News Archive - Page 4 of 128

Downgrading, low numbers and a new “quota” to kill… When breeders and hunters want wolves dead

Downgrading, low numbers and a new “quota” to kill… When breeders and hunters want wolves dead
13.12.2024
France
Downgrading, low numbers and a new “quota” to kill… When breeders and hunters want wolves dead
Wildlife

While the international protection status of wolves has been abruptly downgraded, the number of “permits” to kill them has just been released for the year 2025. Intensive farmers are crying foul because the maximum number of wolves to be killed is lower than last year. What cynicism when we know how vulnerable and threatened these animals are on all sides.

Their population is dwindling? Let’s kill even more!

Their fate was seriously jeopardized on Tuesday December 3, when the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention voted to downgrade their species, which was “strictly protected” until then. Political institutions have given in to the tearful calls of agricultural lobbies and hunters who have no intention of sharing nature with wild animals.

As if that weren’t enough, the same people are still complaining about the December 12 announcement of the quota of wolves authorized to be killed in 2025: 192 of them can be shot with the approval of the authorities. A few days earlier, some were still calling for more. In other words, these wolves, like the hundreds that preceded them, are already doomed. Although the limit set is slightly lower than that for 2024 (209 individuals), the aim is still to allow wolves to be systematically massacred, at a time when packs are already extremely fragile and their numbers (1013) are clearly declining (1104 counted last September)… A (re)count that was, and still is, the subject of debate…

Lobbies dance on the bodies of wolves

By firmly opting to downgrade wolf protection, the member States of the European Council, led by France, have sworn their doom, preferring to kneel before the agricultural and hunting lobbies. This situation, which we have always denounced, can no longer continue! Not only do lethal shootings not limit the number of attacks, but they only aggravate the problems by dispersing packs and leaving many orphans by the wayside.

Yet, solutions for harmonious cohabitation do exist: all that’s needed is for breeders to agree to properly protect the animals they raise. 84% of French people deplore the fact that attacks occur on unprotected flocks. But those who fatten animals prefer to blame the wolves rather than take responsibility, which One Voice frequently takes to court.

We are already exploring all possibilities with our international partners to counter this appalling decision, which is also devoid of any scientific basis.

Sign to stop the persecution of wolves Sign to stop the persecution of wolves Sign to stop the persecution of wolves Sign to stop the persecution of wolves Sign to stop the persecution of wolves Sign to stop the persecution of wolves Sign to stop the persecution of wolves Sign to stop the persecution of wolves Sign to stop the persecution of wolves Sign to stop the persecution of wolves

Mandral case: breeder-hunter finally sentenced

Mandral case: breeder-hunter finally sentenced
13.12.2024
Mandral case: breeder-hunter finally sentenced
Hunting

After years of investigations, reports, legal actions and seizures, the trial of breeder-hunter Richard Mandral was held at the Limoges legal tribunal on November 29. We were there to speak out on behalf of all the dogs he had exploited for hunting, keeping them in unworthy conditions, and were partly heard. On December 13, he was sentenced to 4 months’ imprisonment under electronic surveillance and a fine, with no possibility of the dogs who were seized being returned to him.

It was in 2019 that we discovered the ill-treatment inflicted by Richard Mandral on the too many “hunting” dogs he kept locked up. Not giving them any attention, he let them wade in the mud and feed on the remains of other dogs who had not survived these unspeakable conditions. We immediately took action on their behalf, moving heaven and earth to bring them to safety. Repeated investigations, appeals to the authorities, complaints and emergency procedure… Our determination and the evidence we constantly provided were constantly thwarted by the immobilism of the Dordogne prefecture, when it wasn’t knowingly putting obstacles in our way, unconcerned about those who were, in its eyes, nothing more than “hunting” dogs. No matter, our tenacity paid off in the end: in 2020, we rescued 16 dogs from this hell, then some 70 more in 2024, even though their torturer had moved his activities to the Haute-Vienne region in an attempt to escape the proceedings initiated against him.

