One day too much in the circuses! One Voice in action in Granville for animals

One day too much in the circuses! One Voice in action in Granville for animals
12.07.2017
Manche
One day too much in the circuses! One Voice in action in Granville for animals
Exploitation for shows

In front of one of the largest circuses with animals in Europe, One Voice launched its new campaign to make France the 21st country in the world to ban wild animals in circuses. A fine performance of artistic body painting!

5 hours. It took 5 hours of body painting by the talented Ophélie Nezan, to turn the model Juliana Marques into a tiger, like the One Voice logo. Thus transformed, the beautiful Juliana carried our message “Let’s free animals from circuses!” to the big top of one of the biggest circuses with animals from Europe. In the presence of the media, and to the applause of the passers-by, she courageously held our sign. The circus, meanwhile, had positioned all thier trucks so that journalists cannot film the animals … And took the opportunity for some insults against us.

Already 64 cities in France and 20 countries in the world prohibit wild animals in circuses. For 18 years, One Voice has struggled to make their fate known in marquees and trailers where they live locked up. Our investigations revealed the violence of their training. And a large majority of French now consider they are stressed (80%) and unhappy (69%). It is a historic turning point that is coming!

This symbolic action marks the launch of the new One Voice campaign “One day too many in the circuses”, an inverted countdown that you can find on circques-animaux.fr.

For France to be the 21st country this century to refuse the exploitation of wild animals in circuses, mobilize with us! Their freedom is just a click away!

Go to circques-animaux.fr and share widely on the social networks!

Dolphins in Captivity: One Voice meets Marineland

Dolphins in Captivity: One Voice meets Marineland
11.07.2017
Antibes
Dolphins in Captivity: One Voice meets Marineland
Exploitation for shows

Following the procedure initiated by Marineland before the State Council against the dolphinarium decree, One Voice wishes to speak out. The fate of dolphins in captivity should not be put into question!

Last May, after several years of fighting and working with the Environment Ministry, One Voice obtainedthe ban on the reproduction of dolphins and their transfer between dolphinariums. But on July 6^th, the Marineland Park filed an appeal against this order to request a review.

France does not have an independent administrative authority to protect the rights and freedoms of animals. One Voice intends to defend their rights to freedom and lead a life worthy of that name, according to their needs and desires.

Marineland’s arguments will not deceive anyone. Who benefits from the reproduction of dolphins in captivity, if not specifically the private companies motivated by profit, such as dolphinariums and their shareholders, because this helps to sustain their trade?

Dolphins suffer precisely from captivity, which flouts their family and social ties, and denies their biological and psychological needs. The authorisation of the reproduction and exchange of dolphins between dolphinariums amounts to inducing a chronic suffering on these gregarious and intelligent animals.

It is indeed curious that Marineland did not worry about the well-being of the orcas when it announced it was stopping the reproduction of the latter. How would that be different for dolphins?

According to the dolphinarium, the minister would not be competent to make this decree that she did not validate, however her competence was not put into question when the matter of taking an order deciding the end of the detention of orcas arose!

It is still the same park that holds polar bears in sunny enclosures and claims to anyone who wants to hear it that they live there like fish in water…

One Voice will do its utmost to ensure that the order is maintained without concessions. Too many dolphins have already suffered.

The torture of Maya

The torture of Maya
10.07.2017
France
The torture of Maya
Exploitation for shows

A new investigation by One Voice into the world of circuses! It reveals the suffering of Maya, an Asian elephant held in appalling conditions. The association is fighting for her release.

A day will come when the spectacle of the elephants being exploited in the circuses will be a thing of the past. A period when pachyderms were torn from their native lands to be seen writhing on stools under the cheers of the crowd. Unfortunately, this period is not yet over. In France, the law still allows these practices from another age.

This is the proof from the latest investigation by One Voice alerted to the plight of Maya, a 54-year-old Asian elephant held by a provincial circus. The report is terrifying, as evidenced by the full report (in french – read here and spread this news as widely as possible).

From her place of detention to the circus ring, the animal endures a real ordeal of a multitude of violations regardless of the enforced regulations (1). In her pen, no comfort just a tarred floor dripping in urine and a thin layer of straw litter, the bare minimum. No place either to hide from prying eyes or from noise when she seeks peace and quiet. Only a resemblance of an awning protects her from bad weather. To occupy her long and laborious days, no source of distraction or stimulation. She only has fodder which she feeds on excessively.

