News Archive - Page 122 of 144

Maya: The circus puts One Voice on trial and refuses to give any proof of life

Maya: The circus puts One Voice on trial and refuses to give any proof of life
08.02.2018
Lot-et-Garonne
Maya: The circus puts One Voice on trial and refuses to give any proof of life
Exploitation for shows

Maya has not been seen alive since November by our investigators. To dispel the fears and the rumour which has arisen, our lawyer contacted those of the circus: without reply! No return on her state of health or her state of wellbeing… Today, our concern is immense.

The circus that owns and exploits Maya is suing us for losses on Tuesday 13th of February 2018 at 13:30 at the Tribunal de Grande Instance Strasbourg, claiming damage to their reputation and poor public attendance. They want to prevent us from continuing to publicly defend this elephant that is in great suffering.

They are charging us with a lawsuit, and they do not want to give any proof that Maya is alive!

We fear that she died during those long weeks when the circus had disappeared. Did he hide himself away so that we could no longer observe him and his circus, and to leave Maya in agonizing agony without us being able to raise the alarm? We have to know because we will continue to demand justice for her. Those responsible for her ordeal will not go unpunished. Our complaint for acts of cruelty is being investigated, and in January we sent additional information to the authorities in charge of Maya’s case.

But we have to know where she is. We are in regular contact with the prefecture who decided to send an expert specialized in elephants to see Maya. But how can you do this without being able to find her? We ask you to write courteously to the prefect of Lot et Garonne, the guarantor to the welfare of animals living in its territory, to inform him of the anxiety that assails us concerning Maya. Is she dead? Did they hide her? In what conditions does she live now? Where is she? Is she even in France? Has she finished her days in the frozen loneliness of her transport trailer?

Thank you for your mobilization. For Maya and for all the circus slaves, our anger and our tears are immeasurable but we will not let this dampen our fighting spirit!

Twitter : @Prefet47
By mail: Mrs. Patricia WILLAERT, Lot-et-Garonne Prefecture, Place Verdun, 47920 Agen

Lynching and crucifixion, a night of horror for Janeiro

Lynching and crucifixion, a night of horror for Janeiro
07.02.2018
Eure-et-Loire
Lynching and crucifixion, a night of horror for Janeiro
Domestic animals

On the night of January 31st to February 1, Janeiro, an adorable red cat suffered unthinkable violence. He came out alive, but lost a paw. One Voice presses charges against a person not named for acts of cruelty towards a domestic animal with the public prosecutor of Chartres.

Thursday morning, his human companion, surprised not to see him appear at the call of his name at the time of giving him food, went looking for him to make sure everything was fine for his little friend. Suddenly, Janeiro’s cries of distress were heard, recognizing the familiar voice. Was he locked up somewhere? No, it was much worse!

On the building site of a house under construction, he saw his cat, hooked on a fence, his legs spread, screaming in pain. He had not got stuck on the fence by accident: his front right paw was crushed horribly, fixed by wire that had pierced her.

Shocked by the unprecedented violence Janeiro had suffered, he immediately took her to the vet. The vet, to allow the poor cat to survive had to carry out the amputation of his right front paw. In all likelihood, moreover he was kicked in the stomach or in the ribs. After a few days of observation at the vet’s surgery, he is now courageously recovering his emotions.

Similar cases have been reported in the Dreux sector. This kind of violence on cats is far too common. It is essential that they do not remain unpunished, so as not to be considered trivial or without consequences! To attack a domestic animal is a crime, which can be punished with a prison sentence! Our Cell Zoe will go to trial to get justice for him.

An outcry for the rats: Paris may be eternal but Paris is cruel!

An outcry for the rats: Paris may be eternal but Paris is cruel!
06.02.2018
Paris An outcry for the rats: Paris may be eternal but Paris is cruel!
Wildlife

Eradication! While several factors explain the increased visibility of rats in some parts of the capital, the Paris’ mayor’s office is sinking into empty gestures, ineffective and cruel measures, to always appear squeaky clean. The animals that populate the city since its creation would no longer have rights to exist? A shameful and pointless demonization.

