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We owe Lechmee a well-deserved respite!

We owe Lechmee a well-deserved respite!

We owe Lechmee a well-deserved respite!
19.07.2018
France
We owe Lechmee a well-deserved respite!
Exploitation for shows

We are determined to liberate Lechmee from her chains. Enough is enough! She should be retired given her condition, but on the pretext that she needs to live with Mina and Kamala, the circus does not release her. It would be a noble act to leave her … No … to let the three of them finally live other experiences than the ankus, the truck, the noisy parades and the circus ring.

According to what is written in the « circus » decree of 18thMarch 2011, Lechmee should have been for a long time now staying in a permanent place, with her companions, with access to quality care, and a relaxing daily life! Nothing has been done for her other that the life imposed by the circus. The incessant journeys, the noise, belts from the ankus, the chains…

Yet she is still on the road, despite her advanced age, her disabled leg and blindness. It’s a scandal, nothing has been done to give her a respite! The circus shows no sign of clemency, as for the ministry and the authorities, they seem deaf to her obvious suffering.

After the death of Diana on the roads of Spain in early April 2018, we wrote to the Minister of the Ecological and Solidarity Transition, when we discovered that the three old elephants were forced to parade in the streets, and therefore still on tour. No response from him since then.

On the justice side, our complaint of ill-treatment was filed several months ago, and we are expanding our case by launching an expert summary procedure before the judicial court, directed against the circus. Previously, we had launched unpublished procedures, which had been rejected.

In May, two videos shocked us. Mina was hit in the face by one of her keepers, and Kamala received an electric shock from another keeper. We immediately alerted the public and launched a specific petition for them.

At the beginning of June, we saw Lechmee in a tiny enclosure, barely 20 m² in a quaint city square. We alerted the mayor of the city, and the newspapers were able to denounce with us the cynicism of the circus. The latter made « looking into » the next day by a bailiff, the size of the enclosure after having moved the barriers, to justify suitably the minimum regulatory surface, with a pen of 380 square meters. But their ploy fooled no one! MP Loïc Dombreval was moved by this scandalous manipulation, and made contact with Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, to reinforce our request to refuse henceforth the circuses with animals in his community.

While waiting for our complaint to be investigated and for the new appeals that we are currently preparing, please continue to sign and share our petition along with the story of Lechmee. The mobilization of all is vital for this old lady elephant and her friends, also martyrs of this industry.

Shouka, the forgotten one

Shouka, the forgotten one

Shouka, the forgotten one
12.07.2018
Antibes
Shouka, the forgotten one
Exploitation for shows

Shouka is the first orca to be born captive and to have survived in France. She was a friend and a big loving sister. Then, at the end of many trips to dolphinariums around the world and missed reunions with a male with whom she could have had children, she then suffered 10 years of isolation without other cetaceans of her kind! While waiting to finish her days without even having founded her own clan, she now socialises with the oldest of captive orcas.

Shouka is a 24-year-old female orca. She was the first orca to be born and to remain alive in France. Her mother was Sharkane and her father Kim 2.

She is forgotten to often, but she is one of five French captive orcas.

At the time of innocence, Shouka was raised by Sharkane who was still very much friends with Freya. When she was three years old, Freya gave birth to Valentin and the two children became extremely close by playing together. Her own mother gave her two more playmates, Inouk in 1999 and Wikie in 2001, whom she cared for lovingly as a big sister of orcas do.

With all the knowledge acquired from two females born at sea, Shouka would probably have made an excellent mother. Marineland’s plans for her were different.

In 2002, after an endless flight, Shouka was first taken to Six Flags in Ohio, USA. She had to meet a « fiancé » named Kshamenk captured in Argentina, but he never arrived. In 2004, she was moved to California’s Six Flags, where she had to stay alone for ten long years.

Ten years of isolation! Even American law forbids leaving a cetacean alone without someone of its own kind. Shouka received companion dolphins and had no more contact than with them and the trainers until the end of 2011. After the first attack, she was separated from the dolphin Merlin, then it was Cupid, another great dolphin assigned to keep her company which then also had to be removed from the pool following the rage of this poor orca. After a brief failed attempt to send her to Marineland Canada, it was decided that she would end her days at SeaWorld in California. She arrived there on August 20th2012 almost in emergency: solitude had made her violent and turned her insane to the point of attacking her trainer several times.

