News Archive - Page 13 of 127

Stray dog culling campaign in the Haute-Vienne department, One Voice attacks the decree

Stray dog culling campaign in the Haute-Vienne department, One Voice attacks the decree
03.06.2024
Stray dog culling campaign in the Haute-Vienne department, One Voice attacks the decree
Zoe Cell

Is the killing of stray dogs becoming the new “national sport” in France? Less than two months after the Aveyron prefecture’s decision to authorize lieutenants of louveterie and pests to kill stray dogs approaching flocks, the Haute-Vienne department has decided to do the same in the villages of Saint-Paul and Saint-Genest-sur-Roselle. We have just lodged an application with the Limoges administrative court for urgent suspension of this decree.

From “destruction” to “neutralization”, different names, same objective

While the Aveyron prefecture clearly referred to the “destruction of stray, wandering or evil dogs”, the Haute-Vienne prefecture prefers the term “neutralization of stray dogs”. A more polished name, which might suggest a different purpose… However, once again, it’s a question of slaughter.

What’s new: this time, the decree is in force “until further notice” and with no specific timetable. Lost or abandoned dogs, or dogs walking more than 100 meters from their families and approaching flocks, can therefore be shot at – even in the middle of the day! So much for human safety…

Dogs or wolves, the gun at the end of the road

The farming and hunting lobbies are no longer satisfied with being allowed to kill several hundred wolves a year. In the Haute-Vienne department in early May, the Coordination Rurale trade union even threatened to resort to poaching: “Prefect, please act quickly, or we’ll get organized”. French anti-wolf/pro-ranching politicians are bending over backwards to pander to their electorate, now issuing permits to kill dogs.

Train farmers to implement protection measures effectively and efficiently? Make the protection of all farm animals compulsory and subsidize it? Use non-lethal methods to capture and rescue dogs who were abandoned on the eve of the vacations? Why would the State bother to protect sheep, cows and horses destined for the slaughterhouse when it can simply have wolves and dogs killed?

As we did with the decree issued by the Aveyron prefecture, we’re attacking the Haute-Vienne decree to protect dogs. And we are keeping up the fight for wolves, victims of shooting all year round. Join us and sign our petition!

Inauguration of the Chatipi at Cadillac Hospital Center on Friday, June 14, 2024

Inauguration of the Chatipi at Cadillac Hospital Center on Friday, June 14, 2024
02.06.2024
Inauguration of the Chatipi at Cadillac Hospital Center on Friday, June 14, 2024
Zoe Cell
Press release

One Voice, which has been fighting feline straying for many years, has set up three-way partnerships with municipalities or lively facilities, and local associations, to identify, sterilize and release homeless cats, providing them with a wooden chalet for hydration, food and shelter. The Chatipi program enables cats without a human family to reduce the suffering associated with their wandering.

To achieve this, the Cadillac Hospital Center in Gironde contacted One Voice.

The inauguration will take place at 11:30 a.m., in the presence of Mr. Luc Durand, Director of the Hospital Center, Dr. Nathalie Messer, President of the Establishment medical commission, and Mrs. Pascale Chevalier, Secretary-general of One Voice.

Chatipi, a lasting solution to the vicious circle of feline straying

Chatipi is not a cottage. It’s an ethically-driven plan designed to create spaces for stray cats in order to help them, while raising public awareness of their distress and needs.

Several Chatipis have already been set up near nursing homes, health centers and hospitals to provide comfort to residents. It was with this in mind that the Cadillac Hospital Center contacted One Voice. Since 2015, the structure has regularly carried out sterilization campaigns on its premises. While some cats have been able to be placed in families, several have died as a result of their precarious living conditions, despite the good care and food provided by hospital staff.

Indeed, life outdoors remains a painful experience for our feline companions, who fall ill far more often than those living with families, have to cope with the cold and bad weather, and sometimes even with human malevolence.

Without premises, it was difficult for the volunteers to centralize the cats, monitor their health and feed them. This is where Chatipi comes into its own.

Distribution of tasks and responsibilities

At present, around ten cats are still living on the hospital grounds.

