News Archive - Page 11 of 122

A mass grave for foxes in Jura: we are filing a complaint!

A mass grave for foxes in Jura: we are filing a complaint!
20.03.2024
A mass grave for foxes in Jura: we are filing a complaint!
Wildlife

A horrific scene in Morillon in Jura, where decomposing foxes’ bodies have been discovered at the river’s edge. What is most shocking about the scandal is that this mass grave is the work of a lieutenant of louveterie and pests, a hunter commissioned by the mayor or prefect to kill animals considered to be “problematic” for purely ideological reasons. For these foxes, and faced with the risk of polluting the river water and those who live in it, One Voice is joining forces with the Athénas Centre and filing a complaint.

Killing animals and polluting the environment: when lieutenants of louveterie and pests no longer have a limit

Foxes are systematically accused of all evils, particularly by the authorities who organise official hunts and instruct lieutenants of louveterie and pests to line one kill up after the next year-round. Most often, these operations are illegal and are simply a justification to satisfy hunters. In January, we also obtained the cancellation of eight decrees by the Nièvre prefect.

When these hunts are authorised, it is a real playground for lieutenants of louveterie and pests who are able to merrily kill dozens or even hundreds of animals! Then, after taking their lives, the shooter simply threw the foxes on the side of the river… with presumed disregard and at an increased risk of polluting the water with the decomposing bodies. One Voice is joining forces with a partner and filing a complaint, because the suspension of the person responsible for these acts does not take away from the severity of them.

Unlimited persecution of foxes

Each year, far from the half a million stated – which does not take into account those that are poached and leaves numerous individuals killed by hunting to pass under the radar – almost a million of them are killed. Already targeted under the context of hunting with guns, hounds, and official hunts, including during the night in some areas, they are also caught in traps in many departments given that they are included on the infamous list of ‘species likely to cause damage’ that we have attacked. And their ordeal continues with those digging them out, not even sparing the young as we have shown in our infiltration investigation.

For these red foxes, to say stop to these massacres, and to oppose all those who despise animals and nature, sign our petitions to take foxes off the ‘species likely to cause damage’ list and for a radical reform of hunting!

A new hearing in Réunion in the face of tenrec persecution!

A new hearing in Réunion in the face of tenrec persecution!
20.03.2024
A new hearing in Réunion in the face of tenrec persecution!
Hunting

As soon as it is suspended, it is reopened! In Réunion, collusion between hunters and the prefecture is coming to light. Although the administrative tribunal came down against digging out tenrecs twice in a few months, the prefect chose to defend the practice tooth and nail by authorising the killing of several thousands of them despite everything. To stop this planned massacre and these unacceptable methods, we are going back to the tribunal: the hearing is in Saint-Denis on 4 April at 2:30pm!

Updated 05 April 2024

We have just learnt, with much disappointment, that our second plea has been rejected by the Réunion prefecture. Diggers can therefore continue to kill tenrecs in the days to come. In any case, our relentless actions will allow the authorised hunting season to be halved and will highlight the prefect’s clear position from this point forward: leave the hunters to decide upon suitable rules themselves. While waiting for the tribunal’s definitive decision, which will be given in a few months, we will continue the fight for tenrecs!

After a short respite, is France in favour of tenrecs?

At this very moment, the young are leaving their burrows to discover the Réunion forests. Accompanied by their parents, they are learning to come out and feed themselves in this new environment. For the first time in many years, they have been able to get through the month of February without being slaughtered. A few days ago, the Saint-Denis administrative tribunal, who we had referred to, had in fact urgently suspended the opening of the hunting season, confirming their decision of December 2023 that definitively cancelled an older decree.

But this respite was short-lived: the prefect passed a new law and, at the time of writing this article, diggers threw their dogs down into the burrows to hunt down tenrecs. And to make amends, the state representative even authorised digging out every day for a month, instead of the usual three days per week…

We are starting the fight up again against the prefect’s contempt for tenrecs and the legal system!