In spite of all her hardships, Shouka gradually managed to socialise again, thanks to the loving help of the oldest captive orcas in the world, Corky who is 50 years old.

On the other hand, the one who should have had two or three children at sea will remain alone forever. This is what parks call « conservation of an endangered species ». Reproduction is now banned at SeaWorld, and that’s good. Orcas should live free, in groups they have chosen!

Photo JerryFrausto – CC BY 2.0 – The photo has been modified to fit the format of the site.

The scandal of Dépakine (Thalidomide): Animal experiments prove again to be dangerous

The scandal of Dépakine (Thalidomide): Animal experiments prove again to be dangerous

The scandal of Dépakine (Thalidomide): Animal experiments prove again to be dangerous
05.07.2018
Monde
The scandal of Dépakine (Thalidomide): Animal experiments prove again to be dangerous
Animal testing

Tens of thousands of children have been born with early neurodevelopmental disorders, victims of the effects of Depakine, taken by their mothers during pregnancy. Depakine, such as Thalidomide and Distilbene have however been tested on animals before they were placed on the market, as required by current regulations. How many human and nonhuman people will still have to be victims of the obsolete, cruel and dangerous procedures of animal testing?

Tens of thousands of victims, human and animal

How many thousands of animals have been sacrificed? How many mothers of monkeys, rats and rabbits who have been injected with teratogen products, that is to say likely to alter ineluctably the development in utero of their young? How many babies, who as soon as they were born or snatched from the womb, were euthanized and underwent autopsies?

No, it is not a blessing in disguise, it is a frightful evil for another evil, which is just as bad.

After Thalidomide and Distilbène, Dépakine is the new health related outrage. Indeed, these three drugs have been tested on animals, including during pregnancy. Animals have been killed so that these substances can be sold. But this could not prevent the disasters related to their use by pregnant women.

The biggest scandal was that of Thalidomide in the early 1960s: 10,000 births with very serious malformations (absence of limbs, damaged organs) which caused some babies’ death. In the case of Distilbene (whose harmful effects were discovered in the early 1970s), children and even grandchildren of mothers who took this drug, were born with reproductive system pathologies, including cervical cancer.

The toxic effects of depakine on the fetus

Depakine is an antiepileptic medicine marketed in France since 1967. It has been recognized as causing malformations and developmental delays in exposed children during pregnancy.

The first case of malformations suspected to have been caused by Depakine dates back to 1980. Yet it took twenty-six years for the Ministry of Health to advise against its use by pregnant women. By the end of 2017, the laboratory’s responsibility has been established. Last June, the number of children with neurological disorders (including autism and mental retardation), after being exposed to Depakine, was estimated between 16,600 and 30,400!

Animal experimentation is worse than unsuitable, it is dangerous!

According to our scientific team, animal testing does not make it possible to obtain the certainty of the safety of a drug, especially during pregnancy. Gestations between humans and animals are not comparable: the embryonic and foetal phases are organized differently over time. In the case of Depakine, the human embryo develops skeletal malformations at much lower doses than animals.

But if animal testing cannot confirm a safe dosage to avoid such obvious effects, how can one still believe that they can help identify more nuanced effects, such as autism and developmental delays?

Towards modern science

We are undoubtedly living in an age where scientific knowledge is the most advanced in the whole history of mankind. But paradoxically, we do not know how to apply them intelligently! How many health disasters must we endure to ensure that the reliability of animal testing is finally called into question? Persisting to resort in using species that are separate from us as a reference is a nonsense which must not be continued for both animals and for us.

The reoffending abusive breeder finally judged

The reoffending abusive breeder finally judged

The reoffending abusive breeder finally judged
03.07.2018
Bergerac
The reoffending abusive breeder finally judged
Domestic animals

Four years! It took four years of investigation to obtain a judgment of this abusive and repeat offender, who subjected along with an accomplice in her 60’s like her these poor and defenceless cats and dogs to the worst in the Dordogne. July 3rd will be the trial of Mrs. A. in the court of Bergerac.

