News Archive - Page 125 of 153

Fake fur will be a big hit in Shanghai!

Fake fur will be a big hit in Shanghai!
19.05.2018
Shangai
Fake fur will be a big hit in Shanghai!
Fashion

A fashion show, an exhibition, a gala to put fake fur in the spotlight, this is what One Voice’s partner ACTAsia is organizing as part of its participation in the Fur Free Alliance. China is the largest exporter of real fur in the world. This event is crucial in changing the mentalities under way in the China.

One Voice has been fighting for years against the fur industry, which exploits and kills mink, foxes, chinchillas and rabbits, in excruciating conditions, for their beautiful coat which is soft or warm. These animals are considered by the industry as raw materials, while they are all without exception sentient beings, with needs that have nothing to do with what humanity has in store for them.

One Voice is the French representative of the Fur Free Alliance (FFA), an international coalition of grassroots associations, fighting the fur trade, and brands selling it. This coalition is well known because it assigns the label Fur Free Retailer (FFR) to brands, groups and designers who have stopped using this material derived from the cruelty of animals. The Fur Free Alliance, like One Voice, is looking for solutions and changes in mentalities, in parallel with a dynamic fight against animal suffering.

Among the last « names » of which the FFA has awarded its label to: Versace, Mickael Kors, Gucci, The North Face. In France, the designer Franck Sorbier and La Redoute who produce ready-to-wear have also received the FFR label.

This year, the Chinese representative for the Fur Free Alliance, ACTAsia – with whom One Voice has collaborated with for ten years to help fund actions towards animal empathy within the education criteria of Chinese schools – organize events like no other, to highlight fake fur as beautiful, warm and as soft as the real thing, which is also upheld by the renowned fashion designers. Textile innovations will also be honoured.

These new materials, presenting concrete alternatives to animal exploitation, are derived from recycling, in order to promote sustainable fashion, which really reduces its impact on the planet in terms of waste and pollution. The reflection goes even further; the materials produced and presented will have been designed taking into account human well-being as well, with the guarantee that the workers will not have been exploited.

From May 23rd to May 25th in Shanghai, there will be a gala, a fashion show, an exhibition and a forum, in cooperation with the London College of Fashion.

Celebrities will come from all over the world. The star dancer Sophie Guillem will be one of the French stars to carry the voice of animals to the general public in China against the cruelty of animal breeding for their coats.

There is no reason to wear fur today: the fur industry is cruel and polluting, current technologies enables you to wear warm clothes made from other materials, and if the aesthetics of the coat still pleases all the same, then fake fur is now as beautiful as the real thing.

ACTAsia 2018 Sustainable Fashion report

FAADA’s fight for Dumba

FAADA’s fight for Dumba
18.05.2018
France
FAADA’s fight for Dumba
Exploitation for shows

Dumba is a 41-year-old Asian elephant. She was captured when very small. Her life? To be rented out to circuses around the world and to audio-visual companies.

Our partner in several European and international coalitions, the FAADA association, has been fighting for many years to have her taken out of this situation.

Because when Dumba is not subject to transportation or training, she is forced to live in a tiny garden in Catalonia, totally under-sized for her, without any enrichment or stimulation, and her movements limited by an electrified fence.

In 2014, the authorities concerned, the Generalitat and the Town Hall of Caldes de Montbui gave the « owners » of Dumba six months to bring the facilities up to standard. Four years later, this has still not been followed up, and no sanction has been taken either!

The story of Dumba looks like Maya’s. The same as us for Mia, FAADA demands that Dumba be transferred to a sanctuary as well!

Elephants should be able to walk in groups, as they are when in the wild, several tens of kilometres a day, and be protected, away from any human presence. Please sign the petition!

#FreeDumba

No, Emagny’s mink farm has not yet closed and they still want to expand!

No, Emagny’s mink farm has not yet closed and they still want to expand!
18.05.2018
Emagny
No, Emagny’s mink farm has not yet closed and they still want to expand!
Fashion

Emagny’s mink farm filed an appeal after its expansion project was refused. We will intervene at the Administrative Tribunal to support the prohibition order and complain of ill-treatment. This farm must not expand, it must close!