This shows the total lack of respect that the Réunion prefect has for the legal system and general interests…. In a few weeks, he has simply brushed aside clear rulings. And, the cherry on the cake, he published his decree the same day of the opening – a well-known scam to allow hunters to indulge in their morbid hobby in complete peace while waiting for the hearing.

Although the prefect is supposed to represent all citizens, in Réunion things are now clear: he has chosen the side of hunters and their traditions, going so far as to leave them to draft the prefectural decree themselves. He has sent a clear message to all Réunion residents who are opposed to this practice: your voice does not count.

It is about time to put an end to systematic collusion between the State and this small group of very powerful individuals, which leads to a real disaster for animals. For tenrecs, we will once again be at the Saint-Denis administrative tribunal on 4 April at 2:30pm! While waiting, you can still sign our petition for a radical reform on hunting!

Memphis: another horse who is a victim of hunting

Memphis: another horse who is a victim of hunting
13.03.2024
Memphis: another horse who is a victim of hunting
Hunting

Around 45 million lives are stolen every year due to various types of hunting. And this is only the tip of the iceberg: added to all of these animals voluntarily killed are those who are poached and those who are injured and killed “by accident”. The most recent example to date: Memphis. This 23-year-old horse was grazing peacefully in his field in Charente when he was killed by a bullet. Unsurprisingly, the investigation was dismissed…

Hunting: a constant danger for all animals… and humans

9 December 2023 could have been an ordinary day for Memphis and his family… but hunters decided otherwise. On that day, the bay-coloured horse was found dead in his field, lying in a pool of blood, a deep wound on his side. His autopsy revealed that the injuries had been caused by a bullet. A coincidence? A hunt had taken place on the same day in close proximity to the field…

Faced with suspicion, hunters obviously outright denied it… And even threatened the whistleblower. “The police have no evidence, and neither do you, so it wasn’t us!” […] When you are dead, you’ll stop being a pain in our arse”. Nothing less…

Faced with these tragedies, we are launching an appeal to the authorities!

Far from being an isolated example, this death is added to the long list of all domestic animals who are victims of this cruel practice. Cats and dogs of course, mutilated by traps set in forests, like Snooky or Cooper, but also many horses: from Connemara to Olympe and also New Song, all of them have been slain by “accidental” bullets; the threatening and armed men who were practising their weekly hobby obviously have nothing to do with it…

While the investigation to find those responsible has been closed with no further action, we are appealing to the mayor: after such a tragedy, it is about time that this deadly hobby is banned in the areas close to homes and pastures. To put an end to these tragedies, sign our petitions for a radical reform of hunting and for horses to benefit from domestic animal status!

One Voice is facing the veterinarian who authorised what would become Micha’s last exploitation: hearing in Orléans on 14 March

One Voice is facing the veterinarian who authorised what would become Micha’s last exploitation: hearing in Orléans on 14 March
12.03.2024
One Voice is facing the veterinarian who authorised what would become Micha’s last exploitation: hearing in Orléans on 14 March
Circuses

On 7 September 2019, while Micha was struggling both to move and to breathe, a veterinarian specialising in horses provided the Poliakovs with a certificate allowing them to inflict yet another performance on him – his last one – around 350 kilometres from his prison cell. We then took this to the National Order of Veterinarians. Four years after the bear’s death, we are facing up to the professional on Thursday 14 March 2024 at 10am at the Orléans law court.

Updated 23 May

Two months after the hearing on 20 May, the Regional Council for the Order of Veterinarians gave their verdict. The veterinarian was found guilty of ethical breaches and sentenced to a one-month suspension from professional practise and a ban on holding any position within the Order for a 10-year duration. The accused has one month to file an appeal. Even though this sentencing will not bring Micha back, who died from an anaesthetic that his body, bruised and exhausted by a life of exploitation, could not cope with, it represents strong symbolic value for captive wild animals in a critical state and we hope this will allow such dramatic pitfalls to be avoided in future.

Three bears and a monkey hidden from view

After the inspection led by authorities in 2019, which concluded that Micha, disabled by his overly long claws, should no longer be moved or shown to the public, the bear and his imprisoned friends remained invisible. We therefore decided to lead an investigation in order to find them.