When it’s her time, Maya appears exhausted under the tent, slow and tired. Like a sleepwalker, she executes the orders of the trainer like a robot, sometimes with half-closed eyes, and the depth of her distress can be measured.

When will her agony end? When will the cause of elephant-slavery be taken into account? When will we finally break the chains of these great sages whose intelligence and extreme sensitivity should rather serve as an example? Animal persons have fundamental rights that we must respect, to begin with, their dignity.

Besides that, beyond the suffering they endure, the pachyderms are wild animals, so also dangerous. In the case of Maya, as in many others, security measures to protect the audience are insufficient or even non-existent! Unusual stresses? The elephant may very well involuntarily move over to the side of the audience, and could possibly fall on them crushing them under her weight. In addition, close contact with the crowd also entails the risk of Zoonosis for both her and humans present.

More than ever, One Voice is committed to changing attitudes and working with the public authorities. Already, our association has undertaken on May 12th a judicial procedure to obtain the release of the elephant and its transfer to a sanctuary. We have also made a complaint to the Head Inspector of Freedom Deprivation Centres. This approach, usually reserved for humans, is also fully justified by the conditions of detention of this animal person Maya. In the long run, it is all captive wild animals that we intend to save from these deadly exhibitions. To support our request, sign and share our petition online!

(1) Order of 18th March 2011 laying down conditions for the keeping and use of live animals of non-domestic species in traveling theatres.

Jumbo, a hippopotamus at the bottom of the abyss

Jumbo, a hippopotamus at the bottom of the abyss
06.07.2017
Jumbo, a hippopotamus at the bottom of the abyss
Exploitation for shows

He bears the name of an illustrious predecessor. What a bad omen. The famous pachyderm might have been a star, but his life at the circus was an ordeal. This contemporary hippopotamus’ is too. One Voice is fighting to save him.

Jumbo would only have wings at Walt Disney. In reality, captive animals experience suffering and despair, without any escape. Jumbo the hippopotamus is one of them. He has been languishing for years in the menagerie of a French circus.

Alerted about his deplorable living conditions, One Voice mandated an investigator and a veterinarian last March to witness the situation. Their conclusions are overwhelming. It appears that the physiological and biological needs of this animal are absolutely not respected.

Locked up 23:30 hours out of 24 in the trailer of a 15m long and 3m wide truck, Jumbo is sorely lacking space to move. In addition, he has no bathing opportunity. In the wild, as his species requires, this imposing male would spend most of his time weightless in a river or lake. Here, nothing helps him to support his body mass or relieve his limbs. His only contact with the water is during his half-hour daily « walk ». He is then sprinkled with a hose under the intriguing gaze from the onlookers. What a sad irony, that a forced shower is given to an amphibious animal! And that sudden movement and noise around him is so stressful after having spent a day completely cut off from the world. For food, the old hippo receives horses hay and pellets … What a ridiculous diet for an herbivore capable of grazing 68 kilos in 4-5 hours in the wild! Then, he is returned to his confinement devoid of any distraction. And to add to his mistreatment, he frequently endures transport in a trailer between the different performance sites.

Faced with such a total disregard for the fundamental rights of this animal person and the regulations in force (1), One Voice calls for the immediate release of Jumbo and his transfer to a sanctuary. Especially as the hippo is not participating in the show, his detention is completely illegal. At the same time, our association has initiated a procedure with the General Controller of places of deprivation of liberties so that she takes over the case. This approach usually kept to human prisoners, and also engaged for 5 female elephants, also finds its full meaning against the hell endured by Jumbo.

Beyond this case, One Voice goes further and continues its fight for the conclusive abolition of the exploitation of wild animals in circuses. None of them has its place there! To support our action, sign and share our petition!

(1) Order from the 18th March 2011 laying down the conditions for keeping and using live animals of non-domestic species in itinerant shows.

Stray dogs in Mauritius: mass euthanasia avoided

Stray dogs in Mauritius: mass euthanasia avoided
20.06.2017
Ile Maurice
Stray dogs in Mauritius: mass euthanasia avoided
Domestic animals

The Mauritian Government renounces its plans for the capture and mass euthanasia of stray dogs in Mauritius, but it is the regulations about stray animals that must be transformed. One Voice is a force for these proposals.

Is it out of compassion for these animals or because the photo of hundreds of dead bodies of these abandoned animals would not have been very glamorous on a tourist flyer?