Admittedly, their enlargement was refused by a prefectural decree, but the mink farm of Emagny filed an appeal to have it annulled. All has not been played out yet, so do not shout out victory too soon. In this case, mink still needs us.

One Voice will therefore intervene at the hearing of the Administrative Court of Besançon, to support the refusal of the prefect of Doubs and bring to them all of our strength and experience in this type of case. As in the case of the current procedure, which sees us opposing the breeding at Montarlot, we will make every effort to block this expansion.

It is inconceivable that mink continue to suffer and die for their fur. Our investigation, unveiled in early 2017, shows the hidden horrors of the luxury mink trade. If the breeder succeeds the number of sacrificed individuals would increase to 18,200 in this place of misery.

We do not stop here!

Not only do we refuse to allow Emagny’s breeding farm to expand, but we demand that it be closed. We have already fought the breeder, a persistent offender, responsible for breeding in the past, so we know how far his contempt for the basics of the regulations goes. The poor mink suffers terribly throughout their short lives, and even the environment bears the marks from this.

A cage of just a few cubic decimetres of living space is a torture for these sentient beings. Those who dream of the wide-open spaces and swimming alone, spend their time frantically circling each other … This stereotypical behaviour shows the extreme stress brought upon them by captivity and such scandalous living conditions. More than anything today, they need our voice to defend them! For them, so that finally their suffering ends, we have filed a complaint for ill-treatment.

Sign our petition to end fur breeding in France. These abominable places must be closed, we must be pitiless against the fur industry! And to be able to make educated purchases, discover our ethical fashion labels.

Inouk, the eternal second placed

Inouk, the eternal second placed
17.05.2018
Inouk, the eternal second placed

Inouk has lived all his life in the shadow of his family, between tragedies and separations. He gnawed on the sides on the pool to such an extent that the pulp of its teeth was exposed, his teeth therefore having to be removed!

Inouk is a male Orca born February 23rd, 1999 in the Marine land pools. His mother was Sharkane and his father Kim 2. Recently, one celebrated his birthday at the park. While the trainers hopped with laughter in front of the camera, it is in a slow morbid way that one saw it approaching, this grotesque cake that was offered for this event.

It is this, that at the end of 19 years of captivity, this male with an underdeveloped dorsal fin has little reason to rejoice: his life was only a series of tragedies and separations. And today he reaches the perilous age where his half-brother died.

The first tragedy occurred when he was barely four years old. His big sister Shouka, whom he adored, was abducted from his family to go to the United States. Heartbroken, Inouk listened to Sharkan’s calls for days while missing his daughter. He heard a few meters away from him his father Kim 2 dying, also broken by the departure of Shouka, then his mother, devoured by an infection.

Previously, Inouk had the uncommon task for male killer whale. While Sharkane was giving birth to Wikie, Freya, the second adult in the pool, should have helped her. But there was such tension between the two Orcas that Freya stayed away. So, it was the tiny Inouk who served as « godmother » to his sister Wikie and helped bring her to the surface to breathe for the first time. It is said of Inouk that he is calm and kind. After Shouka’s departure, however, he began to slap his skull on the edge of the pool, like his brother Valentin.

And when his mother died, he lost rank and protection. From now on forever second placed, he began to gnaw the concrete of the pool and to chew the rubber joints of the windows by sheer boredom, damaging the teeth right down to the pulp. Today, Inouk is an adult. This big fellow has neither companion nor neighbour nor any female from any other clan that he can woo. Around him, there are only members of the immediate family, with the exception of Aunt Freya who adopted him when he was an orphan. One moment they talked about selling him in Valencia, Spain, with his brother, and then the idea was abandoned. So, Wikie from now on bites this unwelcome brother, sometimes with rage, because she has been seeking favours for years, although incest is prohibited in wild Orcas. Most often, before the show, Inouk is placed in a pool separate from her. Violent fights seem to have exploded just after the flood of 2015 and the death of Valentin, who has, by force of circumstances, allowed little Inouk out from the shadows. But to go to which life?

