News Archive - Page 4 of 141

“Au Cœur des Félins” in the Tarn region: illegal breeding and exploitation of wild animals, the scandal continues with impunity

“Au Cœur des Félins” in the Tarn region: illegal breeding and exploitation of wild animals, the scandal continues with impunity
19.09.2025
Tarn, France
“Au Cœur des Félins” in the Tarn region: illegal breeding and exploitation of wild animals, the scandal continues with impunity
Exploitation for shows

Despite the ban in force since 2023 on breeding wild animals in circuses, illegal births continue to occur with impunity. In the Tarn region, the case of the establishment called “Au cœur des félins” illustrates the excesses of a system on its last legs, between animal exploitation, flouted laws and the silence of the authorities. Meanwhile, tigers are being born… to a life in captivity.

Caged tigers, trampled laws, complicit silence: for how much longer?

In the summer of 2024, our association was alerted by the inhabitants of Terre-de-Bancalié in the Tarn region to the arrival of a trainer and his circus, ironically named “Au cœur des félins” (At the heart of big cats). In his garden, surrounded by makeshift fences, the lion Malish and the two tigers Thor and Maya are held inside a cage truck. Behind so-called “educational visits” lies a sordid exploitation, disguised as a reskilling project. Circus acts with sticks in hand and training stools… The place has nothing to do with a refuge… but everything with a business. In short, it is still a case of training, submission, confinement.

Maya, who died at the age of ten, was quickly replaced. And already, there are little ones

In the spring of 2025, we learned of the death of the tigress Maya, euthanised following kidney failure. She was not even ten years old. It is a tragedy — but also a wake-up call regarding the conditions in which these animals are kept. No sooner had Maya disappeared than she was unscrupulously replaced by another tigress, Valentina. A few weeks later, she gave birth: three tiger cubs were born on 30 June 2025. These births were no coincidence. Although illegal, they were not accidental.

A breeding ban in force since 2023: so what?

For almost two years now, the breeding of wild animals in travelling circuses has been banned. The aim is to prevent new individuals from being condemned to a life in captivity, given that their presence will be prohibited by 2028. Shelters and sanctuaries are already full, and it is irresponsible to continue breeding wild animals that no one will be able to care for in the future.

However, nothing can stop certain trainers. This illegal triple birth is not an isolated case: in the summer of 2024, lion cubs were born in the circus of Claudio Zavatta; in the spring of 2025, tiger cubs were born in trailers belonging to the Mullers. These facts, which are known and documented, are multiplying amid the indifference of the authorities.

Where is the State? Where is the political will?

Reproduction is prohibited, but there are no controls. Laws are being passed, but they are allowed to be trampled on. The end of wild animals in circuses is announced for 2028, but young animals are allowed to be born who will have nowhere to go when that deadline arrives. And circus performers are receiving public funds for their “reskilling”. We know that shelters are full, and that there will never be enough space for all these animals. Every day that passes without any action from the authorities is another day where animals are born only to end up in cages.

It is not enough to ban: the law must be enforced, and now is the time to do it. Not in 2028. Not when it will be too late. Today, we are writing to the Prefect asking him to punish the establishment “Au cœur des félins” for this illegal breeding. To join us in calling for an end to animals in circuses, sign our petition!

Hunting season opens: One Voice is ready to fight back against attacks on animals

Hunting season opens: One Voice is ready to fight back against attacks on animals
12.09.2025
France
Hunting season opens: One Voice is ready to fight back against attacks on animals
Wildlife

As millions of animals are about to die from bullets and traps again this year, the hunting world is launching an unprecedented assault on animals, with the unwavering support of the government. All species are being targeted—from endangered birds to badgers—and all means are being used, even the most cruel, with accidents increasing at an alarming rate. We will be there everywhere to denounce this deadly pastime. The first hearings of the season at the Council of State will be held on September 19 at 11 a.m. against the shooting of endangered birds, and on September 22 at 11 a.m. against the return of traditional hunting.

