are withering and dying in trailers! I will do everything in my power to get Maya out of this unbearable daily life, and make her last moments of life be those of an elephant, far from chains and roads. I hope the judge will hear the urgency of our appeal. ”
Lawyer Arielle Moreau, the legal representative of the association, says: “The administrative court does not systematically grant hearings for this type of procedure. This is not to say that we will necessarily win our Maya withdrawal application, but we should at least get the inspection reports back. We will take this opportunity to ask for explanations on the inertia of the services of the State which refuse to move while an elephant is in great suffering“.
Fighting animal suffering and finding solutions: a place of welcome for Maya
The President of the FSVF reaches out to animal welfare associations to change practices, support the existing, and find sustainable solutions for the reception of animals including domestic. One Voice always has the well-being and the future of the saved animals at heart, so we partner with shelters or sanctuaries to offer them a suitable home. These opinions which legitimize the association’s fight in our desire to relieve animals from the yoke of the circuses are a great encouragement to continue in this direction.
In Parallel to the legal steps, assuming that she is removed from the circus urgently, we have thus reserved a place for Maya with our partner8 the Elephant Haven, a sanctuary for rescued elephants from circuses in Limousin, on October 9th2.
1 Petition against circuses with animals
2 Maya press release of 6/10/2017 on the state of health and legal action for Maya
3 Video on the veterinarian’s report on the state of Maya (09/2017)
Article on Maya (07/2017) and report of 2016
4 Letter from the National Association of Veterinarians
5 Letter from the Federation of Veterinarians of France
6 Article on the unprecedented procedure concerning the deprivation of liberty of 5 elephants including Maya (May 2017)
7 Jumbo Information
8 History of our fight against animal circuses and our support for Elephant Haven