Editorial:

At the end of the hearing on July 3rd,the deliberation was fixed at August 21st, 2018

Mrs. A was sentenced to a 1-year suspended sentence, 5-year ban from breeding and all animals confiscated and entrusted to One Voice. The veterinarian involved was sentenced to 2 months suspended sentence and a fine of 5000 euros.

We obviously maintain our surveillance in order to be able to intervene quickly in case of reoffending.

Between them, they had set up a smuggling ring of animals, medicines and microchips had been hidden, mistreated animals, in short, all done to circumvent the law and exploit these animal companions while making a profit out of their innocent lives, regardless of their well-being and health. Thanks to One Voice’s investigative work, the scale of their trafficking has been revealed, the animals have been saved, and these cold-hearted women are being sued.

While she was forbidden to raise animals, Mrs. A. continued her trade of living beings. While letting them perish in unhealthy conditions as their fate was only equal to her greed for the money that she could get out from them.

An historic rescue for the Zoe Cell

In 2014, our investigation and rescue centre thought to save twenty cats, it is an atrocious reality that eventually came out into the open: 181 animals were discovered, all in a deleterious state both mentally and physically.

More than 80 animals were found in June 2014, in an appalling stench. Puppies just a few days old, a kitten crawling in a litter on the ground looking for its mother, a cat in a rabbit cage… but that’s not counting the corpses of cats burnt in barrels. Air so bad it burns the lungs. Dozens of sick animals that had to be treated urgently!

Mrs A. was banned from raising animals for reasons of health and hygiene. In February 2015, the gendarmes discovered almost fifty dogs and cats that were hidden at her home and as many as this at the home of her accomplice. In addition to this, veterinary products obtained or given without authorization and without prescriptions. The traffic of electronic chips probably removed from dead cats, and re-implanted into other living cats…

Traumatized animals in need of love and their wounds dressing

At the time, the emerging Zoe Cell, with the help of our partner shelters, made sure to place all the animals with host families, which proved to be extremely loving and became real allies in the re-socialization of those sentient, gentle and intelligent beings so badly abused by these two shameless women.

Among them, Colombe a survivor of this breeding place from hell, was placed in foster care during the summer of 2015 pending the end of the investigation and the final verdict. Unfortunately, her elderly human companion has just died, and this little dog of 11 years had to change family.

In February this year, Colombe met Pascale, her new human companion and his own dog a Bichon Maltese. The agreement between the two white dogs is immediate, and Colombe then meets the whole family, and her new home, filled with the joy of life and animation. A home with several children and active adults. But she has lived many traumatic episodes, and remains fearful.

The contact with the Bichon who is almost the same age as she is a real facilitator. Cuddles, strolls, meals, everything is done in duo, him ahead, protective, her behind withdrawn. And the more she acclimatizes, the more she lowers her guard. Two months after arriving, she begins to wag her tail to express her joy at the time of going out, and to bark nicely at the return from work the father of family.

Pascale tells us: « We get to approach her more easily when our dog is sitting next to her and we caress her. At these moments, she accepts caresses, even on demand. She did not experience the affection of a family in her younger years, she was not used to being touched, caressed. »

Given her behavioural problems, to help Colombe, One Voice has taken on a session with Dr. Nathalie Simon, who will help her feel better again.

Long live Colombe, far from the trauma of her youth, and congratulations to those loving animals, human or not, who helped her and still help her to gain confidence in herself and others.

We will be at the hearing of the court of Bergerac July 3rd to plead for an exemplary punishment for Mrs. A., having made life a nightmare for more than 180 sentient beings like Colombe and they are still struggling to recover today.

Young dog beaten and stabbed, Cell Zoe appeals for justice in the case of Mylanne

Young dog beaten and stabbed, Cell Zoe appeals for justice in the case of Mylanne

Young dog beaten and stabbed, Cell Zoe appeals for justice in the case of Mylanne
02.07.2018
France
Young dog beaten and stabbed, Cell Zoe appeals for justice in the case of Mylanne
Domestic animals

No social or emotional precariousness can justify the violence suffered by animals and their murder ! No addiction can serve as an excuse to mitigate the gravity of this gesture ! Mylanne lived only a nightmare with the man who had obtained her. The young German Shepherd would have been the scapegoat of this dangerous human.