It is a media-crazed TV and social networks coverage aimed at reminding people about the action plan against rats implemented by the City of Paris. Tourists, dustmen, residents … All the possible fears and fantasies are heard to give credibility to the message: proliferation equals eradication. Being under stress allows misinterpretation of these problems and presents this to the public as a lifesaving action when it is outdated. Delirious and prompt measures like these despicable “rat guillotines” are billed on a monthly basis and which by eradicating a few rodents will claim the “problem” is solved.

Where is the problem?

Rats have populated Paris since its creation. These social, mobile and very intelligent rodents are in fact our commensal partners: they live, drink, reproduce but in proportion to the opportunities of their environment. In all cities, by their underground life, rarely terrestrial by day and in direct contact with humans, they are present. And useful for cleaning rubbish left here or there by those who point the finger.

Health risk, visual discomfort, fears, phobia? The aesthetics of the politicians is very much alive, in these days of rising waters, in a context of cosmetics for tourists and soon to come Olympic Games. Tomorrow, it will be cats, victims of abandonment, which will have to be removed from the public landscape. One Voice rebels!

As an expert pointed out, these urban rats are not inevitably more numerous, they are simply more in view because of factors disturbing their environment … natural. To warn, to cry out on animal populations that are self-regulating, without managing the real problems (floods, management of canals and waste), are short-sighted rantings.

To pretend to eradicate rats from a city like Paris is nonsense. The committed budgets represent, on the proposed axes, an incredible waste that is reminiscent of some reports … But above all, on the part of elected officials concerned with respect for animal life, it is an easy and deadly bias, in short, it is disgusting.

One Voice invites everyone to take the measure of the level of intelligence and social skills of these rodents that are so vilified. Paris has already sought to relegate rats as harmful and also dedicating them to animal experimentation. Please, a little respect is indeed!

Madame Hidalgo, nobody believes in your ability to eradicate rats from Paris, if so needed. Clean the garbage in front of your own door, or ours, and you will see that the rats, without even the sound of your pipe, will be more discreet. #Pest #Cruelty

Eco volunteers diverted in favour of the trophy hunting of big cats

Eco volunteers diverted in favour of the trophy hunting of big cats
02.02.2018
South Africa
Eco volunteers diverted in favour of the trophy hunting of big cats
Wildlife

Take action against living in a world without lions? This type of action is commendable. Opt for eco-volunteering on farms, feed and cuddle wild animals thinking that you are contributing to the protection of wild animals? One Voice has investigated this subject and permits itself to doubt this. The association shows you how a good intention can be diverted and used to assist a lucrative and horrifying business: The development of wild animal farms and trophy hunting in South Africa.

Eco-volunteering: The beautiful promise of wild animal farms

According to an article in The Guardian, 160 wildlife farms are registered in South Africa and legally invite for money lovers of wild animals to contribute to the protection of the wildlife and to the preservation of genetic diversity. Their mission? Feed and cuddle lion cubs or other baby animals whose mothers are no longer able to do so for lack of milk. Visitors are invited to feed the new-borns by hand, to cuddle them and why not. And the opportunity to have the moment immortalized by a professional photographer. Walks are organized in the company of big cats aged 5 to 6 years old who have been reintroduced to a reserve. The program seems enticing and everything suggests that wild beasts are the kings of the savannah. Yet the reality is quite different!

But behind the scenes: cruel treatment and living conditions for the big cats

One Voice leads a daily nonviolent struggle for animal rights and the respect for all life, which is why the association investigated these businesses internally in 2015, the investigation only draws a sad picture which is shared by other associations.

Delivered to the visitor farms, the little ones find themselves in cages, stressed by the permanent contact from the volunteers. All this to sell a magical interaction with the public and hide the angst of the new-borns, the employees use several deplorable practices towards these young animals. They blow on their faces to prevent them from crying out, throw them in the air to stun them or simply drug them so that they do not wander back and forth in the cage; this being typical behaviour of stressed animals.

Reserves on the other hand are only enclosed spaces which are small in size and where animals are tranquilized with drugs to enable walks with volunteers. Let’s be clear on this, after spending the first years of their lives being cuddled and in contact with man, it is obvious that the return to the wildlife is impossible. Yet, to justify the existence of these farms, the opposite is asserted.