Lolita Lempicka certified by One Voice, a new brand that is guaranteed cruelty free!

Lolita Lempicka certified by One Voice, a new brand that is guaranteed cruelty free!
16.05.2018
Monde
Lolita Lempicka certified by One Voice, a new brand that is guaranteed cruelty free!
Animal testing

Lolita Lempicka has just obtained the One Voice label, guaranteeing the total absence of any animal experimentation that were used in the making of her products, from the ingredients to the finished product … And to easily find the current product range from cosmetics to fashion items that have been made cruelty free, visit our new website which is dedicated to these labels!

For the first ten years of this label, free from cruelty, One Voice is very happy to announce this new labelling for Lolita Lempicka!

The brand of the designers – vegan for many years, and deeply committed to animals – joins the six brands whose entire ranges are already labelled: Altearah, Animaderm, Ashana.B, The Green Tree « well-being », Kadalys, The Canopy and Pur Eden; as well as the many other brands of which many products have obtained our label (Le Petit Olivier, Melvita, Coslys, Etamine du Lys …).

Lolita Lempicka’s team has worked since 2017, hand in hand with us, for the brand to meet the criteria of the comprehensive charter that we have established. During this certification, all of its subcontractors played the game of the humane guarantee. Some products have even been reformulated so that the brand now only offers 100% vegan products!

A label in the image of One Voice

For twenty years, the fight of One Voice against animal exploitation and cruelty in all its forms, is also done by proposing solutions. At the heart of its action: working for a world finally delivered from violence, by promoting the voice of animals, humans and the planet resonate together. Its label « not tested on animals » makes no concessions. It guarantees the absence of tests on both the finished product and its ingredients.

In its variants, other criteria are integrated: biological and / or vegan. And for absolute transparency vis-à-vis the « consumers », firstly we also have a logo ensuring the absence of the forced labour of monkeys for the harvesting of coconuts, and secondly the absence of exportation to China, who imposes testing on animals for their commercial market.

The guarantee of our One Voice label is therefore exhaustive: complete traceability, from subcontractors to the export markets. Ethical from start to finish!

A website dedicated to informed purchases

On our dedicated website you will find a wide range of guaranteed products not tested on animals thanks to our label One Voice, but also for an ethical fashion choice, thanks to the labels FFR and Animal Free that we have developed in France!

For informed purchases, choose labelled!

NB: Lolita Lempicka products are new to being introduced, but you can already trust them!

In response to the rumours about the upcoming release of Maya

In response to the rumours about the upcoming release of Maya
14.05.2018
France
In response to the rumours about the upcoming release of Maya
Exploitation for shows

After all the legal actions, rallies, … that have been found in the forum written by Corine Pelluchon, we have had information since the end of April, which we chose not to divulge so as not to compromise the future of Maya.

We must wait, we are aware that it is long. Unfortunately, the release of Maya is absolutely not certain. We commit ourselves with the support of the signatories from the forum, to do everything possible to ensure that the circus respects the law in the shortest possible time.

If Maya were to be released too late or worse to die in the coming weeks, she alone would symbolise all of the country’s failures, with regard to animals. The law is not being enforced.

Rest assured we continue to work with all our might to get Maya transferred as soon as possible away from the circus. Other actions are planned.

Please continue to sign and share the petition!

#JusticePourMaya

One Voice organizes in early June the French premiere of the award-winning documentary film: Kangaroo a love-hate story

One Voice organizes in early June the French premiere of the award-winning documentary film: Kangaroo a love-hate story
14.05.2018
Paris
One Voice organizes in early June the French premiere of the award-winning documentary film: Kangaroo a love-hate story
Wildlife

The One Voice association is organizing the French premiere of the multi-award-winning documentary film « KANGAROO A Love-Hate Story » on June 5^th2018 at 8 pm at the cinema « Les Cinq Caumartin » in Paris. The screening, in the presence of the directors, will be followed by a discussion with them. The next day, a second screening, in the same format, is organized in Strasbourg, at the cinema « Star ».