Unwavering state support for hunters

After a trying summer marked by fires and repeated heat waves, animals are preparing to face a new scourge. Starting Sunday, with the general opening of the hunting season, they will have to face the assaults of an influential minority willing to do anything to defend an unjustifiable and outdated pastime, marred last season by a worrying resurgence of accidents.

And trigger-happy enthusiasts will defend their hobby tooth and nail, using all their influence: never before has a government bowed so much to their demands. Within a few days, net hunting—already declared illegal—was reauthorized in the southwest for 100,000 larks, and the slaughter of endangered birds was “regulated” by absurd quotas that allow unlimited killing. Faced with this relentless pressure, it is time to launch a counteroffensive.

From the field to the courts, it’s time for a general mobilization!

In the coming months, we will continue to take action to save as many lives as possible, from badgers extracted from their burrows to be killed to mountain galliformes, targeted by the hundreds as their populations decline, to pets such as Aslan and Cooper. Year after year, these battles are bearing fruit: together with our partner associations, we have achieved a significant decline in underground hunting and the suspension of dozens of authorizations throughout France.

While our requests to ban a dozen traps and the capture of wood pigeons with nets are ongoing, we will step up our actions, both in the field and in the courts. We will be present at the Council of State on September 19 at 11 a.m. to oppose the hunting of endangered birds, and on September 22 at 11 a.m. to oppose the return of Eurasian skylark trapping with nets in the southwest. We need your support in this fight: sign our petitions for radical reform and against traps!

So that “tradition” no longer goes with decapitation: in Saint-Bonnet-près-Riom, let’s demand an end to the “goose neck” game

So that “tradition” no longer goes with decapitation: in Saint-Bonnet-près-Riom, let’s demand an end to the “goose neck” game
11.09.2025
Saint-Bonnet-près-Riom, Puy-de-Dôme, France
So that “tradition” no longer goes with decapitation: in Saint-Bonnet-près-Riom, let’s demand an end to the “goose neck” game
Exploitation for shows

From Beaux to Lesmont via Arfeuilles, every year young people celebrate their coming of age by tearing off the heads of geese and rabbits suspended by their legs. While some municipalities have abandoned this shameful practice thanks to public pressure, others remain stubborn. This is the case in Saint-Bonnet-près-Riom, in the Puy-de-Dôme region, where these sad festivities are scheduled to take place on September 21. We are once again calling for a total ban on this macabre spectacle wherever it is still practiced.

No tradition can ever justify the mutilation of animal carcasses

Dead geese and rabbits are hung by their hind legs from ropes above the road. Young people perched on horses ride underneath, grab their necks, and pull with all their strength until the flesh gives way and the heads are torn off. All this to the cheers of a laughing audience for whom animals are nothing more than objects of amusement. This is the game of goose neck as practiced for instance in Saint-Bonnet-près-Riom, where we investigated in 2023 before filing a complaint.

After banning it under pressure in 2024, the city council decided to reverse its decision this year, praising a “new organization”… whose main objective is to lock down the event: private security, a secret location, hand-picked guests… But for the animals, nothing changes. They will continue to be killed in questionable conditions especially for the occasion, while the organizers still refuse to provide any details about their origin.

Enough talk, it’s time for action! Let’s demand a ban on this “spectacle”

Faced with these outdated customs, there is only one solution: massive citizen mobilization. From Beaux in the Haute-Loire region to Arfeuilles in the Allier region, we are multiplying our calls to denounce this barbarism that has been elevated to the status of tradition. In 2024, in Lesmont in the Aube region, the municipality banned decapitations. A few weeks ago, the prefect of the Allier region clearly reminded the mayor of Arfeuilles that this practice is also illegal.

Today, we are writing to the mayor to ask him once again to ban this event. We are also writing to the prefect of the Puy-de-Dôme region, who is required to intervene if the mayor refuses to do so. Every signature counts in supporting this fight: sign our petition now!