An investigation into the winter residence of the circus trainer couple

In the summer of the same year, we consequently went to Loir-et-Cher. We filmed Micha struggling to breathe, his gaze imploring, alongside Glasha and Bony as well as the small female monkey, Mina, who was hardly in any better state. The bear had infected wounds that were swarming with maggots that had also taken up residence in his mouth…

A few days later, after driving 250 kilometres, as if nothing had ever happened and armed with the sacrosanct veterinary certificate, the Bruneau-Poliakov couple exhibited the poor animal at a village show. Among other things, they made Micha climb onto a ball, perching on his painful extremities. AVES France documented the female trainer squeezing his paws to make him obey.

Despite maggots devouring Micha, the veterinarian actually dared to state that the “cardio-pulmonary auscultation had no irregularities”

On the veterinary certificate authorising this journey, it was mentioned that, despite weighing 160kg when he should have been 250kg, “the animal [was] in good condition”. A visit that the practitioner never would have actually carried out! Nor would he have asked the circus trainers what the document was going to be used for, a document which he admitted he did not have the expertise to issue…

Although the state of the animals and the conditions they are kept in, revealed by our footage, allowed a new urgent inspection that, alas, proved us right, Micha was condemned to the earth where he died on 12 November 2019. Bony and Glasha were saved from this hell; Mina and several rare birds succumbed to it.

After many re-launches and delays, on Thursday 14 March at 10am, we will be at the Orléans law court so that the veterinarian, who will appear before the disciplinary chamber, will be held responsible for his actions.

Galliforme hunting suspended in Ariège in 2021: moving towards an annulment? Hearing on 15 march 2024

Galliforme hunting suspended in Ariège in 2021: moving towards an annulment? Hearing on 15 march 2024
12.03.2024
Galliforme hunting suspended in Ariège in 2021: moving towards an annulment? Hearing on 15 march 2024
Hunting

Although our emergency action made it possible to prevent the massacre of ten rock ptarmigans and thousands of grey partridges in the Pyrenees (mountain Galliformes), in Ariège, we are now waiting for the Toulouse administrative tribunal to definitively decide upon the illegality of this decree published by the department’s prefecture in September 2021. The hearing is set for 15 March 2024 at 9:30am.

Updated 2 April 2024

Victory in Ariège! With their decision on 29 March 2024, the Toulouse administrative tribunal has definitively cancelled the decree authorising mountain Galliforme hunting in 2021. Our emergency interim proceedings have already allowed the urgent suspension of this law and have saved the rock ptarmigans and grey mountain partridges used as targets. Let’s hope that the prefect and hunters have heard the message: the time has come to put the guns down and to leave these birds (and all other animals too) in peace.

Always there when it comes to harassing animals to death, the Ariège prefect had authorised, for the 2021-2022 season (like they did for all the others…), the hunting of thousands of grey partridges in the Pyrenees (20 per shooter!) and ten rock ptarmigans. Within a few days, we had obtained an urgent suspension of this decree.

In Ariège, prefects and hunters go hand in hand with galliformes

The judges’ decision left no room for doubt: authorising the deaths of hundreds of birds directly endangers the very survival of the entire population that is already subject to so many threats. The time for urgency has passed and the legal system will now definitively decide on our request, scarcely a few months after having cancelled the decree relating to the 2020-2021 season.

How many rulings do there need to be before these birds are left in peace?

Although frustration is high in the face of this determination to organise the massacre of thousands of these individuals who simply just wish to live, we will continue to give them a voice and defend their existence wherever they are targeted. Since 2020, in Ariège, our actions have allowed thousands of them to be saved (or even the whole species if we are to believe the judges), in line with our numerous victories in France in Autumn 2023.

For the hazel grouse, rock partridges, black grouse, rock ptarmigans, and grey mountain partridges, for all beings inextricably linked to mountainous landscapes, killed for the sole pleasure of a small minority of individuals, and for so many others, support our requests for them by signing our petition for a radical reform of hunting!