Editorial:

The defendant was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment and a lifetime ban on keeping an animal.

Mylanne lived in terror

Two years ago, Mylanne met an alcoholic and violent man. He took her home, with the intention of training her the hard way, « so that she could eat the other animals in the household because they were pissing him off ».

Since then, the young dog was beaten so hard, and so regularly, that neighbours heard it through the walls. They crossed the drunken and aggressive man daily, who had already attacked them. He even scared his neighbours because he was so insulting and threatening, what could she do, so helpless in the face of his anger ?

Like any dog, she sought so much to be loved, seeking the tenderness in her eyes, but found only bitterness, resentment, instability and unleashed anger …

Mylanne was scared of it.

On March 10thhe returned home smelling of alcohol. She barked to keep him at bay, fearing again his excessive violence. But what was waiting for her was worse than anything before. Terrorized, she was stabbed in the back by this antisocial, heartless, irascible individual. The blow was so strong that the knife was bent … she moaned. He finished her off, dragged her down the stairs of his building, and threw her body into the collective garbage bin.

Fortunately, a witness called the gendarmerie. The traces of blood left between the local garbage and the home of the torturer, the weapon of the crime found at the home and the body of Mylanne, left him confounded.

Zoe Cell fights cruelty once again

We will be in Pontoise, in the courtroom, on the 2ndof July, so that this man, with already previous charges, clearly a public danger, will receive an exemplary sentence. Cell Zoe will take care of it in its plea. We filed a complaint for cruelty against this man « alcoholic, impulsive and unstable » according to the doctor who admitted his analysis of this criminal.

Once again, we urge governments to recognize the Link between violence against humans and animals, and to amend the law accordingly.

Please sign and share our petition to condemn all violence, regardless of the victim.

50 dogs killed by a breeder on the island of the Reunion: One Voice is angry!

50 dogs killed by a breeder on the island of the Reunion: One Voice is angry!

50 dogs killed by a breeder on the island of the Reunion: One Voice is angry!
30.06.2018
Réunion
50 dogs killed by a breeder on the island of the Reunion: One Voice is angry!
Other campaign or multi-campaigns of One Voice

A deer farmer boasted that he had slaughtered 50 dogs on Reunion Island. And our complaint against this illegal act would have been dismissed? The Prefect would even consider hiring professional hunters to solve the problem of strays. Faced with this outrage, One Voice, angry, wrote to the Minister of Overseas Territories, lodged a complaint with the Attorney General and filed another against the Prefecture. The state must take its responsibilities and enforce the law!

On June 13, we filed a complaint against a deer farmer who had published the photos of dogs he had slaughtered, more than fifty according to him! This act of retaliation is totally illegal: it is forbidden by law to kill domestic animals, strays or not. The fact that dogs have killed sheep, goats and deer is not a valid motive.

Two goats injured and abused

On June 28, two wounded kids who were allegedly attacked by stray dogs were taken by truck to the law firm defending the association One Voice. The breeders concerned, in their way of thinking, demanded compensation « Since we defend the dogs » and following the complaint of 13 June 2018 to deal with these animals!

As we were first and foremost concerned with relieving the poor goats of their suffering and injuries, bearing in mind the appalling treatment that they had been submitted to on the road in the back of the truck. We immediately decided to take charge of them. But the breeders, obviously more interested in an article in the local paper than concerned about the pain of two dying beings, finally left with them, claiming to take them to the vet to be put down.

Our complaint dismissed?

It was through the press that we learned that our complaint against the deer farmer has already been dismissed. It must be said that, for the Prefect of the Reunion, the question of starys seems to have to be settled with a gun. He even intended to appoint professional hunters during the hunting of these strays to deal with the crisis! Because yes, there is a real problem with strays on the island, but slaughtering dogs and cats is by no means a solution. Not only is it cruel, this method is ineffective. We already have a procedure in place to demand that « useful measures » be put into practice by the Prefect.