Say no to the goose neck game Say no to the goose neck game Say no to the goose neck game Say no to the goose neck game Say no to the goose neck game Say no to the goose neck game Say no to the goose neck game Say no to the goose neck game Say no to the goose neck game Say no to the goose neck game

Hearing for two abused dogs finally seized

Hearing for two abused dogs finally seized
09.09.2025
Alpes-Maritimes
Hearing for two abused dogs finally seized
Domestic animals

In February 2025, One Voice was alerted by one of its activists to a disturbing case. The police and several animal welfare organizations had just seized two dogs from a home in Nice. Locked up in appalling conditions, they were severely emaciated and injured. The couple who were supposed to be caring for them will be tried by the Nice legal tribunal on Tuesday, September 16, at 8:30 a.m. We will be there as a civil party.

Those who rescued Kingston and Thanos witnessed a scene of horror. Seen with a man on the street a few days earlier, the two dogs were living in a filthy apartment, the first imprisoned in a cage and the second tied to the toilet by a short leash… and a choke collar. The Dogo Argentino and American Staffordshire Terrier were both thin, weak, and frightened, and had injuries. Their fear is not surprising given the virulence with which the resident put their muzzles on under the horrified gaze of the police officers present… Thanks to their efforts and those of the Monaco SPA, the Vence SPACA and the Espoir des Petites Pattes association, Kingston and his companion in misery were immediately taken to safety. The veterinarians who examined them confirmed their condition and even detected a purulent ear infection in Thanos.

Victims of human irresponsibility

The man who owned Kingston and Thanos denies everything. He claims to have left his home about ten days earlier and given his keys to a friend. This friend would therefore be entirely responsible for the dogs’ dire condition… but the man refuses to reveal his identity. A phantom culprit—how convenient. The fact remains that his partner, in whose name the animals were registered, and he himself are being prosecuted for abandonment, mistreatment, and offenses relating to the ownership of a first or second category dog.

How much longer will animals be sold via click & collect by pet stores, at puppy shows, or through classified ads on the Internet? How many more animals will be abandoned and put down in pounds as a result of this shameless commodification? While Kingston and Thanos were saved in time, this is far from the case for all those animals that humans tire of…

To bring their voices before the courts, we will be present at the Nice legal tribunal on Tuesday, September 16, at 8:30 a.m.

Birds in danger: One Voice refers to the Council of State to suspend hunting

Birds in danger: One Voice refers to the Council of State to suspend hunting
02.09.2025
France
Birds in danger: One Voice refers to the Council of State to suspend hunting
Wildlife

While bird populations are collapsing in France, where they are bearing the brunt of climate change and intensified agriculture, the government has issued a decree authorizing the killing of hundreds of thousands of them, even though their species are endangered. In response to this irresponsible decision, we are today referring the matter to the Council of State and urgently requesting the suspension of hunting for nine particularly vulnerable species. More than ever, we continue to call for a complete ban on this unjustifiable leisure activity, especially at a time when biodiversity is collapsing. Hearing on September 19 at 11 a.m. at the Council of State.

Another setback in the face of hunting lobbies

Once again, the government has chosen to appease hunters rather than protect birds. The restrictions initially envisaged have been greatly watered down under pressure from hunting lobbies. As with traditional trapping, already condemned by the courts thanks to our actions, and turtle doves, for which hunting is set to be reopened after years of suspension, the executive has backed down, sacrificing tens of thousands of lives on the altar of the interests of a minority.

The decree claims to regulate the hunting of 15 species of migratory birds. In reality, the quotas set are absurd. Fifteen birds per day per hunter, with nearly a million permits, potentially represents nearly 15 million birds killed every day… This is yet another cosmetic measure that will provide no real protection for birds, who are the eternal victims of humans for whom nature is nothing more than a playground.

We demand that hunting be suspended!

In response to this irresponsible decision, we have made a request to the Council of State and urgently referred the matter to the urgent applications judge. We are calling for the immediate suspension of hunting for nine particularly endangered species: common quails, pintails, wigeons, shovelers, common pochards, tufted ducks, redwings, garganeys, and Eurasian teals.

Beyond this request, which will be heard on September 19 at 11 a.m. at the Council of State, we are once again calling for a complete ban on hunting, an unjustifiable pastime, especially in this era of the sixth mass extinction. Together, let’s make the birds’ voices heard: sign to demand an end to this deadly pastime!