One Voice, which invented the Chatipi concept, supplies the chalet and cat flaps, and pays for several kilos of kibble and veterinary expenses (sterilizations, identifications, tests) for 12 cats at the start of the project, as well as for the educational panel.

For its part, the Hospital Center laid the concrete slab and proceeded to assemble the chalet and decorate it in the form of activities with its patients.

For many years, the center’s staff have been responsible for feeding, trapping and transporting the cats to the veterinary clinic for treatment and sterilization.

Cats as a means of soothing patients

To soothe and enhance patients’ skills, the hospital has developed a number of projects involving animals. They were involved in setting up the chalet and feeding the animals. Patients in the ergotherapy workshop enthusiastically created crates to serve as shelters. They also made a CHATIPI wooden sign, which now hangs at the entrance to the chalet. Other patients from the FALRET unit created scratching posts. Other projects will gradually be proposed to patients.

The One Voice website dedicated to the Chatipi program provides a wealth of information about this educational program about cats.

Sign our petition calling for an emergency plan on feline straying.

To defend wolves, FNE Ain and One Voice appeal to the administrative judge in Lyon on June 10

To defend wolves, FNE Ain and One Voice appeal to the administrative judge in Lyon on June 10
02.06.2024
To defend wolves, FNE Ain and One Voice appeal to the administrative judge in Lyon on June 10
Wildlife

In the Ain department, where wolves have only just re-established themselves, a few months ago, a birth was observed for the first time in 100 years! Instead of rejoicing in the return of this species, so important for biodiversity, the prefecture is starting to hand out permits to kill. A decree issued on May 6 authorizes the farmers from one farm to shoot wolves. Before this, unsurprisingly, nothing had been done to protect the herd in question. Electric parks have since been installed, but not efficiently. This is why we have decided, alongside our partner FNE Ain, to lodge an appeal to request the urgent suspension of the decree. An initial hearing has been set for June 10 at 10:30 am at the Lyon Administrative Court.

Update as of June 5, 16:25: Victory by forfeit for FNE Ain and One Voice!

The contested decree has been repealed by the prefecture, even before the hearing scheduled for June 10!

We are continuing to fight for a total halt to wolf shooting. In the meantime, the State has a duty to comply with regulations, and cannot hand out shooting permits when flocks are not properly protected.

We remain vigilant to ensure that a new decree is not published in the coming weeks.

Fewer wolves, but still more shooting

As we learned last week, the wolf population has fallen by 9% in one year, from 1,096 in 2022 to 1,003 in 2023. This is hardly surprising, given that the slaughter quota increases year after year. Although this species is strictly protected, it can be the subject of numerous derogations, authorizing its killing throughout the year, even during the breeding and cub-rearing periods.

Effective protection : a sine qua non

On the farm in question, electric fencing has been installed. But the photographs in our possession show a completely different reality: on some plots, the fences are not fitted with electricity; while on others, if they are on, they are in places badly stretched, inclined or lying on the ground. An animal as agile as a wolf will have no difficulty in jumping or slipping through. And yet, to benefit from a shooting authorization, farmers must have installed effective and proportionate protection measures. This is clearly not the case here. In the press, the people concerned are shouting loud and clear that they don’t want to cohabit with wolves.

On June 10, we will be present at the Lyon administrative court to defend the wolves alongside FNE Ain and request the emergency suspension of this decree, pending its definitive annulment. Join our fight and sign our petition to demand real protection for wolves.

Animal experimentation: guinea pigs killed to manufacture homeopathy, the State condemned to transparency!

Animal experimentation: guinea pigs killed to manufacture homeopathy, the State condemned to transparency!
31.05.2024
Animal experimentation: guinea pigs killed to manufacture homeopathy, the State condemned to transparency!
Animal testing

Sugared pills infused with guinea pig lungs? We couldn’t let this project, considered by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research as animal experimentation, pass without knowing more. Faced with the authorities’ reluctance to provide us with documents that were supposed to be public as soon as 2022 when we requested them, we won our case before the Paris Administrative Court.