The documentary by Kate McIntyre Clere and Mick McIntyre, KANGAROO, is an unprecedented film, revealing the truth of Australia’s ambivalent relationship of love and hatred towards her beloved icon. The image of the kangaroo is proudly displayed and used by major Australian companies, sports teams, and as a souvenir gift for tourists. Yet, as they cross the vast continent with great leaps, they are considered as pests and only fit for slaughter then sold to the highest bidder.

Europe is the largest importer of kangaroo meat and skin in the world. The documentary presents evidence on the consequences of the purchase by Europeans of products from kangaroos, considered in this case as a resource, which is also serious.

To alert the French public about this dramatic slaughter suffered by the kangaroo population on the Australian mainland, One Voice is organizing two screenings of the award-winning documentary, in the presence of the two directors, followed by a debate on the questions they have raised.

The French première will take place on June 5^that the cinema « Les Cinq Caumartin » in Paris. The second evening will take place in Strasbourg, at the cinema « Star » on June 6^th. The film will be broadcast at 8.00pm, in the Original Version and subtitled in French (VOSTFR).

Useful information:

The director and director, Kate McIntyre Clere and Mick McIntyre, will be available for interviews on June 5 in Paris by appointment, and the rest of the time by email, phone or skype.

Professor Peter Singer, author of the acclaimed book Animal Liberation, who speaks in the film, has also agreed to make himself available for interviews in France.

Places are priced at € 10 and will be on sale on the spot the same evening.

Online presale is also possible for the evening in Paris and Strasbourg.

Website of the film

Location, date and time of each evening:

Tuesday, June 5^that 8.00pm, Cinema The 5 Caumartin,

101 Rue Saint-Lazare, 75009 Paris

Wednesday, June 6 at 8.00pm, Cinema Star

27 rue du jeu des enfants, 67000 Strasbourg

English press kit

The world according to crows

The world according to crows
11.05.2018
Monde
The world according to crows
Wildlife

To many, crows are ominous birds, a pest that is hunted all year round. But in fact, crows are one of the world’s most intelligent species, boasting a more advanced cognitive ability than the great apes. These corvids that we see all around our towns can speak, can plan, can use tools, can remember and have their own cultures in their peaceful and well-balanced communities. These qualities have allowed them to effectively adapt themselves to human presence. A day in the life of these ordinary crows…

Home

The two crows fly over the town rapidly flapping their wings. Suburbs pass beneath them with roads and deserted lanes, cars parked in lines along the streets, and bins out in front of the houses, as they always are on this day of the week. They know the precise time and date of the rubbish collection, but they don’t need to stop: they have found what they are looking for. The black bird’s beaks are loaded with objects as they fly back from the council tip. On the horizon, removed from the grey ocean of human construction, lies an oasis of greenery. The park comes into view, with its central lake and the giant plane tree perched on its banks: the crow’s home.

The couple

The father to be returns from his expedition with two fine pink metal hangars. He likes them because of their colour and the way they shine. He pulls at the metal a bit so that it provides a better support for the old twig nest where so many children have come into the world. His partner is in charge of organising the interior. She moulds the walls out of dead leaves, bits of fabric, wadding and warm hair, which will protect her youngsters from any sudden drop in temperature. Better to prepare for risks, in a changeable climate.

The mother to be plunges towards the ground. She circles around a donkey grazing in her enclosure, then lands on her back and snatches a tuft of her hair. The donkey snorts in contempt, but the crow is already back at the top of the plane tree.

The three or four little blue and brown speckled eggs that she will lay will hatch into much loved adorable fluffy bundles. She and her partner will be devoted parents. Fortunately for them, they have both survived and nestled together for many tender years. Bringing up their children together means not only feeding them, but also a long period of education, as there is a lot to learn if they are to get by in this human world.

The family

This year, their eldest son is staying nearby to help. His two sisters have already flown off with a group of adolescents. All day long, the youngsters mess about and get to know each other in rowdy groups where these two girls will eventually find their partner. They are at first greeted by the intrepid males with head-butts before the males parade in front of them in a serious of crazy dares: undertaking near suicidal dives, chasing cars or sliding along snowy roofs with a yoghurt pot as a sledge. They entertain themselves like this all year round, until life couples form and they leave to start their own family.