The bottom line is that One Voice’s fight for the respect of animal rights and the protests from animal welfare associations have meant that the Mauritian government has abandoned its plan to fight against stray of dogs. Moreover, the conception of the plan did not shine: « catch and kill », you catch, you shoot. In other words, a massive euthanasia program of stray dogs in often unscrupulous conditions of animal welfare.

With this announcement on June 13 to abandon its macabre plan, Mauritius has decided on common sense, says Muriel Arnal, president of One Voice and she invites the French authorities especially in the neighbouring overseas departments such as Reunion and Mayotte, to take this example. Especially since the regulation already exists. Moreover, One Voice has brought an action against the prefect of the Reunion. The trial is still ongoing.

Anxious not to be content only with protests as vehement as they are, One Voice offers alternatives and durable solutions. Contained in the correspondence that our association had sent to the Prime Minister of Mauritius on May 15, we denounce the planned slaughter of stray dogs, reminding them of its inability to reduce the nuisance associated with them. « More effective and more humane solutions exist that tackle the real cause of stray animals. They are part of the recommendations from the World Organization for Animal Health and have proven themselves in other countries”.

One Voice advocates education and awareness campaigns, associating them with effective and efficient suppression of abandonment by the owners. Widespread use of identification and sterilization and making this mandatory for any dog older than 6 months that is owned by an individual. For stray animals, once identified and sterilized, either to welcome them into a shelter or to release them under the control of district animal protection associations.

As we were in a letter-writing relationship with the Mauritian government, we reminded them that the island was risking a second stain to its image of paradise with the planned opening of an animal testing laboratory and that it could count on us to let them know that we would denounce this.

And, for a better protection of dogs and cats in France, please sign and share our petition online: « Dogs and cats: our family«

Cruelty Free International and One Voice reveal scandalous information about Air France transporting monkeys from Mauritius destined for experimentation

A new fashion from La Redoute “no fur”

A new fashion from La Redoute « no fur »

A new fashion from La Redoute “no fur”
15.06.2017
France
A new fashion from La Redoute “no fur”
Fashion

It is a great victory: one of the French heavyweights of mail ordering adheres to the program « without animal fur » publicized in France by One Voice.

We all have one more reason to love La Redoute! The national leader in fashion and home e-commerce had already committed itself in early 2017 to support sustainable agriculture and responsible cotton by joining the Better Cotton initiative.

Now that this global group has just joined the Fur Free Retailer program developed by our international coalition, the Fur Free Alliance: You will no longer find in the collections offered by La Redoute articles made in animal fur.

Nathalie Balla, co-president of La Redoute, commented on this ethical choice:

« I am proud to announce La Redoute’s membership with One Voice, the representative in France of the (Fur Free Alliance). Many years ago we made the responsible choice of not having real fur in the design of our products or in the selection of products distributed by La Redoute. The decision to join the Fur Free Retailer program in 2017 is in line with our sustainable development plan and in our resolution to support an ethical belief around animal rights. This public commitment by La Redoute to society corresponds with a desire to be influential and to contribute to a more beautiful world. «

This commitment has formalized and perpetuated a policy already carried out for several years by La Redoute. It concerns of course the international subsidiaries of the European Union and outside (Belgium, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Russia).

In France, 91 mainstream brands have joined the program (Armani, C & A, Esprit, H & M, Hugo Boss, Zara …) and around 500 others around the world. Let us not forget that the high fashion house of Franck Sorbier’s also recently joined us.

One Voice is working and mobilizing so that the retailers will make this responsible choice, which allows animal suffering to retreat in our country, mink farming in appalling conditions, as throughout the European Union, where about 48 million animals are annually sacrificed for their fur.

On the march against violence!

On the march against violence!
13.06.2017
Var On the march against violence!
Domestic animals

One Voice will participate on June 17th in this event for the cat Chevelu, tortured to death. Another recent case of violence against a woman and her animal companions shows that it is urgent that France finally adopts a real criminal policy of domestic violence including that of family animals!

At the end of May, in the city centre of Draguignan (Var), Chevelu came, confident, to these young barbarians who would become his executioners. Shards of bottle, they tortured him, tore out his eyes before throwing away his lifeless body. The perpetrators of these vile acts are still wanted, but are they really worried about the criminal consequences of their violence? These unnamed brutes have tortured this living being without fear of having to answer for their crimes before the law. By name, this cat was known as Chevelu. It is to do him justice that One Voice has filed a complaint.