Richard Mandral will have to be accountable for his actions

On November 29, we were at the legal tribunal in Limoges to see justice done, at last, for the dozens of dogs who had fallen into the clutches of this individual. In front of the judges, he constantly tried to minimize his responsibility, daring to claim that he loved his animals. He would have us believe that he had nothing to do with the deaths, illnesses and suffering that were omnipresent on his sites. According to him, the only culprit was… the local SPA, guilty of not having been able to take in all his animals. While he himself let them reproduce ad infinitum without batting an eyelid… Who are we kidding?

Neither the president nor the prosecutor were fooled. Our images leave no room for doubt: Richard Mandral is an abuser. On Friday December 13, he was found guilty and sentenced to 4 months’ imprisonment under electronic surveillance, a fine, compensation for the plaintiffs and final confiscation of the dogs seized. A victory that remains incomplete, as the court chose to reclassify the acts of mistreatment as a contravention, failing to pronounce the ban on keeping animals that we had been asking for. The breeder will therefore be able to keep the animals he still has, with all the risks this entails. We are ready to resume proceedings should he have the bad idea of starting up again. A strong message addressed to all hunters who consider their dogs as mere tools to be put away after use.

Sign our petition to put an end to the impunity of the torturers of so-called “hunting” dogs, and to ensure that these dogs receive the proper treatment they deserve. Just like the 70 or so dogs we rescued in March, who are now discovering the sweetness of life in loving homes where they are sheltered, warm and fed to their fill. At last.

A bill to abolish groundhog hunting

A bill to abolish groundhog hunting
11.12.2024
France
A bill to abolish groundhog hunting
Wildlife

At the end of November 2024, members of parliament proposed an unprecedented bill to stop the slaughter of marmots in France! On the initiative of AJAS and with the momentum of a group of 15 associations, we have taken joint action to put a stop to this slaughter. The clock is ticking for these animals, which are unfortunately already victims of climate change and the invasion of the mountains by tourists.

In France, a thousand marmots are killed every year for the pleasure of hunters. There is an urgent need to protect them, especially as climate change and intensive tourism are steadily reducing their numbers. Many scientists even fear that they could disappear from our mountains!

An unprecedented bill

That’s why, at the end of November 2024, the MP from the Savoie region Jean-François Coulomne and over 80 other parliamentarians from the “La France Insoumise” and The Ecologists groups proposed a bill to abolish marmot hunting. This is an extremely powerful political gesture, as it is the first time that the cause of these animals has been defended in the National Assembly.

As the associations point out in a collective video, we need to follow the lead of Italy, which has already banned it since 1992. As usual, France is lagging behind when it comes to animal welfare!

A fight supported by associations and civil society

This initiative reinforces the many calls from civil society in support of the marmots. We sent a collective letter to the former Prime Minister and the former Minister for Ecological Transition, urging them to take action in this direction, through a coalition of associations, after an initial opinion column in September 2022, urging them to remove marmots from the list of huntable animals.

Together with AJAS, Animal Cross, AVES and FNE Savoie, we are also leading the fight for them in the courts, faced with the hunters’ wobbly arguments. More than 100,000 people have finally signed the petition to abolish their hunting.

Please add your voice to ours, so that marmots’ protection can be reinforced so that they can finally live in peace! It’s out of the question that gun owners continue to persecute these wonderful animals.

Constant illegalities and lack of sanctions at Institut Pasteur

Constant illegalities and lack of sanctions at Institut Pasteur
05.12.2024
Paris
Constant illegalities and lack of sanctions at Institut Pasteur
Animal testing

It took a two-year battle to obtain the inspection reports for six Parisian establishments. Although none of them are exemplary, those concerning the Institut Pasteur leave us speechless… Between confinement in overcrowded cages and brutal killings, One Voice reveals the daily life of animals destined to be experimented on.

