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

Cruelty Free International and One Voice reveal scandalous information about Air France transporting monkeys from Mauritius destined for experimentation
16.06.2017
Mauritius
Cruelty Free International and One Voice reveal scandalous information about Air France transporting monkeys from Mauritius destined for experimentation
Animal testing

Primates,
locked in crates and shipped like cargo, subjected to more than 37
hours of suffering.

Animal
protection associations Cruelty Free International (United Kingdom)
and One Voice (France) reiterate their call to Air France to stop the
transportation of monkeys for research. This call comes after the
publication of shocking information on the secret transportation of
primates on Air France passenger flights totalling a distance of more
than 16,000 kilometres.

According
to information gathered by Cruelty Free International investigators,
120 long-tailed macaques were shipped by Air France from Mauritius to
Chicago (USA) via Paris (France) on April 26, 2017. Monkeys packed
into crates and transported from a local farm to the Sir Seewoosagur
Ramgoolam International Airport on the island, then placed on the AF
463 passenger flight bound for Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport
(CDG).

The
monkeys, having completed more than 9,600 kilometres in 11 hours and
30 minutes, were held in Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle for nine hours
before setting out on a new voyage of more than 6,600 kilometres on
flight AF 6730 to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) where
they landed on April 27th – an additional flight time of 8 hours and
50 minutes. The monkeys were intended for Charles River Laboratories,
a contract research business conducting preclinical (poisoning)
toxicology tests on animals for pharmaceutical, chemical and
agrochemical companies.

Sarah
Kite, Cruelty Free International’s Special Projects Director, says:
« Air France’s 463 tourists, who enjoyed maximum comfort and
relaxed after a vacation on the paradise island of Mauritius, could
not possibly have guessed that just below their feet were 120
non-human primates. These non-human primates who were forcibly loaded
on board as « passengers », were torn from their families and
trapped in tiny wooden crates and suffered in the dark of this noisy
hold of the aircraft. At the end of this nightmare journey, these
intelligent and sensitive animals were destined to spend the rest of
their lives in metal cages thousands of miles from their native
jungle and to be subjected to horrific and painful experiments. »

Muriel
Arnal, President of One Voice, is indignant: « Air France is the
last passenger airline in Europe to continue this cruel
transportation of primates for research that has become obsolete
thanks to advances in science. This French company sends thousands of
monkeys every year to suffer and die in laboratories all over the
world. We call on its CEO to stop this practice today! »

The
airline is a vital link between Mauritius and laboratories in Europe
and the United States, one of the largest suppliers of monkeys in the
world. In 2016 8,425 monkeys were exported from Mauritius to Europe,
the United States and Canada. It is likely that Air France
transported the majority, if not all, of the Mauritius monkeys to
Paris where they were registered on another Air France flight to the
United States or sent by road to French, British, Spanish and German
laboratories.

Cruelty
Free International and One Voice have worked tirelessly to end the
transportation of primates. Our shock investigations revealed the
cruelty and suffering inflicted on the animals in the laboratories
and during their capture, rearing and transportation. Our campaign
has received worldwide support and we have seen many international
companies (formerly the leading carriers transporting monkeys to
laboratories), including American Airlines, British Airways, United
Airlines, Northwest Airlines, South African Airways, Delta Airlines,
Eva Air, Air Canada and China Airlines, who have given up this cruel
trade by refusing to deliver new primates to the laboratories.
Several other passenger airlines have also expressed their intention
never to get involved in this sordid business.

Notes

In
recent weeks, Cruelty Free International investigators have been
informed of at least three transportations of monkeys from Mauritian
farms via Air France flights. Cruelty Free International and One
Voice are calling on the public to send an email to Air France’s
Executive Vice President of Operations and Air France’s Frank Terner:
frterner@airfrance.fr, demanding that Air France join the growing
number of airlines that have made the decision to no longer
participate in this barbarity. Check out which airlines that are
willing to carry monkeys for research and those who choose not to:
https://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/airlines

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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

Two girls and 36 animals abandoned in 80m²!

Two girls and 36 animals abandoned in 80m²!
07.06.2017
Lamballe
Two girls and 36 animals abandoned in 80m²!
Domestic animals

How far can horror go? One Voice has filed a complaint in this sordid new case of mistreatment once again illustrating the link between the violence.

It was a kitten dying on a sidewalk that gave the alert and triggered the questioning of the owner. On February 13^th, the gendarmes discovered the horror in an apartment near downtown Lamballe (22). In desolation, saturated with strong odours of excrement, sheltering in this house without hygiene two little girls (18 months and 5 years) surrounded by 19 cats, 6 dogs, 8 puppies and 2 rats. All, including the children in a real state of physiological misery.

