Beauval Dolphinarium: Press release

Beauval Dolphinarium: Press release
05.06.2026
Saint Aignan
Beauval Dolphinarium: Press release
Exploitation for shows

By authorising Beauval Zoo (Loir-et-Cher) to establish a ‘centre for the study, scientific research and conservation of dolphins’, the prefecture has just taken a further step towards the opening of a new dolphinarium in France. One Voice, which has long denounced this captivity project disguised as a scientific centre, rejects this new direction: planned breeding, concrete pools, eventual transfers to other parks and an approach which is primarily economic, to the detriment of the dolphins’ welfare.

The project is not new, and One Voice has been campaigning against it for months. But with this authorisation, it has reached a decisive milestone: administrative approval, which the organisation fully intends to challenge. Its lawyers have immediately begun reviewing the case file.

Beauval would take in, on the one hand, the 11 dolphins from Planète Sauvage (Port-Saint-Père), whose dolphinarium is due to close, and, on the other hand, 8 of the 12 dolphins from Marineland, which is already closed to the public. According to the latest announcement by Mathieu Lefèvre, Minister for Ecological Transition, the dolphins from Marineland would first be sent to Spain; eight of them would then return to France, to Beauval, once the facility is ready. A round trip between France and Spain – traumatic for these animals – only to end up… in yet another dolphinarium.

A ‘research and conservation’ label that doesn’t hold water

One does not study wild animals in captivity, except to measure the effects of that captivity on them. As for ‘conservation’, the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is not an endangered species. The IUCN classifies it as of ‘least concern’. This classification serves only one purpose: to fulfil the requirement for a research programme in order to be authorised to keep dolphins.

The zoo will join the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP): in other words, it will carry out breeding programmes. However, breeding is in no way necessary for the dolphins’ welfare, and no reputable scientific literature supports this, as Dr Pierre Gallego, a veterinary surgeon and marine biologist specialising in cetaceans, points out in his analysis of the project.

The announced dimensions – around 10,000 m² of water surface area and 30,000 m³ of reconstituted seawater – remain derisory for animals that, in the wild, readily travel 50 to 90 km a day. Self-aware and possessing a vocal signature unique to each individual, dolphins are constantly making choices: choosing their partners, avoiding conflict, diving, hunting. No tank allows for this, and the resulting chronic stress seriously undermines their health.

Finally, during the consultation process, the facility clearly considered transferring dolphins to other dolphinariums, including those in China. This is the exact opposite of sanctuaries.

The water in the pools will need to be treated continuously. Yet the licence was granted without an environmental impact assessment: it is surprising that such a decision was taken without evaluating the impact of such a facility on the environment.

The only solution: genuine marine sanctuaries

The calculation is primarily financial. In captivity, dolphins are a money-spinner: sought-after shows, educational presentations, births, and transfers from one zoo to another. A sanctuary, on the other hand, brings in no revenue – no performances, no breeding, no resale: just a cost, with no commercial return.

By approving Beauval, the State is embracing this profit-driven logic and prioritising the profitability of an industry over the welfare of animals for which it is responsible. Reduced to mere assets to be monetised, the dolphins are paying the price. One Voice refuses to go along with this.

“There is no such thing as a magical sanctuary,” declared the minister. That is untrue. In Taranto, the San Paolo Dolphin Refuge, which One Voice helped to fund, is set to welcome its first dolphins as early as this summer: proof that, with political will, creating this type of sanctuary in Europe is a realistic prospect. Building a sanctuary is, in fact, simpler than erecting a dolphinarium, however attractive it may be to visitors… But it requires the courage to embark on this ecological transition, which the ministry of the same name is methodically working to scupper.

“First, we were sold the idea of a sanctuary. Then came breeding, then exports, even to China: the mask has slipped. Studying and ‘conserving’ dolphins in captivity – when they aren’t even an endangered species – is utterly cynical. We stopped a dolphinarium from being built in Beauval in 2016; together with scientists and our partners across Europe, we will see this through to the end once again.” Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice

One Voice will fight the creation of this dolphinarium by every means possible. If the dolphins were to be shunted off to Spain, abandoned in Valencia or locked up in a new dolphinarium in Beauval, the French people who have campaigned to close dolphinariums would see their wishes flouted. A new dolphinarium in France in 2026 would be outrageous. The organisation is launching a campaign and calls on all those who love dolphins to stand ready: marine sanctuaries are the only acceptable solution – a credible solution, provided there is political courage.