Illustration of a mouse in a laboratory 2007

Profitability at all costs

In the laboratories of the Institut Pasteur, animal welfare is sacrificed on the altar of productivity. Five quails are crammed into a cage measuring just 50 cm², and up to 25 are squeezed into a 1.5 m² space, even though standards prohibit putting more than five quails there. These birds, reduced to numbers, survive in unbearably overcrowded spaces, exposed to aggressive males, without any stimulation or comfort. The standards supposed to protect these animals ? Forgotten.

In order to pull the wool over one’s eyes, a veterinary surgeon is appointed to be “in charge of animal welfare”. However, rather than seriously train their employees in the principles of the 3Rs (Reduce, Replace, Refine the use of animals), these establishments prefer to falsify appearances. They record unrelated training courses as if they contributed to animal welfare, turning a legal obligation into a mere exercise in deceptive bureaucracy.

Macabre killings

At the time of the inspector’s visit, a researcher was “euthanizing” mice by breaking their necks against the grid of their cages. So we can legitimately wonder what happens outside inspection days…

Mice are the first victims of animal testing. When they are not immediately killed as part of the protocols, they are subjected to cruel experiments. In Paris laboratories, some are kept alone in cages devoid of any form of enrichment. However, internationally renowned scientists such as those at the Institut Pasteur should know that mice are social animals, made to live in groups. And when experiments come to a halt, researchers desert them : every weekend, every holiday, the animals are left unattended, left to their own devices.

Write to Institut Pasteur !

Despite repeated disastrous inspection reports and a temporary suspension of Institut Pasteur’s accreditation, the center continues to carry out controversial experiments on the animals under its responsibility every day.

If, like three quarters of French people, you are in favor of replacing animal experimentation (One Voice/Ipsos April 2023) with alternative methods, write to Institut Pasteur !

This French flagship has a duty to be at the forefront of the moral and scientific developments so eagerly awaited by society.

One Voice files a civil case for Mirsou, a young cat violently killed

One Voice files a civil case for Mirsou, a young cat violently killed
06.12.2024
Seine-Saint-Denis
One Voice files a civil case for Mirsou, a young cat violently killed
Domestic animals

His name was Mirsou. In December 2023, the little white and ginger cat was killed by the now ex-partner of the woman with whom he had been living peacefully in an apartment in the Seine-Saint-Denis region. His life lasted less than two years, cut short by a violence that spares neither humans nor animals. To demand justice on his behalf, we will be present at the trial of his torturer at the Bobigny legal tribunal, on Monday December 9 at 1pm.

On December 24, 2023, Mirsou died violently. That evening, the woman who had been taking care of him had entrusted him to the man who was still her partner. But in the middle of the evening, he called to tell her that Mirsou had escaped. Panicked, she immediately decided to return home without telling him, determined to find her cat. There, she came face to face with the man in the middle of a cleaning operation, with a strong smell of bleach, his gloves stained with blood… Very upset, her first and only thought was to look for Mirsou. Perhaps he was hiding in a corner of the apartment, waiting for her to return ? There was still hope. Suddenly, however, she caught her companion abruptly leaving the apartment with plastic bags and rushing to the elevator. Chasing after him, she managed to stop him before he had disposed of the bags in the trash can area.

And… And then came the shock : the woman discovered the inert body of her little protégé, completely soaked. In tears, she nevertheless managed to find a veterinary surgeon on duty to entrust him with his remains in the middle of the night. The autopsy carried out a few days later revealed that the torture Mirsou had undergone could only have been fatal : two broken fangs, dislocated upper jaw, haematoma and blood clots in the throat…

Recognizing the link between violence against animals and violence against humans : a vital emergency

Devastated by Mirsou’s death and the torture he endured, his human companion filed a complaint for acts of cruelty and serious abuse resulting in the death of an animal, and asked us to help her obtain justice. We said yes immediately. For Mirsou and all the other abused animals, we will continue to fight so that such acts are recognized in the light of their atrocity. To defend our companions, abjectly beaten and sometimes killed by individuals of whom they are rarely the only victim, and to recognize the link between acts committed against humans and animals, sign our petition.