After a hearing on May 16, 2024 and a two-week wait, the Paris Administrative Court ruled in our favor. We now look forward to the prompt communication of all data in its possession!

Killing guinea pigs to manufacture homeopathy

94 guinea pigs are involved in this project. First, they are tied on their backs by their legs. They then undergo an injection into the abdominal cavity, followed by an intravenous injection. Then their necks are broken to remove their lungs. All to produce homeopathic treatments.

As always when it comes to animal experimentation, the authorities refuse to be transparent. To obtain the precise files submitted for this experiment and the opinion of the ethics committee, we were forced to take legal action.

One Voice, a real counterweight according to the government commissioner

“I’d like to pay tribute to the One Voice association, whose work is truly of public interest and a real counterweight.” These were the words with which the government commissioner for the Paris Administrative Court began reading her conclusions on May 16.

The Ministry argued that we should have made do with the minimal data available online. The court rejected this argument, pointing out that the information available to the public is far from complete. From now on, the State has three months to send us all its data!

Another victory, a few weeks after INSERM was condemned to hand over the forced-swimming images of rats and mice, after a pitiful attempt to argue that automatic camera recordings should be considered artistic and covered by copyright.

More and more companies are abandoning these practices, and three quarters of French people are opposed to animal experimentation. Despite this, dozens of similar projects are authorized every day. So join us in calling for an end to these outdated methods, and write to the Minister:

Download the standard letter

Updated on June 2, 2024 at 9:15 pm with the addition of a link to the project under attack.

Val d’Oise: fox massacre in 75 villages, we go to court

Val d’Oise: fox massacre in 75 villages, we go to court
29.05.2024
Val d’Oise: fox massacre in 75 villages, we go to court
Hunting

The lieutenants of louveterie and pests in Val-d’Oise can rub their hands: at the end of April, the prefect authorized them to kill an unlimited number of foxes in almost 75 villages. The reasons given? To protect pheasants and gray partridges… bred in captivity to die under hunter fire. To add insult to injury, the decree was published several days after it came into force, which is of course forbidden! Even if this won’t bring the killed foxes back to life, we are attacking this decree and denouncing this intolerable scheme.

A relentless assault on foxes everywhere

To please the hunters, in the Val-d’Oise department, the hunting season is longer for foxes than for other species: from June to February, that’s nine months instead of six! Then there are traps of all kinds, veritable torture tools authorized under the Ministry of Ecology’s “ESOD” classification, which we have challenged at the Conseil d’État. And underground hunting, which lasts several hours and leaves cornered animals no chance.

A scheme to circumvent the law and allow the killing of red foxes

As if that weren’t enough, the prefect ordered the lieutenants of louveterie and pests – a kind of chief hunter under the authority of the State – to shoot an unlimited number of foxes at night in 75 villages of the department for almost three weeks. A hecatomb when the fox cubs have just been born. And to ensure that no one could take the matter to court in time, the State representative took care to sign his decree on April 29 and publish it on the 30th, for operations starting… on the 24th!

A scheme to replace foxes and hunt pheasants and partridges.

How can such massacres be justified? If pheasants and partridges are endangered, then they should be protected from hunters! A few months ago, judges in Dijon dismissed these fallacious arguments out of hand, and annulled beats ordered in the Nièvre department. Today, we are taking these three decisions, whose illegality is beyond doubt, to the administrative court in Cergy-Pontoise.

To speak up for the foxes, sign our petitions against the relentlessness of which they are victims, and for a radical reform of hunting!

Monkeys used in laboratories infected with tuberculosis? We call on the authorities!

Monkeys used in laboratories infected with tuberculosis? We call on the authorities!
27.05.2024
Monkeys used in laboratories infected with tuberculosis? We call on the authorities!
Animal testing

According to information gathered by our international collective, made up of Abolición Vivisección, Action for Primates, Cheshire Animal Rights Campaigns, Monkey Massacre in Mauritius, One Voice and PeTA, in April 2023, France alerted the Dutch authorities to a case of tuberculosis in a monkey imported into Europe via the Netherlands. Several dozen macaques subsequently tested positive… In addition to the health risks this situation poses for humans, it illustrates once again the terrible fate of animals exploited in experimentation centers. We formally call on the authorities to shed full light on the risk of the disease spreading!