Tenrecs: the prefect outdoing everyone else with hunting authorised every day?

Tenrecs: the prefect outdoing everyone else with hunting authorised every day?
11.03.2024
Tenrecs: the prefect outdoing everyone else with hunting authorised every day?
Hunting

The tenrec hunting saga continues in Réunion… Although the massacre was suspended thanks to our emergency action in front of the Saint-Denis administrative tribunal, the prefect now plans to open digging out from 15 March, every day of the week instead of the three days normally allowed. A way to satisfy hunters who, clearly, have access to the prefecture to the point where they are drafting prefectural decrees themselves…

Several thousand tenrecs used as targets… including the young

At this time of year, although the austral summer is coming to an end, tenrecs are in the middle of their breeding period. The families are growing and the young do not risk venturing out of their burrows alone. They are entirely dependent on their parents to feed them and to survive. This is the precise period in which the prefect has authorised them being hunted down and subsequently killed.

Although many hunters are attached to this traditional practice, no tradition has ever or will ever justify making animals suffer. Because for tenrecs, it is carnage: entire families are killed by dogs, and those who survive are killed by any available means.

Hunters weild their pens to be able to kill every day!

It is an understatement to say that the prefect of Réunion has taken up the cause of those digging them out. Even though the Saint-Denis administrative tribunal has definitively cancelled the 2022 decree, the prefect put out a draft decree that is identical in every aspect for consultation in 2024, which was immediately suspended by the tribunal.

A few minutes after it being put online, we discovered that the draft decree and the decree itself had been drawn up…. by the Federation of Hunters and its representatives! A wave of panic at the prefecture, which immediately suspended the consultation before opening a new one. But to our great surprise, the authors of the draft decree are still representatives from the Federation! One single thing was changed: they now plan to authorise hunting every day instead of the usual three days per week. In short, they are passing a new illegal decree to be forgiven for having passed one that was just as illegal the time before…

It is scandalous that a representative of the State defends particular interests rather than general interests for the protection of tenrecs and the natural heritage of the island. To express your dissatisfaction, participate in the consultation up until this evening!

One Voice is opposing the Muller-Zavatta Circus in Valence on 8 March for Jumbo and the tigers

One Voice is opposing the Muller-Zavatta Circus in Valence on 8 March for Jumbo and the tigers
06.03.2024
One Voice is opposing the Muller-Zavatta Circus in Valence on 8 March for Jumbo and the tigers
Circuses

Exhibiting tigers that were separated from their mother at birth, Jumbo being plunged into perpetual suffering by the Muller father and son duo… This is what One Voice documented during its investigations and the reason why we are once again stepping up to the plate. On Friday 8 March 2024 at 8:30am, we will be at the Valence legal tribunal for two complaints filed against the Muller-Zavatta Circus.

Updated 8 March 2024 at 11:30am

The Valence legal tribunal’s decision was given live: the judge declared the summons issued to the defendant by the public prosecutor null and void and declared One Voice inadmissible.

We will therefore wait for the prosecution to start things from scratch in these proceedings. In any case, we have other complaints against the Muller Circus on more serious matters that are currently being processed.

Our rallying for Jumbo and the tigers remains vital: we will fight for as long as animals remain in circuses!

Tigers and lionesses imprisoned in minuscule enclosures, monkeys shut up in cages, llamas grazing on the edge of a dual carriageway… In 2020 and 2021 in Nîmes and Vedène, among the other animals exploited by the Muller Circus, Jumbo, always alone, was either locked in the truck that served as a jail, in a swimming pool that he was not able to get out of on his own, or placed in an enclosure with nothing else to do but graze endlessly. The barriers separating him from visitors, and especially children, were so risky that a catastrophe could happen at any moment and no one would be spared — neither the humans nor the hippopotamus. Risks that we have spoken out about on many occasions but which the Mullers do not care about: despite a conviction in 2019, the circus artists persist and endorse it.