On Monday December 9, at 1pm, we’ll be at the Bobigny legal tribunal to support the plaintiff after filing a civil case and speak out on behalf of Mirsou and all animals who are victims of human violence.

Whether Marineland closes or not, the orcas stay and the assessment continues

Whether Marineland closes or not, the orcas stay and the assessment continues
05.12.2024
Antibes
Whether Marineland closes or not, the orcas stay and the assessment continues
Dolphinariums
Press release

Closure of Marineland or not, the announcement made by the dolphinarium on the eve of the expected decision by the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal – a pitiful attempt to influence the judge’s opinion – won’t change a thing. The judicial assessment for Wikie and Keijo, which the marine park has always tried to obstruct, will indeed go ahead to its conclusion, as confirmed by the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal today. This is the third setback in a row for the dolphinarium, which has never been willing to accept One Voice’s offer to discuss a solution that would benefit the marine mammals and other animals in its establishment.

We could be delighted that Marineland is closing its doors… The announcement on December 4, 2024, and set for January 5, 2025, had the effect of a bombshell. Indeed, the public’s disaffection for shows displaying animal distress has only been confirmed over the years, thanks to studies on the sensitivity and intelligence of the giants of the seas, and the assiduous work of associations who have never ceased to communicate this information to as many people as possible. But this closure also means announced tragedies for all captive animals, fish, sea lions, seals, dolphins, orcas… We can neither applaud nor stop fighting for them. The media hype around the 2021 law, then the announcements of the marine parks, Asterix then Marineland, cannot hide the reality of the life experiences of those who are most concerned.

Marineland wanted to send the exploited orcas wherever and whenever the dolphinarium decided…

The Minister of Ecological Transition has announced it, and her decision will stand : Wikie and Keijo will not be sent to a hotel complex in Kōbé, Japan. A recent resounding victory for the association, and a slap in the face for Asia’s captivity industry, the world’s only developing one.

The park fought tooth and nail to avoid an expert assessment it did not want under any circumstances.

The other breakthrough was that on November 15, 2024, our request to extend the expert assessment to the two surviving orcas, Wikie and Keijo, was accepted by the Grasse court. It was essential for us to guarantee that the findings on the orcas’ state of health would be maintained, despite the disappearance of Inouk and Moana. What was self-evident in principle had to be confirmed in law, at the risk of the expert assessment coming to an end as it became irrelevant from the death of these two males of the family, for whom we were alerting the whole world long before 2019, even before the vote on the law against animal abuse !

As things stand, Wikie and Keijo cannot be shipped abroad

On December 5, in yet another setback for the captivity industry – and a magnificent victory for One Voice – the orcas will not be moved until the veterinary experts appointed by the legal tribunal in Grasse issue their report, whether or not the doors are open to spectators. This confirms that the judicial assessment is central in this case to assess the health of the two animals and the place they’re being held at.

Once again, what seemed self-evident (a high-risk transfer is not carried out if there is a suspicion of ill-being) is confirmed by the voice of the judges. Otherwise, the operators would have stepped into the breach.

Brought to light, the park’s hypocrisy is no longer in doubt

It’s written in black and white in the report commissioned by the French Ministry of Ecology, and underlined at the hearing on October 29, 2024 in Aix-en-Provence : Marineland had thought of evading the court ruling ! We had to take absolutely all the necessary measures to guarantee that the orcas would remain on site.

Marineland can’t just walk away. Should Marineland nevertheless fail to comply, the court also confirmed the dissuasive fine imposed by the Grasse court.