Farms: a supply of wild animals for trophy hunts

If the business of the farmers paid and they could be self-sufficient, then maintaining this is a real issue for the development of trophy hunting: these structures constitute a continual pool of wild animals ready to be slaughtered. Big cats are taken a few days before the hunt and put in an enclosed space that they cannot escape from. This practice, better known as “canned hunting”, inevitably signifies the death sentence of the animal. In 2006, 1,830 trophies were exported from South Africa, 4,062 in 2016, most of which came from capture sites.

It is time to boycott this type of structure and to move towards ethical eco-volunteering and doing something useful for animals. After the survey conducted by One Voice, Guidisto, an eco-volunteering portal has withdrawn all missions offering direct contact with big cats and directs users to volunteer to observe animals in their natural environment as well as participating in the protection of their habitat.

One more animal experiment: force mice to vape and then to announce fake news

One more animal experiment: force mice to vape and then to announce fake news
01.02.2018
United States
One more animal experiment: force mice to vape and then to announce fake news
Animal testing

A recent US study using mice to assess the dangers of e-cigarettes creates a new scientific controversy around animal testing.

After the scandal of diesel engines tested on animals, here again are other guinea pigs that have been subjected to toxic fumes in a very controversial research. Recent experiments conducted in the United States on mice and accrediting the dangers of vaping have quickly raised voices in the scientific community to denounce these scientific untruths; other studies on rodents are in support!

Who’s smoking?

The findings of a team from New York University are alarmist: exposed during 12 weeks from very high doses of vapour from e-cigarettes (the equivalent of ten years of nicotine vaping by a human), these mice have presented altered DNA in their lungs, heart and bladder, and a reduction of restorative proteins in the cells of these organs. Results clearly point towards possible carcinogenic risks from electronic cigarettes in humans. “We are without scientific truth, but with manipulation” Reacted Professor Bertrand Dautzenberg, Pulmonologist. According to him, this experiment is not representative of exposure to humans and makes assumptions between mice and humans without even comparing the effect of vaping with that of tobacco smoke.

“This does not prove that vaping causes cancer,” said Peter Hajek, an English specialist in tobacco addiction, who said the study was “fake news” … very toxic. Jacques Le Houzec, pharmacologist and tobacco expert, also recalls an earlier similar study, which totally contradicts this one. Rats exposed for 2 years, 5 days a week and 20 hours to concentrated nicotine aerosols did not develop tumours, just a loss of weight…

This debate points to the buzz sought by certain scientific publications that broadcast alarmist news from targeted studies, deserving of further work before concluding.

For One Voice, this controversy among researchers emphasizes above all that we must finally put an end to animal experimentation. It is high time we stop using the age-old excuse of the advancement of humans and then to torture and kill animals, all to present finding that are in the interest of one industry or another.

Back to our gathering against the terrible fate of English Greyhounds

Back to our gathering against the terrible fate of English Greyhounds
31.01.2018
Paris
Back to our gathering against the terrible fate of English Greyhounds
Other campaign or multi-campaigns of One Voice

We were a hundred humans and thirty dogs to brave the cold in a good mood and determination on Sunday January the 28th 2018.

Of all ages and all from France, the defenders of Greyhounds but also of Galgos came in support of these poor farmed Greyhounds. Cruelly trained and sometimes even drugged for the races in Great Britain they are resold without hesitation to countries which then transform them into meat, in unspeakable conditions.

One Voice with the support of Celtic Grey hounds and Co who were also in action in Perpignan for the same cause, The Voice of Greyhounds, Greyhounds without Borders, A History of Galgos, Association GALGOS, Greyhound My Love, CREL, Greyhounds and Company, Esperanto Greyhounds, Greyhounds Martyrs, Galgos Ethic Europe rose up against this scandal. So we were all, humans and dogs together, to support this fight at Place des Vosges, near the house of Victor Hugo, man, it must be remembered, committed for all the oppressed.

Thank you all for coming, thank you for the many messages and testimonials of support.