While Jumbo was stagnating in his solitude, they were busy carrying the tiger cubs around at arm’s length to exhibit them to the public. Separated from their mother and handled roughly, they were just as easily confronted by the deafening din of the big top as they were by children’s hands, all completely illegally.

The Mullers: expert repeat offenders in abuse and offending

Since these two complaints were submitted, the Muller Circus has tried to build their image back up by changing their name, taking on the Zavatta name. But their illegal facilities in the towns where they forcibly impose their miserable travelling troop, their exploitation of submissive animals, and even their violence towards our activists and against police have continued… So much so that Edmond Muller, the family patriarch, has just been convicted, on 1 March 2024, for hitting and insulting two peaceful activists from the Alliance Ethique [Ethical Alliance] and One Voice. A hearing will also take place on 20 March at the State Council to determine whether the authorisation given to Frank and Edmond Muller to keep and exhibit Jumbo to the public will (finally!) be cancelled and if Jumbo will be sent to a sanctuary. The Ministry of Agriculture, who we faced, indicated that they did not produce any documents in this matter… so we have hope. Our investigations continue, again and again revealing the regrettable living conditions in which Jumbo, the tigers, monkeys, and so many other animals are kept, with complaints being filed one after the other at the same pace. We will never stop.

We will be at the Valence legal tribunal on 8 March 2024 at 8:30am for them. Join us by signing our petition to save Jumbo.

Hunting dogs rescued from a repeat offender hunter-breeder from Dordogne who left for Haute-Vienne

Hunting dogs rescued from a repeat offender hunter-breeder from Dordogne who left for Haute-Vienne
04.03.2024
Hunting dogs rescued from a repeat offender hunter-breeder from Dordogne who left for Haute-Vienne
Hunting

Around seventy dogs, geese, rabbits, and goats were kept in what we can only describe as a dumping ground. In other words, a farm building turned into a hellish place of filth and stench for the animals. This is where, on the morning of 4 March 2024, a group of police from the canine department, agents from the Haute-Vienne DDPP, and the mayor of the town where Richard Mandral’s new home is located, were dispatched. As the authorities’ first choice of representative, One Voice was there with its partners to save all of the dogs and to try to put a full stop to this hunter-breeder’s activities.

Along with the Haute-Vienne prefectural veterinary services, since January – and after much investigation footage and many legal proceedings in Dordogne since 2018 – we have moved heaven and earth to secure the maximum number of places in our partner rescue centres throughout France. We were able to rescue most of them. Other organisations had responded to a request from the administration as part of the legal proceedings, and were able to leave with the others. Thanks to them for their assistance. In the afternoon, the dogs were en route to the warmth of a loving home. They will initially be able to benefit from any care necessary, which is provided by professionals.

Run away and start again…

He had already adapted after being convicted for belonging to the Dog Connection network in the 1980s when hunting dogs, in addition to what they had already experienced, were sent to labs, following the summer of 2021, after his other conviction involving our rescue of sixteen of his dogs and multiple investigations, the repeat offender left Dordogne. He moved his out of control activities in breeding hunting dogs to a village situated at least 100 kilometres from there, in another department and even another region. What better way to escape the authorities, neighbourhood conflicts, and visits from our investigators? And to identically reproduce the operation, or even extend its harmful effects to other species…?

At the start of January 2024, we knew that the situation had – clearly – worsened in Haute-Vienne. We alerted the authorities and offered our logistical support. We had to act, and quickly. But without any places in rescue centres, it was not possible to do anything.

…a typical way of life for this hunter-breeder

On site, the dogs were not alone in wading distressed in mud and faeces. Rabbits were caged, chickens, geese, ducks, and turkeys joined their yelping cries. In the middle of the frosty hills, in a hutch in this cursed place, a rabbit snuggles against the lifeless body of its companion. Shut up in a van at the entrance to the property, a goat and its kid gaze upon the second baby that did not survive the birth that, according to the owner, happened overnight…

Nothing will stop us when it comes to these so-called “hunting” dogs!

Disputed by the hunting community, despite the videos and veterinary certificates which attested to the severity of the situation and despite a legal system that has refused to come down hard since 2019 because it only involved so-called “hunting” dogs, we have not given up.

