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The suffering of captive dolphins: the legal fight on the poolside

The suffering of captive dolphins: the legal fight on the poolside

The suffering of captive dolphins: the legal fight on the poolside
25.10.2016
Loire-Atlantique
The suffering of captive dolphins: the legal fight on the poolside
Exploitation for shows

Planète Sauvage (Wild Planet) is fighting One Voice at the Tribunal of Nantes at 9am on the 27th of October to demand the annulment of the official bailiff’s report, which was carried out under the judge’s authorisation and deals with the dolphin’s detention conditions and their state of wellbeing. One Voice does not understand this fierce opposition from Planète Sauvage and is demanding new investigations following the births of the two baby dolphins.

One Voice had reported on the particular situation of the young Galéo, 7 years old, born at Park Asterix in 2009, who was taken away from his mother four years later. Since his arrival at Planète Sauvage in January 2015, this young dolphin has become the whipping boy for the other dolphins. His body is covered with injuries and worrying skin disfiguration.

In April 2016, One Voice rushed Dr Ingrid Visser, the world-recognised New Zealand marine biologist, with many expert witness testimonials under her belt, to Planet Sauvage. Her conclusions regarding Galeo’s state of health led to a complaint being filed for maltreatment and a petition being launched (more than 10,000 signatures collected to date). In her 20 years of experience following captive and wild cetaceans, Dr Visser has never seen a dolphin in such a poor state, also condemning the inadequate detention conditions there. Confronted with these circumstances, One Voice had to obtain a bailiff’s report on the state of the dolphins, Galeo in particular, and their detention conditions.

Planète Sauvage objects to the publishing of the bailiff’s report, which highlights the absence of shade to protect the cetaceans from light, the brightness of the pools, the presence of algae, the complete lack of enhancement of the pools, the bare concrete walls with nowhere to retreat to… and records Galeo’s turnout, “a small dolphin […] with many teeth marks inflicted by the dominant members of the group.”

The dolphinarium is hiding behind the latest verification carried out by the DDPP* following One Voice’s complaint. But this report is clearly incomplete and out of date. Two dolphins have since been born, and the five adult dolphins, including Galeo, are now confined in the show pool.

In Planète Sauvage’s smear campaign against One Voice, they haven’t hesitated to question the competence of its president, of its committee, of the European coalition Dolphinaria-Free Europe of which One Voice is a member, and of Dr Ingrid Visser, who it introduces as a Doctor of Philosophy when she is, in fact, a Doctor in marine biology.

Muriel Arnal, One Voice’s president states:

“We are asking the tribunal to validate the official bailiff’s report or to allow us to undertake another one. I am very worried about the birth of the two baby dolphins. In the dolphinariums, they are brought up by mothers who are isolated and unsure how to bring up their young in this artificial environment, from whom they are taken away very early. They can’t benefit from the handing down of culture and group dialect and are sentenced to turn in circles in empty pools. We won’t give up on Galeo, One Voice will continue to fight for his freedom and that of all captive dolphins.”

* Direction départementale de la protection des populations: Local French authority concerned with animal welfare (amongst other things)

 

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Action for the namibian orcas

Action for the namibian orcas

Action for the namibian orcas
19.10.2016
Namibia
Action for the namibian orcas
Exploitation for shows

A request has just been issued to Namibia by China to capture hundreds of marine mammals in its seas to fill its dolphinariums. We must convince Namibia to say no.

The transporters are waiting

Ryazanovka’s bow lines up alongside a deserted quay, in the Namibian port, Walvis Bay. The team on board keep boredom at bay by playing cards under the burning South African heat. Their mission: to capture ten orcas, a thousand fur seals, five hundred African penguins and almost two hundred dolphins of various species, without counting the sharks. The Ryazanovka is notorious: this is the blue-sided boat which captured three wild orcas for China in the Okhotsk Sea in the extreme Russian Orient some years ago. But the sailors who are smoking on the decks aren’t going anywhere; they are waiting for the go-ahead to start the hunt.