Beauval Dolphinarium: Press release

One Voice condemns the prefecture’s approval of the Beauval dolphinarium

Jumbo’s Distress: Press Release

Jumbo’s Distress: Press Release
02.06.2026
Orthez
Jumbo’s Distress: Press Release
Exploitation for shows

On 29 May, when the Zavatta-Muller Circus was in Orthez (64), investigators from One Voice filmed the hippopotamus Jumbo frantically banging his head against the wall of his trailer. This repetitive behaviour is a sign of distress. Held captive for nearly forty years by the Muller family, Jumbo is now due to be in Serres-Castet (64) from 5 to 7 June. Despite the proven mistreatment he has suffered, and the breaches of the law relating to his appalling conditions of captivity, nothing has changed for him.

As a semi-aquatic and gregarious animal, Jumbo should be spending up to sixteen hours a day submerged in water and walking every night in search of food. For nearly forty years, he has been kept alone in a metal trailer, without access to a suitable pool. Severely overweight, he suffers from significant joint pain: wildlife vets have deemed his state of health to be extremely worrying. And yet, he continues to be moved from town to town and put on display to the public.

Convictions, and yet impunity

The Muller family has long been known to the authorities. In 2020, the Criminal Court of Valence convicted Alexandre and Edmond Muller of ‘unlawful operation of aFor years, One Voice has been monitoring Jumbo, a captive hippopotamus at the Zavatta-Muller Circus, and documenting his movements week after week. At every stage, the same damning reality emerges. Footage filmed in Orthez, prior to the circus’s arrival in Serres-Castet for performances from 5 to 7 June, provides further chilling evidence of this.

A gesture of distress that they are trying to silence

In the video, Jumbo, submerged in the skip that serves as his pool, bangs his head against the metal wall, over and over again. This type of repetitive behaviour is characteristic of profound distress in an animal deprived of everything it needs to live: space, plenty of water, other creatures of its own kind, and the freedom to move about.

In the background, the circus trainer can be heard clearly shouting at him: ‘Jumbo, Jumbo, stop.’ For One Voice, this command is telling. It does not express concern for the animal, but rather a desire to put a stop to behaviour that is disruptive, because it lays bare, without ambiguity, what circuses seek to conceal: the distress of an animal condemned to survive in appalling conditions.

Nearly forty years in a metal trailer

n establishment keeping non-domestic animals; placing or keeping an animal in an environment causing suffering; and using an unsuitable method of confinement likely to cause suffering or injury’. These charges directly concerned the living conditions imposed on Jumbo.

An order to seize the hippopotamus had even been issued before the hearing. It failed due to the violence opposed by the circus operators. And despite the conviction, Jumbo remained in their hands. Since then, reports and complaints have been pouring in, yet nothing has changed.

Get Jumbo out of there. Now.

No animal should spend its life in a trailer. No animal belongs in a circus. As the Zavatta-Muller Circus prepares to set up in Serres-Castet from 5 to 7 June, One Voice is calling on the authorities to commission an independent assessment and to finally take action on Jumbo’s behalf.

Jumbo is not an act. He is not an attraction. This elderly hippopotamus no longer belongs on the road, but in a sanctuary. There is still time to rescue him.

One Voice invites the general public to sign its petition: Let’s save Jumbo!.

Jumbo’s distress: Press release

The Muller Circus: a new video shows Jumbo banging his head in distress, just days before his arrival in Serres-Castet

Action against bullfighting: Press release

Action against bullfighting: Press release
01.06.2026
France
Action against bullfighting: Press release
Exploitation for shows

As part of the 5th edition of Day Against Bullfighting, One Voice and its local branches are taking action throughout June 2026 across France. From Saint-Étienne to Toulouse, thirteen rallies will serve as a reminder that the torture of an animal cannot be an entertainment.

• Surrounded by barriers, the bulls have no way out. For every bull that enters the arena, death awaits at the end of a long ordeal, amidst the shouts of the crowd. This suffering – applauded, staged and displayed to families – is nothing but violence. Bullfighting is no contest on equal terms: it is organised killing, disguised as tradition and art.

  Through its regular investigations, One Voice exposes its true nature – one of brutality and torture – and fights against the continuation of bullfighting in all its forms. Recently, its legal action led to the cancellation of a bullfight scheduled to take place in La Brède (33).

  Thirteen events, from 6 to 28 June

  From 6 to 28 June, One Voice volunteers will gather in thirteen towns to inform the public and give a voice to the bulls and horses that fall victim to bullfighting. Stalls, events and marches will mark this month of campaigning.

  “Bullfighting is an exception to the law that prohibits and severely punishes the kind of cruelty inflicted on bulls in the arenas, all in the name of tradition. While other countries are moving forward, France continues to allow the torture of animals in full view of children, with the backing of heavy subsidies. Such violence and cowardice leave one at a loss for words.” Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice.