Among our team and our supporters, no one forgot those sad griffons, porcelains, and dachshunds, some of whom wandered aimlessly and others who dug holes around the post where they were tied, while the weaker ones died without even being noticed and were eaten by their peers in a last attempt for survival. The memories of these dogs with deformed teats following repeated pregnancies, who had so much difficulty moving, of these dogs with enormous and painful untreated tumours, still haunt us.

Fear in so many of their looks… Where are the hunters who buy them and yet say they love their dogs? They turn a blind eye.

This repeat offender, who has spent his entire life (almost eight decades) abusing dogs and exploiting bitches, must be brought to justice once and for all! We will also fight tirelessly for the other animals and will be involved in proceedings against Richard Mandral in Haute-Vienne (and will thus bring criminal indemnification proceedings). These animals must not return to him under any circumstances and it is unlikely that he will be able to keep any animal whatsoever or continue his exploitation and reproduction activities. The dogs used by humans for hunting should receive as much care and consideration as any other, and their torturers should receive punishments appropriate for their wrongdoings. Hunter and impunity must no longer go hand in hand.

Hearing on 28 February 2024: One Voice supports the ELLE brand against the furriers’ union

Hearing on 28 February 2024: One Voice supports the ELLE brand against the furriers’ union
27.02.2024
Hearing on 28 February 2024: One Voice supports the ELLE brand against the furriers’ union
Fashion

On 28 February 2024 at 1.30pm, One Voice will be present at the Nanterre judicial court to take up the defence of ELLE INTERNATIONAL (Lagardère group) and its exclusive licensee in France CMI, attacked by the French Fur Trade Federation for saying what is: real fur is a source of suffering and cruel for animals…

We will never allow such an attack, whose aim is to gag freedom of expression and in particular that of the press, to go unchallenged. Shame on those who seek to make an example of this emblematic magazine, born in France and whose name now shines around the world, which has courageously denounced the proven suffering of animals bred for their fur, by pillorying it and attempting to condemn it to silence.

A lobby that hides the truth and seeks to muzzle those who proclaim it loud and clear

In December 2021, ELLE fashion magazine and its international network announced that animal fur would no longer be allowed to appear in its pages anywhere in the world, declaring its desire to “reject cruelty to animals”. A major decision in the fashion world, given the brand’s central role in France and the rest of the world. Alongside our partners in the Fur Free Alliance, the international coalition of which we are the French representatives, we welcomed this demonstration of a profound cultural change that accompanied societal reforms on the subject. This did not please the Fédération française des métiers de la fourrure, which had already opposed our investigation publications on numerous occasions. Seeking to trample on freedom of expression, and particularly that of the press, the French furriers’ lobby sued ELLE INTERNATIONAL for denigration…

Practices incompatible with animal welfare

Not content with attacking the freedom of the press by trying to muzzle the ELLE brand, it is also denying the evidence. Our investigations have documented the injuries and infections, the cannibalism and agony of the mink due to the conditions in which they are kept, the lack of hygiene, the deleterious consequences for biodiversity and the disastrous impact of fur farms in France in terms of soil pollution. Let’s not even go into the barbaric methods of slaughter, by gassing or electrocution, shown by our partners. To speak of cruelty is nothing more than the most elementary common sense.

Two years after the vote on the law banning livestock farming in France, Paris Fashion Week has still not taken a position as clear as that of the magazine… We will continue to support brands that are committed to ethical fashion and to fight to ban the production, import and sale of fur throughout the European Union: the public is on our side, we will never give up.

For mink, foxes, raccoon dogs and other victims of fashion, we are voluntarily intervening at the hearing on 28 February 2024 at 1.30pm alongside the brand ELLE INTERNATIONAL, which has been unduly attacked for simply telling the truth and making use of a right that defines democratic countries.