[The content of the IGEDD report] sheds a particular light on its counterclaim for a reduction in the fine. Extract from the ruling of the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal (on the amount of the penalty)

The court also had a few particularly touching words to say about the nature of animals, which cannot be considered as objects. The industry cannot consider them as part of a whole to be liquidated :

If it amounts to hindering SAS Marineland’s right of ownership, which must, as a matter of principle, be relativized when it concerns living beings. Extract from the ruling of the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal

These two orcas are now the only thing that matters, and everything must be done in their best interests and with regard to their health.

This delay, obtained in spite of the pseudo-Cassandras and sparing no effort, allows us to look to the future with a little more hope. We reiterate our call and our invitation to the authorities and to the company that owns Marineland, Parques Reunidos, to discuss together the best possible future for this mother and her son, who have seen their whole family decimated : a marine sanctuary, despite the risks that this project entails. For another dolphinarium would guarantee immeasurable suffering until death. It’s worth it every time.

Waterfowl illegally bred for hunting: One Voice takes up the cause

Waterfowl illegally bred for hunting: One Voice takes up the cause
04.12.2024
Somme
Waterfowl illegally bred for hunting: One Voice takes up the cause
Hunting

In Ponthoile, in the Somme region, an illegal waterfowl farm operated for over ten years. The owner of the establishment, who sold these animals to hunters, flouted regulations and multiplied mistreatment the whole time. On January 16*, we will be at the Amiens magistrates’ court as part of a civil case to defend the victims.

The list of facts uncovered by the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB) investigators is as long as your arm. Since at least 2011, the farmer – a chemical products operator by profession – has not only trampled over the regulatory procedures to run his parallel business : he has also inflicted the worst forms of cruelty on the birds he has kept, amputating several phalanges of their wings to prevent them from flying, even though wing clipping is forbidden. Stuck on the ground, some of the geese and ducks mutilated by him (and intended to serve as decoy-birds to attract wild waterfowl for the benefit of hunters) sometimes died, overcome by suffering, abandoned on the ground. It didn’t matter : their torturer disposed of the bodies by throwing them straight into the household garbage can… or into a park to hide them from inspections.

Animals mistreated and regulations flouted

In fact, the man didn’t give a damn about them. His operation, which he ran for a long time without the slightest authorization, never ceased to be illegal, even after a supposed “regularization” in 2014. He kept 3,011 birds locked up, instead of the 1,300 authorized. Some of them belonged to species he shouldn’t have even kept. Some others had been captured in their natural environment with a view to being sold to clandestine structures, resulting in under-the-counter transactions. Finally, all of them were exposed to the risk of disease, as their jailer, who had no training in biosecurity, had obviously not implemented any preventive measures or serological monitoring. Failure to keep breeding registers, falsification of animal traceability documents, water pollution… complete this charming picture.

On Thursday January 16, at 2pm, we’ll be the voice of the waterfowl victims of this unscrupulous operator in the Amiens magistrates’ court.

Illustration photo from a One Voice investigation in a decoy-ducks farm.

*Modification made on January 15, 2025 to this article of December 4, 2024, mentioning the hearing date initially scheduled for the following day.

One Voice takes legal action to preserve nature in a town in the Indre-et-Loire region

One Voice takes legal action to preserve nature in a town in the Indre-et-Loire region
27.11.2024
Indre-et-Loire
One Voice takes legal action to preserve nature in a town in the Indre-et-Loire region
Natural habitat

In Luynes, environmental damage is multiplying. The Indre-et-Loire town knowingly allows everyone from businesses to circus performers to damage its territory, increasing the risk of flooding, polluting the soil, destroying the flora, endangering animals… In the face of such acts, and thanks to Anticor 41, our partner on this case and provider of the original information, we are filing a complaint against those responsible, starting with the mayor.