In London at the same time, the defenders of these victims, CAGED Nation Wide, Birmingham Greyhound Protection and Pet Levrieri, had organized an action before the Greyhound Board of Great Britain to demand the end of this exploitation and of exports. In a word, respect for greyhounds.

The fight does not stop there! We will demonstrate on March 24th between the embassies of Spain and the United Kingdom. See you at 2 pm, Pont de l’Alma, near Zouave.

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Behind the Dieselgate, the scandal of animal experimentation

Behind the Dieselgate, the scandal of animal experimentation
29.01.2018
France
Behind the Dieselgate, the scandal of animal experimentation
Animal testing

From 2009 to 2015, Volkswagen claimed to have reduced the pollution emitted by its cars. As the current investigation is unveiling, the whole world is discovering the experiments made on macaques in an attempt to show that there is no danger for humans.

The animal experimentation lobby has always justified its existence by claiming to be a must to save lives. But what is reality? In 2014, just before the scandal of the Dieselgate broke out, they were still in the same old routine: locking up monkeys and exposing them to gas and fine particles from the exhausts of diesel cars and gasoline. Yet the effects and dangerousness of diesel on nature and living beings were already well known. Its strong tendency to pollute was well established.

These experiments were ordered by the car manufacturer in order to use the argument of « cleanliness » of its engines, giving it a- so-called- « green » guarantee and this, thanks to animal experimentation.

Cartoons for macaques

The personnel responsible for the experimentations knew very well who their guinea pigs were, otherwise why make them watch cartoons? The answer is obvious: so that primates stay calm during gassing since they were aware of what was happening to them. Macaques are indeed self-aware and capable of tremendous empathy. Yet the industrialists did not hesitate to condemn them.

Dieselgate is detrimental not only to guinea pigs, monkeys, humans and the planet, but also to car manufacturers who are trying to make their vehicles less polluting in an ethical way.

This scandal behind the scandal is extremely worrying. That the car industry is investing heavily in research and development to develop less and less polluting vehicles, all for the better! But how many animals are still at risk in this frantic commercial race?

One Voice are launching a petition demanding from all car manufacturers that they no longer subcontract any animal experience. Neither to test the pollution levels of their engines, nor to justify their progress as part of their development! With all the signatures, the association will ask each car manufacturer a firm commitment on this issue.

Sign the petition to say stop to animal testing in the car industry!

One Voice rescues abandoned cats

One Voice rescues abandoned cats
24.01.2018
Finistère One Voice rescues abandoned cats
Domestic animals

On 11th and 12th January 2018 in Quimperlé, One Voice’s Zoé Cell rescued 10 cats, left on their own, the home was abandoned, the house of their elderly owner, because of her long-term hospitalization.

The castrated and identified cat of the human owner, survived there for several weeks. Other cats had been abandoned at her home, probably by neighbours, which is punishable by law. Straying, and roaming of non-identified cats only leads to misery for these abandoned animals. In this unhealthy house, the little cats were locked in the midst of the corpses of their congeners in a state of decomposition. Excrement strewed on the ground and the furniture, the disorder and the pestilential odour adding to the rest of the filth.

The eight cats rescued on the first day were very stressed after weeks spent in such conditions. Our team immediately had them examined by a veterinarian attentive and respectful of their distress. All were the object of care. Some were dehydrated and had ulcers. One of them suffered terribly, having several cancerous tumours and unfortunately had to be euthanized.

This operation was made possible thanks to the listening of the Town hall of Quimperlé, enchanted by our intervention, with the help of “Cats without you”, “Cie Pays de Quimperlé”, and of the SPA of Vannes where the cats now wait to be adopted.

In France, more than 10 million homeless cats suffer and die on our doorstep. One Voice is engaged in this fight for them, for their dignity.

One Voice fight for dogs in Congo

One Voice fight for dogs in Congo
22.01.2018
Congo
One Voice fight for dogs in Congo
Domestic animals

Cases of rabies and parasitosis have been reported around the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The animals in the area are in dire need of our help. Time is running out: the slaughter of animals is all too often the only way out for the authorities.