Wolf plan 2024-2029: an openly anti-wolf government policy, national action by One Voice

Wolf plan 2024-2029: an openly anti-wolf government policy, national action by One Voice
23.02.2024
Wolf plan 2024-2029: an openly anti-wolf government policy, national action by One Voice
Wildlife

The main thrusts of the 2024-2029 French National Action Plan on wolves and livestock activities (or “Plan Loup”) were presented this Wednesday, February 21. Once again, the government has chosen to side with the intensive farming lobbies. In the face of this programmed extermination, we are mobilizing to make their voices heard. On the first weekend of March, we’ll be present in around twenty towns across France to defend them and try to halt their announced massacre.

This new plan, described as “concerned with the preservation of extensive and pastoral livestock farming”, totally forgets its objective, which is supposed to be the preservation of species!

In 2024, 209 wolves can be legally killed – perhaps even more if the ceiling is raised, as is almost always the case. In Lyon, our activists will be paying tribute to the 207 wolves killed in 2023. In Draguignan, we will be present in front of the prefecture to raise public awareness of the fate of these animals.

(Definitive and ineffective) lethal shootings made easier

After the disturbing stance taken by the President of the European Commission last September, the culls we have been opposing from the outset are made easier in this new plan of shame! The obligation to light a wolf before shooting has been abolished; the number of shooters has been increased from one to three for simple defense shots; and the use of thermal sights has been generalized for lieutenants of louveterie and pests. The aim is clear: to make it even harder for wolves to escape, even harder for them to get away.

The usefulness of shooting is never questioned. Yet the Wolf Plan 2018-2023 already cast doubt on the effectiveness of this morbid device.[1] Scientific studies suggest that these shots may even have the opposite effects to those intended: if wolves sometimes stop feeding in the same area following the slaughter of a family member, they will in fact move a few kilometers, resolving nothing that breeders blame them for.

Protective measures, the only effective weapon…

… provided that training and controls are deployed on farms. By definition, shooting should remain the exception, as it is a derogation from wolf protection. However, prefectoral decrees are copy-pastes of one another, and their justifications vague and stereotyped. When properly implemented, with adequate support, these measures can effectively guard flocks.

The State refuses to protect farmed animals, opting instead for massacres

In this new plan, everything is done to please intensive farmers, with the compensation scale being revised upwards; even though some herds are not protected! For several months now, we’ve been campaigning for the government to recognize that cows and horses should be protected. In 2023, we initiated proceedings before the Conseil d’État to counter this nonsense.

All these arguments prompted the French national council for nature protection to side with us, with the wolves, when consulted on the 2024-2029 project.

Putting an end to hypocrisy

Let’s not forget that the same farmers who bemoan the fate of their ewes no longer feel the same way when it comes to sending them to slaughter, sometimes by boat for weeks on end in abominable conditions. Losses due to wolves represent only a tiny proportion (0.15%) of the sheep population (ewes and lambs). The proportion due to disease, transport accidents, falls, etc. is ten times higher.

Even if the game is unbalanced and victories difficult to achieve, we will continue to demand respect and protection for wolves. It’s high time we got away from the anxiety-inducing imaginary world we’ve grown up with about these animals. In this fight against superstition and the relentless attack on biodiversity and nature, we need your support. Sign our petition and join us on March 02 and 03* at our actions in favor of wolves throughout France: Aix en Provence (13), Amiens (80), Bar le Duc (55), Bordeaux (33), Briançon (05), Brive-la-Gaillarde (19), Château Arnoux Saint Auban (04), Draguignan (06), Falaise (14), Gap (05), La Rochelle (17), Lille (59), Limoges (87), Lyon (69), Marseille (13), Metz (57), Nantes (44), Paris (75), Strasbourg (67), Troyes (10).

* Please check the date, place and time before coming: some events will take place in February, or may be subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. If there is no link to an event in a particular city, refer to the national event.

[1] French national action plan for 2018-2023 concerning wolves and farming activities, page 12: “Concerning the effect of these shots on predation: without suitable spatial and temporal metrics, it is difficult to highlight a general trend on the evolution of damage according to the level of taking.”

February 26 update: clarification of the 0.15% figure concerning French sheep.