We have therefore filed a complaint against the Prefecture and sent a letter to the Minister of Overseas Territories to alert her of the situation and ask her to put an end to an emergency situation. We also filed a complaint with the Attorney General, because if our complaint against the breeder is dismissed, who has already killed 50 dogs, animals that are best protected by French law, we fear this could be the adopted method of dealing with things. It’s an implied license to shoot them with a rifle. One Voice will not let it go.

Sign and share our petition so that cats and dogs are really protected!

The martyrdom of Nikita, a young pinscher dragged along the tarmac

The martyrdom of Nikita, a young pinscher dragged along the tarmac

The martyrdom of Nikita, a young pinscher dragged along the tarmac
28.06.2018
Tarn
The martyrdom of Nikita, a young pinscher dragged along the tarmac
Domestic animals

How could they forget Nikita, tied to the back of a car? The young pinscher who died in agony. Neglect and alcohol cannot be a valid excuse to escape one’s responsibilities. The Zoe Cell will be present in court on June 29th 2018.

Dragged over 25 kilometres behind a car by a drunk person

25,000 meters of unsustainable suffering, skin flayed, flesh torn off, shredded bones, incommensurable pain. This is what Nikita, a young black and fiery pinscher, lived through, barely two years old, with a deep and sharp look. This is the especially atrocious way that the woman she believed was her protector, her friend, a drunk at the wheel, killed her.

A birthday, alcohol, discussions and music in the car of the woman, her companion and their friends, that’s the atmosphere that prevailed in the car, while Nikita lived her last moments after a while. Left behind the vehicle, dragged at high speed along the road…

Hiding the wrongdoing, an attempt to escape justice

A motorist told them that a body was under the car. To hide their wrong doing, Nikita was then thrown into the Tarn.

They then went off all three of them, as expected, to celebrate the birthday of Madame at the restaurant. Nikita’s poor body was found in the water. It is her identification chip that allowed the veterinarian, shocked by her condition, to find the person responsible.

The Zoe Cell will not let up

Being under the influence of alcohol cannot justify, let alone apologize, forgetting that her companion was attached to the back of her vehicle! And believing or being described as loving above all to this martyred animal, cannot in any way diminish the sentence expected. We filed a complaint. The Zoe Cell is taking over this case.

At the Montauban High Court on June 29th, 2018, we will seek the requalification of the facts in acts of cruelty to a domestic animal. The facts are so serious that they cannot be exonerated!

Please sign our petition so that our companions are better protected by law.

Nestlé responsible for cruel botox animal tests

Nestlé responsible for cruel botox animal tests

Nestlé responsible for cruel botox animal tests
26.06.2018
Europe
Nestlé responsible for cruel botox animal tests
Animal testing

One Voice is joining, as part as the ECEAE coalition, the Aerzte Gegen Tierversuch’s campaign.The goal is to end the mice experimentation for the botox market, by Nestlé.

Edit on August 30, 2018:

Thanks to the mobilization of citizens, we have obtained from Ipsen that alternative tests to the poisoning of mice with « botox » be set up!
The horrible suffering of a death by slow paralysis and choking, after very painful injections in the abdomen, will be spared tens of thousands of mice each year in the European Union and Switzerland!

Science must equip itself with other methods that are more reliable than animal experiments, and devoid of cruelty. This victorious episode demonstrates that this is possible. The tests will now be performed on cells grown in the laboratory.
What a leap forward for animals! It’s a magnificent victory.

The European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE), an alliance of leading European animal organisations has unveiled the involvement of Nestlé in cruel poisoning tests on mice for botulinum toxin (commonly known as botox). The Swiss-based food giant has entered the lucrative botox market. While some botox manufacturers are already using non-animal tests, Nestlé sells products for which there is no animal-free test approved, and thus becomes responsible for immense additional animal suffering. During a Europe-wide Week of Action (Name of group) and their European partners in the ECEAE are calling upon Nestlé to push Ipsen to stop selling Dysport® and Azzalure® until a humane test is approved by the authorities.

Occasionally used for medical purposes, the bacterial poison botulinum toxin is best known for its cosmetic use to temporarily reduce facial lines and wrinkles. Each batch of botox is tested in the controversial LD50 (Lethal Dose) poisoning test. Groups of mice are injected in the abdomen with different dosages of botulinum toxin in order to find the dose which kills half the animals. This involves appalling suffering for the animals who suffocate slowly through muscle paralysis while fully conscious.