In France, how many macaques are contaminated by tuberculosis in laboratories?

Every year, almost 10,000 individuals are shipped from Mauritius to be exploited in centers from which they will never leave. From capture to death, their lives are a living hell, as we showed in our investigation of the island’s breeding farms, which are partly financed with public money. At the end of 2023, a Mauritian farm won a CNRS invitation to tender for no less than 10 million euros.

Disastrous living conditions are compounded by disease. We alerted public opinion to the tuberculosis epidemic – which had spread as far as Michigan (USA) in the Charles River laboratories and was rampant in the Mauritian breeding farm BioCulture Ltd, leading to mass slaughtering of up to 200 animals a day. These inhumane practices failed to halt the spread of the bacterium – quite the contrary.

In April 2023, the French government sent a report to the NVWA (Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) on a tuberculosis infection in macaques. Tests subsequently confirmed that several dozen macaques were infected…

Suffering for monkeys … and tuberculosis for humans?

The risk of a domino effect is high, as the disease is extremely contagious and can be transmitted from animals to humans. All this is facilitated by overcrowded conditions that encourage contamination. We have contacted the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Research to obtain full information on the current state of the disease. Over and above what the monkeys are suffering in the laboratories, public health is at stake!

At a time when more than 8 out of 10 French people are in favor of developing alternatives to animal experimentation (IPSOS/One Voice poll, April 2023), help us say stop to the import, trade and use of long-tailed macaques in French laboratories by signing our petition!

Two hearings in Besançon and Toulon to defend wolves against shooting

Two hearings in Besançon and Toulon to defend wolves against shooting
25.05.2024
Two hearings in Besançon and Toulon to defend wolves against shooting
Wildlife

Faced with the growing persecution of wolves, whose population has fallen by 9% in 2023, we are taking drastic steps. At the end of 2022, the Doubs authorities gave the go-ahead for “simple defense shooting” of wolves. With our partners – FERUS and the Pôle Grands Prédateurs – we have asked for this text to be annulled. The hearing takes place on Tuesday May 28, at 10:45 am, at the Besançon administrative court. At the same time, we called, on our own (and without being heard), for an emergency suspension of “reinforced defense shootings” in the Var department. On Monday June 3, at 9:45 am, at the Toulon administrative court, the merits of the case will be debated.

Update June 24, 2024:

Third victory in a week for the wolves! Following on from the Besançon administrative court a few days ago, the Toulon administrative court ruled in our favor today, annulling a decree issued by the Var prefecture authorizing reinforced defense shots, granted in 2022.

The judge admitted that the herd was not protected in an effective and proportionate manner, and that the administration had not provided any proof of the contrary. Worse still: a “diagnosis of vulnerability to wolf predation” had been drawn up by an agent from the Mediterranean Alps pastoral studies and projects center (C.E.R.P.A.M) as early as 2021 (i.e. a year and a half before the shooting authorization was granted). The study recommended several angles for improvement, considered by the author to be essential for the defense of the herd.

The Prefect of the Var department has not provided any details as to why these measures were not taken, nor has he demonstrated that their implementation was impossible.

It’s high time that the State finally took responsibility by supporting and training breeders to protect their animals, instead of handing out shooting permits at will! Wolves are not an adjustment variable for the irresponsibility of some, or even their manifest incompetence.

Derogations from flock protection measures out of principle…..

Leaving sometimes young and vulnerable bovines unguarded, while at the same time handing out permits to shoot wolves? For the public authorities, this means less aid to pay to protect herds of cows, horses or donkeys… Why bother ensuring the safety of animals that will end up in the slaughterhouse anyway? Their breeders will just have to terrorize the wolves instead.

Because, in agreement with the State, it has chosen to consider bovine herds as unprotectable to kill wolves rather than seek peaceful solutions, we have, hand in hand with FERUS and the Pôle Grands Prédateurs, attacked the Doubs prefecture at the end of 2022.