  Events:

  • Saint-Étienne (42) — Saturday 6 June, Place de l’Hôtel de Ville. March, 10 am – 12 noon.
  • Montpellier (34) — Saturday 6 June, Place de la Comédie. Information stand, demonstration and leafleting, 11 am – 1 pm.
  • Captieux (33) — Sunday 7 June, Place du 8-Mai. Information stand and leafleting, 2.30 pm – 6 pm.
  • Nice (06) — Friday 12 June, Pointe de Rauba-Capeu. Information stand, street performance and leafleting, 6 pm – 7.30 pm.
  • Metz (57) — Saturday 13 June, Rue Winston-Churchill. Information stand, street performance and leafleting, 2 pm – 5 pm.
  • Limoges (87) — Saturday 13 June, 87 Rue Louis-Armand. Information stand, street performance and leafleting, 2.30 pm – 4 pm.
  • Fréjus (83) — Sunday 14 June, Boulevard de la Libération, Sablettes Beach roundabout. Information stand, street performance and leafleting, 10 am – 11.30 am.
  • Marseille (13) — Sunday 14 June, Quai du Vieux-Port. Information stand, event and leafleting, 5 pm – 6.30 pm.
  • Troyes (10) — Saturday 20 June, Place de l’Hôtel de Ville. Information stand, event and leafleting, 2.30 pm – 5 pm.
  • Bar-le-Duc (55) — Saturday 20 June, 10 boulevard de La Rochelle. Information stand and leafleting, 10 am – 12 noon.
  • Paris (75) — Saturday 20 June, starting from place Valhubert, street performance at the Arènes de Lutèce. March, street performance and leafleting, 2 pm.
  • La Rochelle (17) — Sunday 28 June, Place des Petits-Bancs. Information stand, event and leafleting, 2.30 pm – 5 pm.
  • Toulouse (31) — Sunday 28 June, Square Charles-de-Gaulle. Information stand and leafleting, 10 am – 12 noon.

  Venues and times are subject to change: details and registration on the events’ Facebook pages.

  Further information

  • National event: facebook.com/events/999634609109565
  • The petition: stop-corrida.fr
  • One Voice’s campaign against bullfighting: one-voice.fr/nos-combats/corrida

  Action against bullfighting: Press release

  Bullfighting: in June, One Voice is taking action in thirteen towns to give a voice to the bulls and horses

  
  /corrida

Animals at the Muller circuses in the face of extreme heat: Press release

Animals at the Muller circuses in the face of extreme heat: Press release
26.05.2026
Bourges
Animals at the Muller circuses in the face of extreme heat: Press release
Exploitation for shows

With temperatures having exceeded 30 degrees across France for several days now, One Voice is alarmed by the conditions in which animals are kept by several circuses run by the Muller family. The organisation’s investigators have observed that animals – particularly big cats – are being kept in overheated metal trailers, sometimes without visible access to water, and are only taken out into tiny cages placed on the scorching tarmac. This is a dire situation for these captive animals, some of whom do not even take part in the shows, in breach of the law.

For several weeks now, One Voice has been tracking the movements of three circuses owned by the Muller family:

• Grand Cirque Zavatta, currently in Orthez (64) from 29 to 31 May;
• Cirque Franco-Belge, based in Avignon from 23 to 31 May;
• Cirque Hartini, in Evreux from 29 May to 7 June.

Everywhere, the same damning findings.

Wild animals locked in trailers in the heat

Our investigators observed several lions and tigers locked in cramped trailers, pacing round in circles and exhibiting stereotypical behaviours characteristic of profound psychological distress. When they were let out, it was only into small wire cages set up on the tarmac, with no shade or environmental enrichment. And this did not even happen consistently… As early as April, we documented lions and tigers being kept in trailers at the Hartini-Muller Circus, as well as animals held directly on the tarmac without bedding.

Even more seriously: our teams found no water basins for some of the tigers, even though this minimum requirement is laid down by regulations and becomes vital during periods of extreme heat. In some trailers, no visible access to water bowls was observed.

These animals, who are being held illegally, should be living in sanctuaries, on grass, in the shade of trees, with space, the company of other animals of their own kind, and appropriate care. Not in metal cages turned into rolling ovens.

A family with a history of offences

The Muller family has long been known to the authorities and animal welfare organisations. In particular, One Voice has for years been monitoring the tragic situation of Jumbo, a captive hippopotamus exploited by the Zavatta Circus, whose state of health has been deemed extremely worrying by independent vets.

In 2020, Alexandre and Edmond Muller were convicted of:

• unauthorised operation of an establishment keeping non-domestic animals;
• keeping animals in conditions causing suffering;
• inappropriate housing likely to cause injury and suffering.

Despite these convictions, and despite repeated reports, nothing has changed. Worse still: the animals continue to be moved from town to town in a constant attempt to evade scrutiny, which complicates inspections and prevents any effective intervention.