If One Voice is a civil party in this case, it is so that all light is shed on the responsibilities of the young couple renting this council house. Housed in such distressful condition’s these children and as many animal companions, without any provision of necessary care. Behind all of this a social situation that is obviously difficult, unfortunately all too common, is probably hidden a new case of mistreatment combining humans and animals. The couple will have to answer for deprivation of care and food to minors under 15 years old and for abuse, acts of cruelty and maltreatment towards animals.

One Voice has been fighting for a long time to ensure that animal abuse receives an appropriate penal response, taking into account the existing link with the facts of violence against humans. In this case, letting so many animals and children waste away in such insalubrious conditions seems unimaginable. The two girls were taken care of by the social worker and the animals were collected by the SPA of Rennes. The hearing will take place this month.

An exemplary judgment demanded by One Voice for a woman and her abused animals

An exemplary judgment demanded by One Voice for a woman and her abused animals
07.06.2017
France
An exemplary judgment demanded by One Voice for a woman and her abused animals
Domestic animals

A 29-year-old man attacked his partner and the family’s pets: two cats and a French bulldog. The incident involved violence, death threats, stabbing the cat, and dousing both the cat and the dog with bleach. On Friday, June 8, One Voice will file a civil suit in this tragic case, which once again highlights the link between violence against humans and animals.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017 Mr. B returns home, intoxicated. Taking the pretext that Moana, his one-year-old dog, had urinated on the toilet floor, he suddenly grabbed him by the cheeks and pretended to strangle him
in front of his partner who is also afraid.

Annoyed by the reaction of his partner, he tells her that he will go after her cats next. Unable to catch them, he grabbed the dog by the leg to lock it in his transport cage. Armed with a kitchen knife, he then wounds Gandja one of the cats at its lower back, then shows the blade of the knife stained with blood to his partner, telling here that her cat is dead.

The plight of the animals does not stop there because he grabs again the wounded Gandja and forces lactose powder into its nostrils before enclosing it in the transport cage along with Moana. He then puts the transport cage into the bath tub and sprinkles them with a toilet gel product and bleach tablets.

Ms. H is in turn abused and threatened with the knife as she tries to protect her animals. She manages, however, to leave the apartment while her attacker sprinkles the animals with water and other products. She will eventually be rescued along with her animals a few minutes later by police doing their rounds in the neighbourhood.

The investigation will establish that this is not the first episode of violence against this woman and her dog. She will confess that a violent fight broke out a week before, during which he attacked Moana by throwing her against a wall.

Despite the seriousness of the acts committed and the threats made, Mrs. H decided to return to married life, like many battered women, and to keep her animals near her.

One Voice, who was a representative civil party, will be present during the trial which will take place on June 8 in Lorient to ask for protection and compensation for the cat Gandja and the dog Moana.

Muriel Arnal, president of One Voice says: “We are very concerned about the plight of the victims of this case when they return to their abuser. Animals being the first victims of violent individuals allows their torturers to assert their power and to reign terror on the children and their spouses. Several studies have shown this behaviour to be true. It is time for France to adopt a real criminal policy for domestic violence involving pets. This is already the case in the United States, which allows for temporary or definitive custody measures of the animals.”

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I am an animal, an original exhibition in Paris

I am an animal, an original exhibition in Paris
06.06.2017
Paris
I am an animal, an original exhibition in Paris
Other campaign or multi-campaigns of One Voice

In central Paris, on the 29th of June, at the invitation of One Voice, Jo-Anne McArthur will present her thoughts on a selection of her best portraits. On display in an exhibition open until the 28th of August, each image describes a life, tells a story, talks about an existence… And gives hope to changing points of view.

From the 29th of June to the 28th of August, the town hall in the 2nd arrondissement (district) in Paris will host Jo-Anne McArthur’s photographic exhibition, organised by One Voice.

On the 29th of June, the artist will be present for an exceptional conference, during which she will talk about her experience with each of the individuals on display.

A photo is not just a moment in time. It can also tell a story. Each of these individuals immortilised by Jo-Anne has a life, has his or her own existence. From their birth until the moment the photo is taken, they have grown, lived, had experiences, experienced emotions, and shared with others. They are an integrated part of this world. Their destiny has been shaped by the human. By saving them or condemning them, by imprisoning them or freeing them, by exploiting or showing them respect, the human has irrevocably influenced their life-path.

The moment captured by Jo-Anne is sometimes beautiful, often terrible. For the person discovering it it provokes strong emotion, a wake up call. And these lives, changed by the human, could modify the human in return. Perhaps these captured moments will help save lives, a flicker of the past painting the future…

For One Voice, working with Jo-Anne was an obvious choice. Her work captures the individuality of each being that she has come across, which One Voice is defending and wants to to be made known. They are animal people with their own experiences, and above all, the need to be protected. By organising this exhibition, One Voice hopes to touch people’s hearts, change the way they look at these sentient beings, and influence current practices.