The old man’s face

The days are getting milder and the ducklings are already following their mothers around. Humans come regularly to throw bread for them. An old man walks slowly down the path. The birds are familiar with his face, despite the time that has gone by. He feeds the ducks and other birds having returned after over a year of absence. Today he is back, with a cane and a new hat.

Happily cawing, the crows greet him before jumping from their branch and sitting next to him, forcing the pigeons to spread apart. The man throws chunks of raisin bread. Delicious! The couple’s son grabs a big piece and hides it further away, saving it for later.

Out of the corner of his eye, he notices that his father has seen. No problem: Pretending to gather leaves over his little treasure, he waits until his father looks away and quickly takes the bread and hides it under a privet grove. The family don’t like to share.

The tree that talks

Suddenly, cries can be heard coming from the side of the busy road that noisily borders the park. A crow has been hit by a car and her body thrown onto the verge. The corvids all take off and fly to the scene, perching at the top of a budding maple tree. The couple are among them, and are joined by others from a neighbouring park. Most of them come in pairs, including several of the couple’s children, who have since become parents. They greet each other in the powerful community dialect, but the family quickly reverts to softer tones, their own language. Everyone being black from beak to toe, the caw is the first distinguishing feature.

Yet, even though she will never talk again, the elder’s body is recognised by all. She was one of the oldest females in the park. At twenty years of age, her feathers had become shaggy and dirty and two of her left toes were infected. Everyone knew that she would die one day soon. But even so…

The meaning of death

The elder crow was a much appreciated member of the community, a matriarch of high standing who was esteemed for her forewarning, indicating the approach of a cat, a falcon, or budgerigars entering their trees in a particular tone. Seeing her dead provokes much reflection and the accident is discussed. It will be a long time before any crow will sit on that pavement there, for sure.

Little by little, the gossip comes to an end. Silence falls in the big tree heaving with black birds. Emotional, and with hearts full of memories, they each contemplate the corpse lying on the side of the pavement, under the dead leaves placed over her by companion, her partner until the end. What a mystery death is! Much sadness… But life calls, nests must be repaired, food needs to be found, children need to be educated. So everyone takes off in a black cloud doing a final circle overhead, one last goodbye…

References:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/06…
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/1026/CSI-cro…
http://www.lapresse.ca/sciences/decouvertes/201106…

Marine sanctuaries under study: for a decent retreat of captive cetaceans

Marine sanctuaries under study: for a decent retreat of captive cetaceans
09.05.2018
Canada
Marine sanctuaries under study: for a decent retreat of captive cetaceans

Last October, the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s biennial conference was held in Halifax, Canada. Doctor Pierre Gallego, marine biology veterinarian, participated for One Voice in the cetacean sanctuary working group. Three particularly advanced projects stand out for a better future for captive marine mammals.

The future of captive cetaceans in question

What are the prospects after deprivation of liberty and torture? What are the alternatives to offer to cetaceans currently prisoners and who are unable to adapt to the wildlife? These issues that concern us arise on an international scale. Other countries also want to end once and for all this slavery of marine mammals. Many experts are working to create sanctuaries to welcome them.

One Voice in Halifax

On October 28th and 29th, Doctor Pierre Gallego, marine mammal veterinarian, participated for One Voice in the Working Group on Cetacean Sanctuaries held in Halifax, Canada. This workshop, which took place as part of the biennial conference of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM), brought together leading conservation experts. They were able to reflect together and share information, especially about three ambitious projects.