It is also to ask for protection and repair for the cat Ganja and the dog Moana that the association was civil party in the trial which took place in Lorient, on the 8^thof June.

Yulin 2017, no truce

Yulin 2017, no truce
09.06.2017
Yulin
Yulin 2017, no truce
Other campaign or multi-campaigns of One Voice

The next Yulin festival in China should see a temporary ban on the sale of dog meat! A first since the existence of the massacre each year of at least 10,000 dogs. The mobilization of One Voice and the supporters for the cause of animals has paid off. Let us not lose sight of this!

21st of June Edition. We have just learned that this atrocious « festival » is taking place despite the city’s ban on traders selling dog meat. Together with our ACTAsia partner in the field, we will endeavour to monitor whether the authorities are carrying out the checks that were previously announced. We will verify that the sellers of meat are condemned by these new fines in the case of non-compliance with this prohibition.

Good news! The infamous « Yulin Dog Meat Festival » in China is expected to shed less blood this year. The sale of dog meat at this event according to our sources could be banned by the local authorities from the 15th June until the 21st June. It has been reported that in the event of a breach of the ban, restaurants, street vendors and merchants will incur a fine of up to 100,000 Yuan (approximately US $ 14,500) and / or an arrest for a violation.

One Voice is pleased with this first step in the right direction! Remember last year, we asked for your mobilization to denounce this gigantic open-air massacre, responsible for the deaths of at least 10,000 dogs every year in atrocious suffering. The petition we handed over to the Chinese Ambassador in France has borne fruit! The mobilization has been international and the media have seized this subject! Thus, local authorities began to measure the scale of the scandal and have tried to calm international anger by making this positive step…

However, One Voice remains always vigilant. The official ban on the sale of dog meat will only be temporary. In addition, we fear that these murders will continue to be perpetuated, only this time in the backyards and just outside the city limits of Yulin where the trade will remain legal. Our work therefore aims to initiate a change in practices in depth. Through our « Caring for Life » program and with our ACTAsia partner we strive to educate the population, especially the younger ones, in order to change people’s attitudes and to lay the foundations for a more compassionate life with a regard to all beings, whatever they may be.

This approach seems much more effective than the bogus rescue attempts and their vested interests. For some time now we have seen the explosion of a new market: to satisfy the associations that want to « save » dogs, they now sell those who are sick and who would not be palatable to the consumers … This juicy « business » was born following a move by a certain Marc Ching in 2016. This entrepreneur made a great noise by calling for public generosity, formally to finance the purchase of 1000 dogs and then place them in Western homes. The operation turned out to be a dark scam. An inquiry by the British newspaper the Mail on Sunday revealed a few months later that nearly two-thirds of the so-called « survivors » were finally dead, crammed into cages or abandoned and left to their own fate.

Only the action of local participants and the education of minds are likely to lead to lasting social changes with regard to animals. Consciousness takes time. Many Chinese people are still convinced that dogs are no better than « just objects ». So One Voice is not ready to give up and continues fight!

Fur: from victory to victory, following Germany and the Czech Republic!

Fur: from victory to victory, following Germany and the Czech Republic !
07.06.2017
Allemagne et République Tchèque
Fur: from victory to victory, following Germany and the Czech Republic !
Fashion

One Voice was in Prague last October with its partners from the Fur Free Alliance, and our work with the deputies was successful ! The animals will no longer be skinned for their fur in the Czech Republic.

It is a very large majority, practically unanimous the Czech deputies who voted for the ban on breeding animals for their fur: 132 against 9! Thanks to this decision, validated by the Senate on July 20 and on January 31 2019 all farms will have closed. Thus, 20,000 minks and foxes will be spared each year …

The work done with MPs with our Fur Free Alliance partners proves once again here its effectiveness. On June 5, Germany announced a similar decision. Last December, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands put an end to the exploitation of mink, saving no less than 6 million animals a year! In November it was Japan and in October Wallonia, which explained its position in the best way possible, saying that « the farms are incompatible with the dignity of animals. »

We are still waiting for the decision from Estonia where 69% of the population is calling for the end of the exploitation of animals for their fur and where the issue is under debate between the deputies.

With farms banned also in the United Kingdom, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia,
Macedonia and Serbia (see map below), the decline of the fur industry is clearly felt in Europe. France must also position itself! We met the Minister of Agriculture last February. It is time that our country, which plays such an important role in the world of fashion, also prohibits this cruel industry!

To support our request please sign and share the petition ! VisonsLeRespect !