The socio-economic situation of local communities and the equilibrium of ecosystems have been the collateral but are very real victims for decades of armed conflicts. Since 2000, we have worked with Bantu for the animals on the spot. During the intensification of the armed conflict, he had to resort to taking refuge in Uganda. We helped him bring his wife and children to him and they survived. He is a very committed man of exemplary courage, with whom we have forged strong relationships, mutual aid and combat. He is both our anchor and our relay there.

Humans around the Virunga National Park survive only through hunting, accompanied by sick and contagious dogs. In such circumstances, health considerations are secondary and all pay a heavy price for this ignorance. One Voice, in partnership with Bantu, is working together to help humans and animals alleviate this health problem that is adding to the pre-existing political and humanitarian crisis.

One of the consequences of these extreme situations for the populations, is that the dogs participating in these hunts are sometimes wounded, or contract various parasitosis (verminousness and dermatoses), following tick bites. At least three out of four dogs are carriers, and suffer terribly from these untreated conditions. Populations, unaware of the resulting health consequences, often abandon or simply let wounded or sick dogs wander, which encourages their contagion and spread to vulnerable people with whom they come into contact with, but also to other domesticated animals and wild animals nearby. In particular, cases of rabies have been reported, which means an assured death for all affected people.

One Voice financially supports the anti-rabies vaccination campaign in the area around Bantu Virunga Park in Congo (which also sterilizes and castrates stray animals), and has participated in the purchase of many veterinary products to combat ticks and sores on pets.

It is urgent to act very quickly, to avoid that the authorities decide, as too often in the world, to slaughter animals instead of treating them!

Happy Bear: The Indian sanctuary of One Voice

Happy Bear: The Indian sanctuary of One Voice
20.01.2018
India
Happy Bear: The Indian sanctuary of One Voice
Wildlife

They went through the worst. Torn from their mother, beaten, nose often pierced with a rope, these bears were exploited, dancing to entertain in India. Thanks to the joint work of One Voice and Wildlife SOS, they found peace in a sanctuary. In an idyllic setting, they are finally entitled to respect.

Looking back on 7 years of fighting for sloth bears

It was in 2009, after seven years of hard work by One Voice, Wildlife SOS and the anti-poaching cell that the two NGOs had created together, the last rope of the last dancing bear in India was cut. In total, more than 620 bears have been saved and placed safely into the sanctuary of Agra in India. Kalandar bear exhibitors who exploited them were able to join the reintegration program that was offered to them in exchange for retraining, which was a real chance for this community that lived in misery and a huge relief for sloth bears who survived in the worst conditions.

The sanctuary of Agra: created with bears in mind

The sanctuary of Agra is not a zoo. It is not designed for the well-being of the visitors but for the happiness of the bears, at the heart of all the concerns. In most French zoos, the enclosures allow us to see the animals in all types of circumstances. In an often confined and concrete space, sloth bears have nowhere to hide from the public eye. In Agra, it’s the other way around. Bears are grouped by age, by sex – to avoid reproduction – or even by affinity. There are dark dens where they can hide. And the parks dedication to the youngest bears is huge! All have hammocks, wooden structures and many enriching activities which are renewed every day…

Protecting sloth bears

High walls prevent intruders. Poaching is still important issue and it is crucial to ensure the peace of those bears that have already suffered so much. Everywhere, trees and bushes provide living conditions in semi-freedom close to ideal conditions. And if the bears cannot go out, the wild animals present on the site and around the area do not deprive them of it. Monkeys, birds, but also deer, do not hesitate to come and see the bears … Only the oldest bears are visible to the public, those in a zoo would probably be hidden. Their scarred faces can explain their history and raise awareness of the protection of sloth bears, a species classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Their pens are near the clinic to provide them the highest care and supervision that they require. Meanwhile younger bears are near to a river. Their enclosures are so large and densely landscaped that it is almost impossible to observe them. Not having been tainted by humans, their shyness is still respected…

You can help us give these bears a peaceful retirement by sponsoring one of them! By choosing Kamli, Jasmine or Rocky, you will regularly receive news and photos and enable the Agra sanctuary to continue to guarantee their happiness and safety.

Photos: Didier Pazery/One Voice