Continuous public protests have led to the manufacturers Allergan and Merz using humane cell-based tests since 2011 and 2015 respectively, replacing most of their LD50 tests on mice. Nestlé, however, sells the botox products Dysport® and Azzalure® of the UK-based manufacturer Ipsen. Ipsen has recently claimed to have submitted an animal-free test to authorities but it remains unknown if this test will be approved. In the meantime Ipsen continues to commission the LD50 tests, using tens of thousands of animals every year.

By taking over the Galderma venture it had together with L’Oreal, and the purchase of marketing rights for Dysport® in North-America from the American company Valeant Pharmaceuticals – the main competitor of market leader Allergan – Nestlé has developed a hugely lucrative and fast-growing market.

The Swiss food company is again in the focus of the Europe-wide protest against botox animal testing. From 25thto 30thJune ECEAE members in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland will be holding a Week of Action across Europe to protest against the cruel killing of hundred thousands of mice for botulinum toxin. The Swiss ECEAE member organisation Swiss League against Animal Experiments and for the Rights of Animals (LSCV) has launched an online petition against Nestlé’s animal tests. The Europe-wide annual protest marks the first approval of an animal-free test on 30thJune 2011.

(Name of speaker of a group): “By entering the botox market Nestlé is responsible for cruel and outdated animal tests. It is appalling and unacceptable that hundreds of thousands of mice are cruelly poisoned for the mere profit of the world biggest food company. The public doesn’t accept animal experiments, especially when it comes to beauty products.”

To write a letter to Nestlé:

Sample letter to Nestlé

The pot calling the kettle black…by the veterinarians

The pot calling the kettle black…by the veterinarians

The pot calling the kettle black…by the veterinarians
22.06.2018
France
The pot calling the kettle black…by the veterinarians
Animal testing

Further to raising the alarm on what dozens of rabbits go through, used as guinea pigs and then killed when the vets training ends, we have received an answer from this veterinarian school. In the meantime, the course has been cancelled! This is how forty rabbits have been saved from these experiments.

The director of the veterinary school wrote to us. She brandishes as a banner the 80% reduction of animal use and the development within the school of alternative methods to correspond to European law. What she forgets to mention is that the binding European legislation to Reduce, Refine and Replace the use of animals has been put in place only by repeated actions and relentless pressure from the animal’s defence associations.

And it is precisely these methods of investigation in denouncing injustices that the school holds against us, not the content. She proposes that we work hand in hand after insulting us! What a funny way to work in good intelligence, if it’s really what she suggests. We can most likely doubt it: the veterinary school accuses us of « denouncing » and speaks of « espionage », while evoking their « havoc on past occasions ». Here is a beautiful example of the expression “the pot calling the kettle black”.

An extract from the letter of the vet school head dated 18th May 2018.

One cannot be denouncing in a non-violent way injustice and even the suffering of those who are voiceless and weaker or more vulnerable than us and at the same time be on the side of those who are the perpetrators of this suffering. To seek justice is not the law of retaliation. Our methods, namely the field investigations, the publishing of expert testimonies, the production of documented reports, petitions and public gatherings, have nevertheless allowed the introduction of laws strictly regulating these practices. Without our struggle for the liberation of sentient beings and the ending of their servitude, they would still be suffering in much greater proportions.

Is animal testing really a necessary evil? Many scientists argue the opposite. As Dr. André Ménache rightly pointed out, « as far as animal experimentation is concerned, the scientific argument joins the ethical argument« . One thing is certain; France is not sufficiently committed to the 3 R policy of Reduction, Refinement and Replacement. By choosing additional arguments, the veterinary school tries to change the subject.

In conclusion, would it be in reaction to our article? The course we mentioned, regarding anaesthesia, sterilization and dentistry on rabbits was not reprogrammed, and was removed as an initial training tool at this school. Forty rabbits have been saved from experiments this semester and also for the ones that follow!

Crédit Photo: ©Stefan Andronache/Fotolia.com