The town of Luynes is inhabited by many animals who gather there: skylarks, great cormorants, squirrels, badgers… and so many others, like the many birds that theoretically find refuge in this Natura 2000 Zone – known as the Special Protection Area (SPA) of the Loire Valley in the Indre-et-Loire region – a haven of peace. You’d be tempted to think that they’d be living in peace and quiet, surrounded by greenery. Not so. Since 2012, the Georget circus has settled close to the SPA thanks to an agreement signed with the town council. At the end of 2022, it even used its good relations with the mayor to obtain an unauthorized cleaning of the Petite Bresme stream… significantly increasing the risk of flooding. A crime that should never have gone unpunished. And yet: in July 2024, the circus performers saw their partnership with the town renewed. As if nothing had happened…

Luynes launches an attack on… biodiversity

Not far away, from September 12 to 15, the ninth edition of the « Luynes à l’assaut de l’Amérique » festival did even better. For four days, no fewer than 50,000 people trampled happily on a natural area. To accommodate them, trees had been illegally cut down to create paths and sites for tents and other activities, completely destroying ecosystems and bird habitats. To get there, the organizers had thought of everything: all the 4×4s and other military vehicles had to do was cross the ford of the Petite Bresme. And so much the worse if this flouted the Environmental Code, damaging the banks of the river and the shelter of the animals. Added to all this was an illegal electrical connection at the heart of nature and, icing on the cake, the disposal of festival-goers’ waste water… in a ditch.

Destruction everywhere, in the woods…

In the Les Pins industrial zone, this time it was a wood that had been completely destroyed, even though it was protected by the town local urban masterplan (PLU). No matter: the owner of the site set fire to his plot and got rid of the vegetation that bothered him, without any authorization whatsoever. To avoid any problems, the town council was quick to accommodate the perpetrator, retroactively « regularizing » the situation and revising its PLU to lift the zone’s protection. Once again, out of sight, out of mind.

… and in wetlands

Last but not least, a pond has been wiped off the map and replaced by a land destined for landfill, for the love of the Dérichebourg company. Here, wooden pallets that should be recycled are abandoned in the wild without authorization, to the detriment of the water tables and the flora and fauna of this wetland turned landfill, without any controls ever being carried out.

In the name of the damaged ecosystems in Luynes, and of all the animals that find refuge there and are systematically sacrificed on the altar of human interests, we are lodging a complaint against the town’s mayor, the managers of the Georget circus, those in charge of the « Luynes à l’assaut de l’Amérique » festival and the Dérichebourg company.

For wolves threatened by the European Union : vote on December 3 at the Council of Europe

For wolves threatened by the European Union: vote on December 3 at the Council of Europe
28.11.2024
Strasbourg
For wolves threatened by the European Union : vote on December 3 at the Council of Europe
Wildlife
Press release

On September 25, the European Union accepted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to downgrade the protection status of wolves from « strictly protected » to « protected ». This decision will be put to the vote of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention on Tuesday December 3. Time is running out for these vulnerable animals, which have their rightful place in the wild.

One Voice is calling for a general mobilization to defend them, as the next few days will be crucial !

Wolves are decidedly the « pet peeves » to be slaughtered. The farming and hunting lobbies – over-powerful in our country – have put enough pressure on the European Union to demand that they be downgraded from the list of strictly protected species in the Bern Convention, in order to kill them more and more. This decision, which is likely to be adopted on December 3, is both ethically and scientifically scandalous.

The European Commission has provided no arguments to « justify » such a relentless attack on animals that are the guarantors of biodiversity, and whose numbers remain extremely fragile. There are only political reasons at work : the aim is to buy peace with farmers. Nothing else.

Scapegoats

Constantly targeted by livestock farmers, wolves have become their punching bags, as if they were the main culprits behind economic difficulties beyond their control. Yet farmers can benefit from financial support in many ways to coexist peacefully with wolves. But few professionals take the trouble to implement these measures. They prefer to cry or rant when some of their ewes are attacked when unprotected and… destined for the slaughterhouse.

In France, prefects are already granting illegal authorizations to shoot wolves with their eyes closed, without even looking to see if any means of protection have actually been implemented. The laissez-faire attitude is such that the Coordination rurale de Haute-Vienne syndicate is even inciting to poach wild canids. Hatred is no longer even concealed : on the contrary, it’s claimed ! When you think about it, wolves are responsible for only 0.15% of sheep losses, while losses due to other factors (transport accidents, falls, disease, etc.) are ten times higher.