Animals kept illegally, but never seized

These circuses continue to flout the law. Offences are on the rise. Young wild animals clearly born in the circus – despite breeding being prohibited – animals that do not take part in the shows, and recent acquisitions of wild animals should lead to immediate seizures. One Voice recently revealed the illegal acquisition of new ostriches by the major Zavatta Circus, yet no action has been taken.

In the face of these repeated violations, the authorities’ inaction is becoming intolerable.

The authorities turn a blind eye whilst wild animals suffocate in cage lorries. This institutional cowardice allows circus operators with multiple convictions to continue their exploitation with complete impunity. Our organisation is gathering evidence and bringing increasing numbers of legal actions, and will continue its fight until the last captive wild animal has been transferred to a sanctuary – the only acceptable outcome.

Animals are not attractions. They were not born to live confined on tarmac, behind scorching bars, at the mercy of touring schedules and extreme temperatures.

Animals at the Muller circuses in the face of extreme heat: Press Release

Extreme heat: One Voice is concerned for the health of the animals crammed into their trailers at the Muller family’s circuses

 

At the Muller Circus, Jumbo is not the only animal being illegally abused

At the Muller Circus, Jumbo is not the only animal being illegally abused
21.05.2026
France
At the Muller Circus, Jumbo is not the only animal being illegally abused
Exploitation for shows

Since 1 December 2023, travelling circuses are no longer been permitted to acquire, sell or breed wild animals. However, at the Muller Zavatta Circus, two ostriches were purchased illegally in October 2025 to replace animals that had died. Despite official reports and damning administrative documents, no action has been taken. This is yet another example of the impunity still enjoyed by circuses that feature animals.

Two ostriches acquired in breach of the law

The documents we have obtained prove it: the two ostriches currently held by the Muller Zavatta Circus were acquired on 2 October 2025. These new animals, two males, were reportedly brought in to replace the circus’s previous ostriches who had died.

However, this purchase is illegal. Since 1 December 2023, the acquisition, sale and breeding of wild animals have been banned in travelling circuses. This ban was intended to pave the way for the phasing out of wild animals in circuses by 2028. Yet, despite several inspection reports, administrative documents and letters confirming in black and white the presence of these ostriches, nothing is being done. No action has been taken. To date, there has been no seizure, no penalty and no legal proceedings.

Breeding, acquisition: same battle

The acquisition of new animals is not the only problem. Since that same date, 1 December 2023, the breeding of wild animals in circuses has also been banned.

The Muller family, moreover, is no stranger to breaches of the law: no later than last summer, we exposed the presence of tiger cubs in cage lorries.

And the examples are stacking up. Last April, the Cirque Franco-Belge proudly displayed lion cubs. In 2024, our investigation into the Cirque Claudio Zavatta revealed similar findings.

The message this sends is disastrous: despite political announcements and promises of transition, certain establishments continue to buy and breed animals as if the 2028 deadline did not exist.

But what will become of all these animals in a few months’ time? Every birth, every new acquisition adds yet another animal to the number that will have to be taken in by already overcrowded sanctuaries.

Above all, these irresponsible practices demonstrate a determination to continue animal exploitation and the pursuit of profit to the very end.

A law rendered toothless by the government’s inaction

Nearly five years after the law of 30 November 2021 was passed, the implementing decrees setting out the penalties have still not been published.

The result: offences are identified, documented and known by the authorities… yet circuses continue to act with complete impunity. Worse still: the State stubbornly persists in supporting them and propping them up financially, preparing to distribute hundreds of thousands of euros of public money. The message is disastrous.

The two ostriches at the Muller Zavatta Circus are not merely an ‘administrative detail’: they symbolise the State’s current failure to enforce its own laws.

As the 2028 deadline approaches, circuses continue to flout the bans with complete impunity. And whilst the authorities dither, the animals continue to be mistreated, moved around and paraded like mere commodities. Jumbo is a glaring example of this. On behalf of him and his fellow sufferers, we have lodged a new request. For the sake of all those who are suffering, sign our petition and let’s put a stop to the exploitation of animals in circuses. 

Stop using animals in circuses! Sign the petition

At the Muller Circus, Jumbo is not the only animal being illegally abused

Ostriches acquired and kept illegally: the Muller Circus’s persistent impunity.

Stop aux animaux dans les cirques ! Signez la pétition Stop aux animaux dans les cirques ! Signez la pétition Stop aux animaux dans les cirques ! Signez la pétition Stop aux animaux dans les cirques ! Signez la pétition Stop aux animaux dans les cirques ! Signez la pétition Stop aux animaux dans les cirques ! Signez la pétition Stop aux animaux dans les cirques ! Signez la pétition Stop aux animaux dans les cirques ! Signez la pétition Stop aux animaux dans les cirques ! Signez la pétition Stop aux animaux dans les cirques ! Signez la pétition