The government is persecuting skylarks: we are once again referring to the Council of State

The government is persecuting skylarks: we are once again referring to the Council of State
02.09.2025
France
The government is persecuting skylarks: we are once again referring to the Council of State
Wildlife

Hunters using nets will be able to kill 100,000 skylarks in the coming months. Attracted by the desperate cries of other birds used as “decoys”, they will land on the ground. The nets will close violently around them. Once collected, they will either be kept for the next hunt or die one by one from a twisted neck. Despite dozens of court rulings condemning this method of capture in the context of this type of hunting in the Southwest and Grand Est regions, the State is sticking to its guns, showing contempt for animals and the (few) rules that are supposed to protect them. We are asking the Council of State to immediately suspend this decree, which once again contravenes the “Birds” directive.

Tens of thousands of lives trampled on in the name of a “tradition”

Long an integral part of the French countryside, the song of the larks is gradually dying out. In just a few years, breeding populations have declined by 28 to 39%, and those that spend the winter in France by nearly 49%. Yet they continue to be hunted on a massive scale, including with archaic capture methods that cause unacceptable suffering.

For years, our legal actions against these outdated practices have been bearing fruit. Glue, stone traps, “pantes” (nets), and “matoles” (cages)… from the Court of Justice of the European Union to the Council of State, the courts have ruled in our favor, request after request. But in France, everything works as if the hunting lobby were more powerful than the justice system. And that is something we will never accept.

Hunters give the orders, the State obeys

In 2023, the government already attempted to reauthorize nets in five departments under the guise of a pseudo-“scientific experiment”,which fooled no one. In the Ardennes, the only department for which the courts have ruled to date, the decree was overturned and the captures were deemed illegal.

Today, the Ministry of Ecological Transition is going even further and openly defying both birds and judges. For the 2025-2026 season, it has just decided that 98,702 larks may be captured and killed in Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, and Pyrénées-Atlantiques—not counting those that will die from shotgun pellets.

For an immediate suspension of the massacres

A few days after making a request to end the hunting of wood pigeons with nets, we are asking the Council of State to immediately suspend the killings. Larks should not have to die to entertain a few thrill-seeking humans. They have the right to live, fly, and sing, and we will fight for them for as long as it takes.

Now that we have taken the matter to the Council of State, we need your support more than ever to fight this battle. If, like 83% of French people (Ipsos/One Voice survey, October 2022), you are opposed to these practices, please sign the petition, especially to put an end to the most cruel hunting practices!

After the flames, bullets? Calling for a ban on hunting in the Aude region

After the flames, bullets? Calling for a ban on hunting in the Aude region
02.09.2025
Aude
After the flames, bullets? Calling for a ban on hunting in the Aude region
Wildlife

The year 2025 was marked by record-breaking fires. In the Aude region, a woman lost her life. Thousands of hectares of vegetation were reduced to ashes. And how many animals, trapped by the flames, lost their lives? Yet, as if nothing had happened, hunting season is about to open in the region. One Voice is officially asking the prefect to take action by suspending hunting for the coming season.

Year after year, a veritable massacre

They are already bearing the brunt of the effects of heat waves, climate change, agriculture, and rampant urbanization. Now they must also face massive fires that recur year after year, such as those that ravaged the Aude region this summer. Birds, mammals, batrachians, insects… Disoriented by the smoke, they are unable to flee and suffer the unbearable assault of the fire.

Those that do not die will have no shelter in which to recover and heal their wounds. No more water or food, only dead tree trunks as far as the eye can see. Despite this heartbreaking situation, and while volunteers on site are trying to rescue them, hunters are preparing their guns, just a few days before the opening of the 2025-2026 season.

Sign to ban hunting in disaster areas!

We do not accept that bullets should follow flames. Nearly nine out of ten French people (87%) are in favor of banning this activity in forests affected by drought (Ipsos/One Voice survey, October 2023), a common-sense measure that is nevertheless opposed by the authorities, who are too busy defending the interests of trigger-happy people.