In addition to the unfounded hatred of breeders, there is that of hunters who have no qualms about accusing wolves of stealing « their » prey! It’s well known that there’s no better guardian of nature than a human with a gun…

Downgrading decried by the scientific community and public opinion

While more than 4 out of 5 French people believe that the return of wolves to our country represents a real benefit for biodiversity (according to our just-published Ipsos/One Voice survey – November 2024), a global scientific consensus is emerging on the dangers and illegitimacy of reducing their protection. Over 500 European researchers and academics from a wide range of disciplines have signed two declarations opposing their downgrading by the Bern Convention. The Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe is also opposed to it, expressing its concern that no significant increase in either wolf numbers or damage to livestock has yet been observed.

At the same time, an article written by a specialist in cohabitation with wolves has been signed by numerous scientists, academics and eminent personalities, and distributed and supported by the CAP Loup collective, of which we are a member.

Believing the absurdities hammered home by the farming lobby, the decision to downgrade wolf protection under the Bern Convention would also flout public opinion by ignoring the many alerts issued by civil society, including that of three hundred associations, including One Voice, sent out at the initiative of the European Environmental Bureau in September. According to our survey, nearly 70% of French people do not want the European Union to downgrade the status of wolves from « strictly protected » to « protected ».

Several actions are planned next week to defend wolves : join us !

After co-signing with several European NGOs an open letter to the Secretary of the Bern Convention and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and independently sending letters to Monaco and Andorra urging them not to accept the downgrading, One Voice will be present in front of the Council of Europe on December 3 from 2pm to 4pm with its French and international partners^1.

We have set up a coordinated national action by our volunteers « Will wolf protection soon be lifted ? Stop the massacre ! » from November 23 to December 7. Rallies are planned in a dozen towns across France.

If you can’t join us in Strasbourg or any of the other French towns where our campaigners will be present, you can of course sign our petition for the wolves.

We also invite you to take part in the #RespectPourLoups campaign on X, by sharing a daily tweet setting the record straight on French people’s opinion on wolves:

The majority of French people say that tales and legends have influenced their perception of wolves, and 65% are aware that these representations don’t really coincide with reality. #RespectPourLoups @IpsosFrance https://one-voice.fr/news/enquete-sur-lopinion-des-francais-a-legard-des-loups/
More than 8 out of 10 French people consider that the presence of wolves in France does not represent a risk to themselves and their families. #RespectPourLoups @IpsosFrance https://one-voice.fr/news/enquete-sur-lopinion-des-francais-a-legard-des-loups/
Wolves are essential to ecosystems: 81% of French people think that the return of wolves to France represents a real benefit for biodiversity. #RespectPourLoups @IpsosFrance https://one-voice.fr/news/enquete-sur-lopinion-des-francais-a-legard-des-loups/
Respondents are fiercely opposed to measures jeopardizing the conservation of wolves in France: 83% of French people are against the total eradication of wolves in France. #RespectPourLoups @IpsosFrance https://one-voice.fr/news/enquete-sur-lopinion-des-francais-a-legard-des-loups/
84% of French people deplore the fact that wolf attacks happen against unprotected flocks or flocks that lack effective protection. #RespectPourLesLoups @IpsosFrance https://one-voice.fr/news/enquete-sur-lopinion-des-francais-a-legard-des-loups/
AGAINST the downgrading of wolves : 86% of French people do not want the European Union to downgrade the protection status of wolves, as this would lead to a relaxation of regulations for killing them #RespectPourLoups @IpsosFrance https://one-voice.fr/news/enquete-sur-lopinion-des-francais-a-legard-des-loups/

1 – Action partners :