To satisfy the Chinese ‘Moloch’s’ appetite

Welwitschia Aquatic and Wildlife Scientific Research Ltd, who arm the vessel, are also waiting for the green light: authorisation from the Namibian government. Owned by a Chinese businessman registered in Namibia, this company works hand in hand with a Peking-based company, who specialise in raising captive animals.

Hiding behind this vessel, the captivity industry is prepared to devastate the wild fauna that still flourishes in the Benguela current, along the Namibian desert coastline. China will soon have 53 marine parks. Some are colossal, like the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, whilst others are tiny, tucked away in shopping malls with polar bears and belugas on display behind glass panes. Having ‘sampled’ the Zimbabwean elephants, China is now turning its attention to Namibia. The Moloch’s appetite is insatiable.

Namibia’s choice

The Namibian government could well be tempted by the request. China is committed to opening a military base in the country and is promising subsidies to revive the fishing industry. According to them, the surplus of marine mammals in its waters is affecting the fishing! Namibia should be praised for its efforts developing eco-tourism, but it is ambiguous in its position regarding its wild fauna. It knew how to preserve its environment but it authorised trophy hunting and is advocating the opening of the ivory market. This previously German colony’s decision is far from being made.

Dealers under the spotlight

Luckily, in order to preserve the wildlife that they love and protect, small local associations are speaking out to confront the government and to demand that it renounces this disastrous industry. They are small when compared to the Chinese promises, but all of the world can stand alongside them, thanks to the magic of social networks. The whole world is looking on, horrified at these secret capture operations.

One Voice is 100% behind the Walvis Bay activists is asking you too to support them. Just a small message will help, addressed to the Namibian Fishing Minister, Dr. Maurihungirire. Such as:

“Please don’t sell the remaining cetacean populations to China. The riches of Namibia are its flora and fauna. Ecotourism is your future”

Together, we can prevent this catastrophe!

Angora rabbits: the fight continues

Angora rabbits: the fight continues

Angora rabbits: the fight continues
17.10.2016
Angora rabbits: the fight continues
Fashion

Since the publication of our investigation into the torture of Angora rabbits on French farms, our images have been seen all over the world. To put an end to this disgraceful practice, we have written to the French Minister of Agriculture, and our petition has already gathered over 50,000 signatures.

One Voice went public on the 15th of September with the shocking images of angora rabbits in French farms, where they are being exploited for their wool. Over a several month period, One Voice investigators went undercover in this industry and filmed the epilations showing the rabbits crying in pain. They witnessed their skin being torn off with their fur, and the solitude of these rabbits, who live in tiny cold and uncomfortable cages. They experienced first-hand the odour of ammonia coming from the uncollected urine. They discovered how the farmers treated them, who seem to have forgotten that these rabbits are sensitive beings.

Our images around the world!

The images have now done a tour of the globe. Following on from the Chinese angora rabbits in PETA’s investigation, their French counterparts have made news in Vietnam, Japan, South America, the United States and in England! As for Italy and Germany, our partners there are preparing the campaign launch with our images, as in Denmark where headlines were recently made with the leading newspaper there. It is no longer possible for consumers to ignore the suffering of these rabbits tormented for their wool. An unprecedented worldwide mobilisation is underway… Our petition has already collected more than 49,000 signatures!

Our action

One Voice has filed a complaint against one of the farmers who had admitted to selling certain cancerous rabbits to an experimental laboratory. A letter has also been sent to the French Minister for Agriculture, Stéphane Le Foll, to ask him to outlaw these farms, along with the angora business. We have asked him to participate in a meeting with PETA France in which we will hand him the petition signatures to add weight to our request…

You can help in several ways:

  • Continue to sign and share the petition!
  • And evidently, stop wearing angora and send us your clothes containing angora, along with those of your friends and family. They will be sent on to our partner refuges to provide comfort and warmth to abandoned cats this winter.
  • Support our action and allow us to follow through with these investigations.