To demand an immediate halt to shooting and give the animals a little respite, we invite you to sign the petitions launched by Futur Asso and a committed citizen calling for a truce. And we are writing to the Prefect of the Aude region: Mr. Prefect: ban hunting this year!

Bird trapping with glue, illegal possession and release of wild animals… Two men brought to justice

Bird trapping with glue, illegal possession and release of wild animals… Two men brought to justice
01.09.2025
Var
Bird trapping with glue, illegal possession and release of wild animals… Two men brought to justice
Wildlife

In Carcès (Var), two men were questioned for possessing about twenty turtles and wild birds, some of which belonged to protected species, without any authorization. In addition to keeping these animals in captivity, several of which were seized in a worrying condition, they are accused of capturing them in the wild, in particular using glue traps, and of releasing individuals of invasive alien species. We hope for an exemplary verdict at the end of the hearing, which will be held at the Draguignan legal tribunal on September 4 at 8:45 a.m.

Just as others collect stamps, these residents of Carcès kept around twenty wild animals in their home. A complaint from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Bird Protection League (LPO) prompted the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB) to launch an investigation into what was going on in this house. The search carried out on site in November 2024 speaks for itself: no fewer than 22 Hermann’s tortoises, two Asian rose-ringed parakeets, a grosbeak, a European greenfinch, and a song thrush were seized. And they are not the only ones to have fallen into the hands of these individuals.

Abuse and irresponsibility

How did all these animals end up in their captivity? Although the defendants deny having captured any birds in the wild, explaining that they “found them […] on the ground, injured or in poor condition” and took them in to care for them, the findings of the investigation formally contradict their statements. Traces of glue were found on the birds’ feathers, an undeniable sign that they had struggled in birdlime, an extremely cruel hunting technique which, in addition to injuring its targets, is completely non-selective. One might also question the so-called care they were supposedly given, given their dire condition at the time of the search. One had wounds above its beak, a second had a locked up shoulder and a large bruise, and a third had all the quills on its right wing broken, among other injuries. This calls into question the qualities of their “caretakers”…

Did they also think they were doing the right thing by releasing rose-ringed parakeets and red-eared sliders, classified as invasive alien species, into the wild, which is strictly prohibited? What became of them, left to fend for themselves in an environment that was not their own and whose ecosystem they would inevitably disrupt?

These are sentient beings, not trophies or commodities!

For more than ten years, one of the defendants had been posting photos of himself on social media with a kite, squirrels, falcons, and many others. Once again, humans have messed around by subjugating wild animals on a whim, like Akilla‘s “owner”, and at the risk of their lives. While the birds and turtles locked up in Carcès over the years do not appear to have been victims of trafficking in addition to everything else, this is far from always being the case in these dark affairs. Wildlife trafficking is one of the most lucrative illegal trades, along with drugs and weapons. And it is the animals that pay the price. We will not tolerate them continuing to suffer this fate with impunity.

We will be present as a civil party at the hearing to be held at the Draguignan legal tribunal September 4 at 8:45 a.m. We expect the judges to defend all wild animals that have been illegally captured, transported, confined, and released.

In Paris, the horse-racing lobby is advertising to young people at the expense of horses

In Paris, the horse-racing lobby is advertising to young people at the expense of horses
29.08.2025
Paris
In Paris, the horse-racing lobby is advertising to young people at the expense of horses
Other campaign or multi-campaigns of One Voice

The Place de la Concorde is set to become a place for promoting horse racing to children. With attendance levels declining, the sector is trying to charm young audiences in particular in order to inspire vocations—which remain professional animal abuse—and win new addicts. By authorizing this event, the capital is moving far away from the principles of its “Charter for Animal Welfare”. One Voice reminds us that behind the illusory promises of profit, there is still just as much animal and human misery. We are calling out to the city council.

An unacceptable charm “offensive”

On September 5 and 6, France Galop, race organizer and co-owner of the PMU, will offer a promotional event in the heart of the capital, disguised as a “big popular festival open to all and completely free”.