Three marine sanctuaries for cetaceans well underway

The Whale Sanctuary Project (WSP) was introduced by Doctor Lori Marino, a specialist in neurobiology and cetacean behaviour, with whom One Voice often works. This sanctuary will serve both as a retreat for Orcas and belugas from captivity, and as a centre of intervention for potential stranding’s, ensuring of course a complete separation between ex-captives and animals to be rehabilitated in order to avoid any risk of contagion. The choice of the final site is not yet finalized but several potentially suitable areas are being studied along the US and Canadian coastlines.
The Baltimore National Dolphin Sanctuary, initiated by the Baltimore National Aquarium, is designed to accommodate the 8 dolphins from this American aquarium in a natural environment and much larger than their current pools. It should also accommodate 12 additional dolphins. This sanctuary, which will probably be located in the Florida Keys or the Caribbean, will also have the task of treating stranded individuals with, again, all the necessary health precautions.
The Beluga Sanctuary Project consists of the organization Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) and Merlin Entertainment, they are intending to house beluga whales from a recent Chinese water park acquired by the operator Merlin. The location of this sanctuary remains to be determined, perhaps in Icelandic waters. Once the site is established, it can also collect belugas from other institutions.

One Voice more than ever mobilized for the release of captive cetaceans

One Voice is delighted by these constructive exchanges between specialists and the progress of these three projects. We are working to ensure that they take shape quickly and become the future for cetaceans that are currently captive in France. After having suffered so much, they finally have the right to a peaceful retreat in an environment close to their natural environment … The sea!

Wikie, the little ball of anger

Wikie, the little ball of anger
07.05.2018
Antibes
Wikie, the little ball of anger
Exploitation for shows

Wikie began life separated from her mother, was inseminated by force and gave birth at the age of 8, while Orcas in the wild give birth at around the age of 15. Thereafter, she bore an infant from incest, and then turned into a raging ball of anger attacking humans. The deaths of her relatives seem to have extinguished her. Weary of war, she repeats henceforth as a Dictaphone the words that scientists have had fun teaching her.

Wikie was born at Marineland Antibes on June 1st, 2001. She was the first Orca to be born in the new Orca pool, Sharkane and Kim 2, barely two years after Inouk. She spent the first eighteen months of her life in a side pool next to her mother, a rather confined start in life.

At 8, the gentle little Wikie became increasingly angry. She assaulted her trainer and dragged her underwater during an incident that could have been fatal.

She rebelled again and again but at the end of these « waterworks », these executed movements in the water by the killer whale and her trainer, she did not allow herself to direct her anger towards humans.

That year, in 2009, Wikie had just been inseminated.

Her trainers had her lying on her back and holding her still. They then plunged a large rubber tube into her vagina through the cervix. A miniature camera was attached to it. Then, the thawed sperm was injected directly into the uterus. They even entered the uterine horn with the camera to ensure that ovulation was in progress. The process is painful and rarely successful. It must be repeated. It was new, and Wikie was the first killer whale in Europe to become pregnant in this way and to be able to keep the child.

« It takes months to train an Orca to calmly accept artificial insemination, » Jon Kershaw told the press cheerfully, « A dose of 2 million sperm is usually injected into the female’s vagina to make her pregnant. In the case of Wikie no less than 4 doses had to be injected into her ovaries.

Not easy, indeed, to remain calm during these humiliating sessions, and even less to see an infant come out of her body of which she has never known the father! Especially since Wikie was very young at the time, barely 8 years old, whereas the Orcas in the wild rarely breed before 14 or 15 years old, with one child every 3 to 5 years. Wikie, she gave birth to Keijo less than two years later, with her half-brother or brother, we do not know exactly. In any case, with one of them. And among Orcas in the wild, this is something that is not done: incest is prohibited. But promiscuity and lack of partners push captive Orcas to the most abnormal behaviours.

So yes, she is angry Wikie, even if she no longer attacks her trainers and carers.

The endless agony of Freya, her adoptive mother, the flood of 2015 engulfing the great pool with muddy water with its oily reflection, and finally the brutal death Valentin at 19, still unexplained, all this seems to have been snuffed out.

So, it is without doubt to distract her that a « researcher” came to teach her to repeat English words, as John Lilly had done with Peter the dolphin back in 1965. Much was made of this experience in the press, which was not exceptional, given the highly sophisticated social cultures, dialects, and hunting techniques of free Orcas.

But about this, we do not speak. The Orca remains in the collective imagination a somewhat stupid animal, repeating the sounds without understanding them as a Dictaphone. The intelligence of cetaceans is the first secret of a dolphinaria. And their suffering, the second.