One Voice & ECEAE satisfied with EU court ruling in landmark cosmetics testing case

One Voice & ECEAE satisfied with EU court ruling in landmark cosmetics testing case

One Voice & ECEAE satisfied with EU court ruling in landmark cosmetics testing case
29.09.2016
One Voice & ECEAE satisfied with EU court ruling in landmark cosmetics testing case
Domestic animals

One Voice and the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE) have welcomed a decision made today by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to reject an argument by the European Federation for Cosmetics Ingredients (EFCI). This would have enabled companies to evade the cosmetics animal testing and sale bans by testing on animals under other European or overseas legislation, before using the data to access the EU cosmetics market. The organisations are now urging national regulators to ensure the ruling is enforced effectively across the EU.

Wednesday 21st September

The case was brought last year by EFCI, which represents most cosmetics ingredients manufacturers in Europe [1]. The Federation, backed by the French Government, argued that cosmetics companies should be able to sell in the EU cosmetics containing ingredients tested on animals – as long as the tests were nominally carried out under some legislation other than the EU Cosmetics Regulation.

However, the CJEU has today agreed with an advisory ruling by the Advocate-General in March 2016 proposing that the Court reject the industry’s argument and find that a company cannot rely on animal test data, wherever generated and for whatever purpose, to support the safety of a cosmetics product [2]. The Court also rejected arguments by the UK Government and the European Commission which would also have significantly weakened the animal test bans.

In December 2015 Cruelty Free International, along with the ECEAE, the coalition of animal protection groups it leads, presented arguments at the Court against the cosmetics industry’s attempts to water down the historic ban on cosmetics testing. The ECJ has today make it harder for companies to sell cosmetics in the UK and EU if they have been animal tested elsewhere in the world [3].

Michelle Thew, Chief Executive of Cruelty Free International and ECEAE said: « We are very pleased that EFCI’s attempt to circumnavigate the ban has today been roundly rejected by the Court. This is a victory both for common sense, and for the public who passionately back the landmark animal testing ban. We urge national regulators to stay vigilant and ensure that the cosmetics ban is upheld to prevent the suffering and death of animals, as the Court has signalled. »

Muriel Arnal, president of One Voice
, declared: « This attempt by the EFfCI once again demonstrates the importance of remaining vigilant, even more so in France where the government has again clearly revealed its position. The decision taken by the court is a genuine ethical victory. Animal suffering doesn’t mean a lot to certain manufacturers, irrespective of scientific advances. Today real justice has been upheld, and it’s a good omen for the future. »

Companies have previously sought to use animal testing under other EU legislation, such as the chemical safety programme REACH, to help market cosmetics in the EU, undermining the spirit of the cosmetic testing ban. EFCI attempted to narrow the ban only to apply to cases where the animal testing was specifically carried out with the Cosmetics Regulation in mind (which would be virtually no tests).

NOTES TO EDITOR

[1] The case was brought by the European Federation for Cosmetic Ingredients (EFCI), technically against the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills in the UK. The case was referred to the European Court of Justice by the High Court in London and affects the interpretation throughout the European Union. Cruelty Free International and the ECEAE were the only NGOs accepted as official participants in the case. The recommendations of the Advocate General are not binding on the Court, but are accepted in the majority of cases.

[2]
http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=183602&pageIndex=0&doclang=en&mode=req&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=641808
[3] Whether to continue the cosmetics animal testing and marketing bans post-Brexit will be one of many questions facing the UK Government. For the moment the UK is bound by this ruling.

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Big protest against hunting on Saturday 1st October

Big protest against hunting on Saturday 1st October

Big protest against hunting on Saturday 1st October
28.09.2016
Big protest against hunting on Saturday 1st October
Wildlife

September 28th 2016

The French are fed up with hunting. The survey* conducted by One Voice inpartnership with ASPAS has just recently shown that 78% of Frenchpeople want to ban hunting on Sundays for obvious safety reasons. 91%of French people want a hunting reform.