This lobby—which is very active, with programs on channels targeting young people or specializing in sports, and confident of its protection—openly announces its ambition to “win over new audiences”. It has support in high places, as we recently condemned, with even the government mobilizing, concerned about the risk of a decline in betting.

It is inconceivable to organize “fun” activities and demonstrations to recruit young minds into this environment that exploits living beings pushed to the extreme. Finally, what can be said about such promotion of gambling, a source of addiction and excessive debt?

The methods of horse exploitation: a carefully maintained opacity

Submission and pressure to perform are constant. Scandals involving doping and mutilation for profit are legion. In this environment, there is no consideration for these sentient beings, from their forced conception to their premature death.

The industry, with a turnover of ten billion euros, does not want citizens to be aware of the heavy toll it takes on horses.

The proof is that the only figure available, obtained “through insistence” by the newspaper Libération, is as follows: in 2019, 135 horses died during competition. This figure has remained stable for thirty years, representing approximately 4,000 deaths over this period.

Added to this are the horses slaughtered after races, those injured or exhausted, those that are unprofitable, which disappear into the food sector (representing 52% of those killed for their meat in France)…

One Voice calls out Paris City Council!

Why did the municipality authorize this immoral advertisement in one of our country’s most iconic public squares? This approval clearly contradicts its ambitions as voted on in an explicit charter. We are writing to the mayor and her team.

Join us in demanding that horses be granted the status of pets.

Traditional wood pigeon hunting has been criticized by the European Commission and must be abolished!

Traditional wood pigeon hunting has been criticized by the European Commission and must be abolished!
12.08.2025
Traditional wood pigeon hunting has been criticized by the European Commission and must be abolished!
Wildlife

On February 12, 2025, the European Commission referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The reason? In the South of France, hunters persist in killing wood pigeons with non-selective “pantes” and “pantières” (nets), the use of which is prohibited by the Birds Directive. We are once again taking a stand and calling for the repeal of the ministerial decrees authorizing these practices in five departments.

In the Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Gers, Gironde, and Pyrénées-Atlantiques regions, wood pigeons, attracted by the cries of other wood pigeons used as decoys, find themselves trapped in nets. When the trap reopens, it is only to allow their tormentors to finish them off. This “traditional” form of hunting is, however, banned throughout the European Union. So much so that every year since 2021, we have obtained from the Council of State the cancellation of the decrees authorizing capture using “pantes” and “matoles” (cages) in the region. The court rulings are clear: these methods are not selective and there are satisfactory alternatives. There is therefore no reason for them to be exempt. The European Commission, which had already issued a formal notice to France in 2019, has just reiterated this by taking further action against wood pigeon hunting.

The State and hunters are swimming against the flow…

Hunting with glue was declared illegal by the Council of State in 2021, and the use of “tendelles” (stone traps) was definitively banned in 2023… Thanks to the dozens of legal actions we have taken, traditional hunting practices are in the hot seat more than they ever were before. Much to the chagrin of trigger-happy hunters, who never tire of crying foul. Trapping wood pigeons, at the risk of injuring other birds, whatever they may say, is “in their DNA”, no less! And their cruel hobby should take precedence over everything else… These whims are supported by the State, which prefers gun owners and their hobby to nature, to the point of inventing the most absurd pretexts to revive these practices from another time…

… against animals already in decline

Birds are threatened on all sides: pesticides, insect increasing scarcity, urbanization, habitat loss… In nearly forty years, a quarter of these animals have disappeared from Europe. In November 2024, we even learned of the first extinction of a continental bird in the geographical area covering Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia: that of the slender-billed curlew. The collapse of biodiversity has never been so tangible. And those who have only one desire, to empty the sky of its survivors, dare to proclaim themselves defenders of nature! This deadly cynicism must stop.

For wood pigeons, which are now the only birds still captured using “pantes” and “pantières” in France, we are asking the ministry to put an end to this practice. If they refuse, we will take the matter to the Council of State. Join your voice to ours by signing our petition for a radical reform of hunting!