….. and wolf kills granted with eyes closed

A month later, the Var authorities did no better, authorizing reinforced defense shootings with very flimsy justifications… The lack of verification is blatant, with the State contenting itself with farmers’ declarations rather than offering them training or support… The judges ruled that there was no urgency to suspend the shootings. We’ll be at the hearing this time to discuss the substance of the problem.

As if the State’s hostility to wolves wasn’t blatant enough in the new 2024-2029 action plan, and even though 7 out of 10 French people want derogations authorizing lethal shooting to be banned (Ipsos/One Voice poll, September 2023), a ministerial decree published a few weeks ago makes it even easier to slaughter these cousins of dogs, our lifelong companions. Together with Animal Cross and AVES, we have lodged an appeal with the French Conseil d’Etat to have the decree annulled.

On Tuesday May 28, at 10:45 am, we will be at the Besançon administrative court with our partners the Pôle Grands Prédateurs and FERUS to defend the wolves killed in the Doubs department, then on Monday June 3, at 9:45 am at the Toulon administrative court for those in the Var department.

Support our fight by signing our petition so that wolves are finally respected.

The daily atrocity: a new selection of animal experimentation projects in France

The daily atrocity: a new selection of animal experimentation projects in France
24.05.2024
The daily atrocity: a new selection of animal experimentation projects in France
Animal testing

As announced a few days ago, we’re continuing to present you with certain projects, all validated by the French Ministry of Research, involving the use of animals in experiments. Join us, write !

Every day in France, a multitude of animals are subjected to experiments. These projects may be linked to research (fundamental and applied), or to regulatory and toxicological testing.

Between May 13 and 22, 2024, in just ten days, the fate of 28,9493 animals was decided: 17,2134 mice, 89,021 rats, 9,000 bats, 4,698 fish (mainly eels and trouts), 1,965 pigs, 1,670 birds, 869 dogs, 196 horses, 178 rabbits, 174 goats, 106 llamas, 4 monkeys… After being used as laboratory equipment, they will almost all be euthanized.

No species is spared!

The dogs, the majority of whom are beagles and whose breeding farms in France we have repeatedly pointed the finger at, will be subjected to administration of products by gastric intubation, inflicting pain and vomiting, cerebrospinal fluid sampling or force-feeding for gastric juice extraction.

Pigs, or piglets, will undergo coelioscopies, kidney removal followed by the induction of a kidney disease resulting in severe pain, electrode implantation with simulation tests, multiple behavioral tests, or heavy surgeries with irradiation resulting in severe pain.

As for small herbivores, they are always the most affected: 17,2134 mice, 8,9021 rats, 1,480 hamsters, 7,200 guinea pigs and 75 gerbils… Unbelievable but true, the following list is only a selection – representative, of course, but not exhaustive – of published projects:

Exposure to alcohol by various means (free consumption, inhalation or injection) over periods ranging from eight weeks to one year. Rats will be isolated for the entire period and undergo surgical procedures to implant intracranial cannulas, as well as repeated intraperitoneal injections and electric shocks: 4,480 of them will suffer severe pain and be euthanized.
As part of the toxicity evaluation of a product, it will be administered to rodents to assess its effect on the reproductive system. Animals will undergo vaginal lavage prior to mating and alterations in mating behavior, difficulties with implantation, gestation, delivery, lactation, alterations in maternal behavior and adult sexual development as well as fetal and post-natal development of offspring: 14,840 mice and 59,624 rats will be used and euthanized at the end of the procedure ;
Mechanical wounding of the anorectal area. Mice will receive injections and acts of anorectal wounding (twice a week for two or four weeks) where the area will be scraped with a scalpel creating significant pain. Some will receive a transplant via an injection to the anorectal area: 3,424 mice will be used, some of them experiencing severe pain. All will be euthanized ;
Injection of West Nile virus, which can cause death in infected mice less than a week after infection due to neurological damage: 2,380 mice will suffer severe pain and will be euthanized ;
Injection of an immune disease. Animals will receive a maximum of 140 administrations. The appearance of necrosis at the injection site, weakness of the tail, paralysis of the limbs, weight loss and joint inflammation in the limbs can be observed: 2,940 rats will suffer severe pain and will be euthanized ;
Up to 336 administrations, 44 blood samples and numerous behavioral tests to study depression and anxiety: 9,400 mice and 7,200 rats will be used and euthanized at the end of the project ;
Induction of endometriosis and placement of an osmotic mini-pump with severe pain, stress and transient weight loss: 2,400 mice will experience severe pain and will be euthanized ;
Brain damage with epileptic seizures induction and transmitters installation: 2,605 mice will be used, most of them suffering severe pain. All will be euthanized ;
Injection to develop lymphomas. This will cause severe pain, stress and loss of mobility due to large lymph nodes: 1,493 mice will suffer severe pain and will be euthanized ;
Induction of peritonitis: 600 mice will suffer severe pain and be euthanized ;
Production of humanized mice. This involves the use of immunodeficient, genetically modified animals who will undergo transplantation of human stem cells capable of generating a human immune system: 5,120 mice are involved and can be reused in other projects if the conditions are met. If not, they will be euthanized.
Induction of intoxication resulting in weight loss, severe pain, stress, tremors, fasciculations and loss of muscle tone: 920 mice will suffer severe pain and will be euthanized.
Injection of a henipavirus. The project mentions the potential appearance of paralysis, tremors, dizziness or respiratory symptoms: 100 mice will experience severe pain and will be euthanized.
Injection of tumor cells resulting in mild to severe skin lesions (necrosis), movement difficulties or respiratory difficulties: 1,080 mice will experience severe pain and will be euthanized.

We call on laboratories to systematically favor available alternative methods, as required by law, and on professionals to train in animal-free testing. We also urge political representatives to support increased funding for research into these methods. Despite an agreement in principle, real political will is required to move forward, and more investment is needed to put an end to the use of thousands of animals as victims of experimentation.

To put an end to these methods, join us in calling for an end to animal experimentation, and write to the Minister of Higher Education and Research: download the standard letter.

Arche de Noël: the person responsible to be tried on May 27, 2024, One Voice present at the trial

Arche de Noël: the person responsible to be tried on May 27, 2024, One Voice present at the trial
23.05.2024
Arche de Noël: the person responsible to be tried on May 27, 2024, One Voice present at the trial
Zoe Cell

Following our months-long undercover investigation into the fake shelter known as l’Arche de Noël, the authorities, accompanied by animal protection associations, finally moved in on November 30, 2023 to rescue the animals. Two months after the rescue, the man in charge, Noël Azzopardi, was again taken into police custody and placed under judicial supervision pending trial. He will be tried by the Béziers judicial court on May 27, 2024 at 2:00 pm. We’ll be there to demand justice for all the animals who have suffered at the hands of this torturer.

Update 06/18/2024

Noël Azzopardi and his association “Arche de Noël” were found guilty of the charges. He received a suspended prison sentence of twelve months, fines totalling €400, and a ban on working with animals. His association, as a legal entity, was fined €10,000, and is permanently closed. A very light penalty, when he was facing up to 3 years’ imprisonment and a €150,000 fine. As proof of his mistreatment of the animals, a mass grave containing no less than eight dead dogs was found on the day the authorities went to the premises in November 2023.

Update 05/29/2024

After a 4-hour hearing at which we made our arguments heard alongside numerous other animal protection associations, the prosecutor in charge of the case requested :

a 12 months’ suspended prison sentence
a 200€ fine for the defendant and his association
a 5-year ban on keeping certain types of animals, in this case only those seized;
a permanent ban on working with animals.

These are mild sentences given the seriousness of the events. On the day the animals were rescued, a mass grave had been discovered, with no less than eight dog corpses. We are disappointed, but unfortunately not surprised: for years, Noël Azzopardi had openly circumvented the law and mistreated animals for all the world to see. Veterinary reports drawn up ten years earlier had already identified a number of shortcomings. At least since 2019, the authorities have been aware of the existence of a mass grave. However, it wasn’t until 2023 that things finally got moving, following the broadcast of our undercover investigation. The verdict will be delivered on June 17. Almost a hundred dogs, 9 tortoises, 8 Florida tortoises, 2 snakes and numerous birds had been rescued from this hellhole on November 30. Unfortunately, one snake had already died.