Yetthe public authorities are strangely deaf to this strong expectationof our fellow citizens. And our politicians even more.

LaurentWauquiez, President of the “Republicans” of theAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes, has just offered some 3 million euros tohunters in its region to restore their hunting huts or to intervene in our schools to “train” our children in a certain idea of biodiversity…

The President of the Republic has killed it in the bud the long-awaited National Agency for Biodiversity, by not including in it the National Office of Hunting and Wildlife. This public establishment and its 1200 officials remain in the hands of the hunters who are in the majority on its board of directors.

To denounce this, but also the death of 30 million animals each year for a “Past Time” from another age, the Collective of September 21st which brings together 78 associations (joined by Sea Shepherd, the Foundation Brigitte Bardot and One Voice), organizes a large demonstration to end hunting and trapping.

October 1st from 10 am to 1 pm, Place Joachim-du-Bellay (Paris 1st)

Numerous association stands and catering on site

After the demonstration a Kate Amiguet’s film, Hunter- killer – imposter?

will be screened at the Jean Dame cinema at 2:30 p.m. (entrance at 2:00 p.m.)

It will be followed by a debate with the director, Gérard Charollois (president of the CVN, author of the book On Ending the Hunt) and Pierre Athanaze (president of Action Nature, author of the Black Book of Hunting).

List of associations from the collective of September 21st:

269 LIFE FRANCE, Acta Anti speciesism (or Acta Gironde), Embassy for Pigeons, Action Nature Rewilding France, AEC, Animal Cross, AEP,
Animalsace, Animalibre, APIE (Environmental Protection and Initiation Association), Association of the Animal Collective of 06, Association Protection of Château de Flée, AVES France, AVF (Association Vegetarian of France), AVRE, Bio Living in Brie, Brouillard
Définitif, CAUSA, C’est Assez, C’Topoil, CCE2A (Collective Against Animal Experimentation and Exploitation), CHAMADE (Animal Theaters and Mediation), C.H.A.N.T (for Harmonious Cohabitation with other Animals and Nature on Earth), CNPA (Collective Nantais For the
Animals), Collectif Société Anti-Fourrure, Combactive, CHÂTEAU de FLÉE, Monument historique, C.RÉ.DO. Pigeons et Protection Animale, CREL (Recognition and Self Help Club with Greyhounds), CVAAD, CVN  (Convention Life and Nature), DDA (Animal Rights), Droit des Animaux Sud, Dignité Animale, Entre Chiens et Loups, Groupe d’Actions Animales Moselle, Guadeloupe Animaux, F.G.N. (fairy gardians of
nature), GREEN, Humanimo, INFO VÉGANE, Initiatives Terre, Jack et Jessie Protection Animale, la fondation M.A.R.T. (Movement for the
animals and respect of the land), La Griffe, La Voie de l’Hirondelle, La Tribu de Sapeur, L’arche de Valudo, Le Klan du Loup, Les Désobéissants, L214, Laissons Leur Peau Aux Animaux (LLPAA), Les compagnons de Freya, Ligue Universelle pour la Nature et les Animaux, Les 3A, Les Crins Verts, Liberté Égalité Animale 49, Matoucœur, MFP (French mission for the protection of monkeys), Mouvement pour la Cause Animale, Oïkos Kaï Bios, Oiseaux Nature, Patacha, Point Info Loup Lynx, RAC (RAssemblement pour une France sans Chasse), Protection Faune Sauvage Sedan, RAN (Respect of animals and for Nature), Respectons, Initiatives Terre, Refuge « Ame’Ni’Maux », Refuge
« Amis des Bêtes », Sauvetage et Chats en Détresse, Secourisme Animalier, SSA49, SVPA (Société Vosgienne de Protection Animale), Stop Souffrances Animales 49, Vigilance Citoyenne pour le Pâtis, Wolf Eyes Asbl.

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Dolphin Production?

Dolphin Production?

Dolphin Production?
Dolphin Production?
Exploitation for shows