269 Life France
AAC – Animal Activism Collective
AJAS
Alliance Ethique
Animal Alliance Network
Animal Cross
Animal Friends Croatia
Animal Liberation Malta
Animal Save Colmar
Animal Save France
Animal Save Global
Animal Save Sète
Animaux et Humains
ASPA Vosges
ASPAS
AVES France
Casa Vegana
Collectif Renard et Blaireau
CRAC Europe
Diffusion V Luxembourg
Dominion Australie
Dominion France
DxE Ciudad de Mexico
Education Ethique Animale
Ethics for animal
Eurogroup for Animals
FAADA
Férus
Focale pour le sauvage
Free life
Gaia
Galop
HSI
IFAW
La voix des loups
LAEO France (Association TERRE Lawrence Anthony)
Legambiente
Luontoliiton susiryhmä – The Wolf Action Group
PACCT
PAZ
Plant Based Treatment France
Plant Based Treatment Global
Pôle Grand Prédateur
SIPE
Un jour un chasseur
Vegan Life Athen
VSL – Vegan Society Luxembourg

Survey on French opinion on wolves

Survey on French opinion on wolves
28.11.2024
France
Survey on French opinion on wolves
Wildlife An Ipsos study for One Voice (November 2024)

On December 3, 2024, the day the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention votes on the European Commission’s proposal to lower protection for wolves throughout the Union (the species would thus lose its “strictly protected” status), One Voice is organizing an international unitary event with a number of its partners abroad and at home. This gathering is part of a coordinated national campaign to raise public awareness of these animals in a dozen towns and cities across metropolitan France. Indeed, there are many common preconceptions about wolves, and calls to poach them are now even commonplace among certain farming unions…

French people are not so worried about wolves, which they see as essential to French biodiversity…

A minority of French people are anxious about wolves. Only 32% fear their presence in France, and 8% say they are very worried. This figure is stable overall, depending on the respondent’s gender and area of residence.

Logically, the French respondents also significantly affirm that the presence of wolves in France does not represent a risk to themselves and their families (82%). Men are slightly more fearful of wolves (21% vs. 15% for women). This lack of fear can be explained by the fact that most French people are aware that wolves tend to avoid humans (80%).

Wolves are useful animals in the eyes of the French. They agree that these wild animals play an important role in the balance of the ecosystem (82%), and that they have a rightful place in France’s natural environment (86%). Convinced of the usefulness of wolves, the majority of French people (81%) consider that the return of wolves to France represents a real benefit for biodiversity.

Respondents are fiercely opposed to measures that would jeopardize the conservation of wolves in France…

The findings are clear: 83% of French people are against the total eradication of wolves in France. Only 6% are completely in favor. 83% are in favor of banning the shooting of species in a poor state of conservation, and 69% want to ban exemptions allowing lethal shooting of wolves.

On a national scale, 73% of those questioned consider it unacceptable for the French State to shoot animals from protected species such as wolves, simply because they may represent a risk to livestock farming.

On a European scale, 68% of French people do not want the status of wolves to be changed from “strictly protected” to “protected” by the European Union, as this would lead to a relaxation of regulations for culling them.

The majority of French people claim that wolves are not aggressive and that they prey on unprotected flocks

The majority of French people agree that wolves are not aggressive animals (56%). In the absence of effective protection of livestock herds by their breeders, 84% of French people deplore wolf attacks on unprotected flocks.

In order to protect the flocks as much as possible from wolf attacks, the French would like to see breeders take greater responsibility. They are largely in favor of farmers being more obliged to implement protection measures for their flocks (87%). In the same vein, 85% of French people want farmers to be compensated by public funds if, and only if, they implement measures to protect their herds (human presence, enclosures, dogs, etc.).

The survey was carried out by the Ipsos Institute from October 30 to November 4, 2024 among 1,000 people, constituting a representative national sample of the French population aged 18 to 75. The sample was surveyed online via the Ipsos Access Panel Online (Quota method: gender, age, profession of respondent, area of residence category, region).

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