Undercover investigation into the heart of horror

In October 2022, we arrived at the Arche de Noël for the first time. Our months-long investigation confirmed the many reports we’d received about this place. In truth, the place that had been called a “refuge” hid an entirely different reality. There, we saw horror and death. Dogs beaten and slaughtered; disastrous hygiene with serious consequences: puppies left to die one after the other of an epidemic, bitches treated like uteruses on legs locked up in rabbit hutches, a site infested with rats who were themselves victims of atrocities; dogs sold under the counter with no guarantees whatsoever, while exotic wild animals were illegally kept in terrible conditions.

We filed an initial complaint in February 2023, accompanied by videos, followed by a supplement in June. However, despite our numerous reminders, it was radio silence, forcing us to publicize the case in November with a petition and a report on TF1.

On November 30, 2023, a seizure of the animals was finally ordered, putting an end to years of mistreatment and animal suffering. At the same time, Azzopardi, the man responsible, was taken into custody and a judicial inquiry was launched.

Trial on May 27, 2024 at the Béziers judicial court

The investigation, which was completed two months later, at the end of January 2024, led to a second police custody, during which the defendant continued to deny the facts despite the evidence we provided thanks to our images.

He was placed under judicial supervision pending trial. He will be tried for several offenses: undeclared work in the sale of dogs, abandoning domestic animals or animals held in captivity by failing to provide them with adequate care and accommodation, opening an establishment holding non-domestic animals without authorization, operating an unregistered environmental facility, and illegal dumping of garbage.

According to the prosecutor’s statements, Noël Azzopardi faces 3 years’ imprisonment and a €150,000 fine, in addition to a ban on practicing or holding animals. His association will also be tried as a legal entity, and faces a fine of up to €750,000.

We will of course be present at the hearing to obtain justice for all those animals who have suffered in this sordid place for years, and to ensure that Noël Azzopardi and his association are never again allowed to hold animals or engage in any activity related to them.

In Lyon, we cohabit with coypus rather than slaughtering them all the time

In Lyon, we cohabit with coypus rather than slaughtering them all the time
22.05.2024
In Lyon, we cohabit with coypus rather than slaughtering them all the time
Wildlife

Every year, hundreds of thousands of coypus are killed in France. To attack them and make the most of their “hobby”, hunters like to resort to an old-fashioned method: archery. As always, the animals pay a high price so that these amateur aspiring Robin Hoods – more like cavemen… – can have a few hours’ fun in the forest. And this despite the fact that alternatives do exist, such as in Lyon, where the city council will be launching sterilization campaigns. Proof that, with the right will, it’s possible to put a stop to the mortiferous approach that too often prevails!

Hunters’ logic: kill!

Kill with a rifle, kill by digging up, kill by trapping…! In the Isère department, we learn that hunters prefer to shoot coypus with a bow! For these animals, it’s a real ordeal: the arrow is rarely lethal on the first shot, and many end up wounded and die after a slow agony, sometimes next to their young.

Beyond its cruelty, the whole approach is absurd. By slaughtering nearly a million foxes a year, who are the coypus’ predators, hunters are upsetting a fragile balance. Then, as always, they come running and claim to be repairing the damage they themselves have caused, by “regulating” the species, as they put it. QED.

More animal-friendly alternatives

Sometimes, political courage can bend this deleterious logic. In the Lyon area, where a few years ago coypus’ bodies were pierced with arrows and their heads crushed with clubs by hunters, the town council has radically changed its approach as part of an “action plan to improve the condition of animals“.

In particular, an experiment is planned to sterilize coypus. This is proof that barbaric measures aimed at killing animals arbitrarily considered to be a nuisance can be replaced by a more respectful approach to these sensitive beings, even if it means still imposing our rules on the wild world, provided the authorities give themselves the means to do so.

Because it is never justified to make animals suffer and kill them, join us in demanding a radical reform of hunting by signing our petition!