L214 and One Voice take legal action against La Peyratte’s pheasant and partridge farm for hunting

L214 and One Voice take legal action against La Peyratte’s pheasant and partridge farm for hunting

L214 and One Voice take legal action against La Peyratte’s pheasant and partridge farm for hunting
21.11.2024
Deux-Sèvres
L214 and One Voice take legal action against La Peyratte’s pheasant and partridge farm for hunting
Hunting

Two and a half years ago, at La Peyratte, our association investigated a pheasant and partridge farm destined to be slaughtered by hunters and, with our partner, challenged the authorization for expansion given by the prefecture. On Tuesday November 26, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., we will be at the Poitiers administrative court to defend the birds who have fallen victim to this exploitation and to demand the annulment of the text. 

During the spring and summer of 2022, we discovered the terrible conditions in which birds were kept, bred for the sole purpose of being shot. At La Peyratte, pheasants and partridges are locked up in tiny cages from which they desperately try to escape, only managing to injure their legs on the wire-mesh floors. Their suffering is compounded by an ecological problem: the discharge of their faeces into the water of an already fragile wetland ecosystem. Not content with these violent attacks on animals and nature, the establishment has chosen to expand in order to exploit not 37,000 but 95,200 birds. Hand in hand with L214, we immediately demanded the cancellation of the prefectoral decree that was granted to validate this shameful project, even though breeding had already taken place there illegally.

“Regulation”, a shameless lie

No initial request for expansion, no study prior to construction to assess the impact on the environment… As usual, hunters and breeders are in cahoots and believe themselves to be the masters of the world. Anything goes when it comes to satisfying their deadly hobby, for which they continue to fight tooth and nail in the name of the so-called need to “regulate” species. What hypocrisy! Their arguments are all the more inaudible as they “produce” themselves in battery cages living targets unable to flee in order to better kill them.

On November 26, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., we’ll be taking the voice of the pheasants and partridges of La Peyratte to the administrative court in Poitiers to demand the cancellation of the decree allowing the expansion of their farm.

Sign our petition calling for a radical reform of hunting, with ten simple and urgent key measures.

Marineland has applied to the French Ministry of Ecology for a permit to export the orcas Wikie and Keijo, One Voice rises up and recalls the law

Marineland has applied to the French Ministry of Ecology for a permit to export the orcas Wikie and Keijo, One Voice rises up and recalls the law

Marineland has applied to the French Ministry of Ecology for a permit to export the orcas Wikie and Keijo, One Voice rises up and recalls the law
23.11.2024
Antibes
Marineland has applied to the French Ministry of Ecology for a permit to export the orcas Wikie and Keijo, One Voice rises up and recalls the law
Dolphinariums
Press release

We were informed by our partners at Tilikum’s Spirit at the weekend: Marineland has applied to the French Ministry of Ecology for a permit to export the orcas Wikie and Keijo to a park in Japan, with which – and this has been confirmed by the IGEDD report – Marineland has a contract. One Voice has written to the Ministry to remind them of the existence of an enforceable court order, as well as a pending appeal… obviously! Our team at One Voice remains extremely vigilant and attentive, and is deploying all possible means of action.

According to our information, to comply with this contract, the dolphinarium refuses to lose any more money by keeping these orcas, and has therefore decided to take action. We therefore immediately wrote to the Ministry of Ecology to inform the new arrivals in these key positions (the instability of the government over the last few years clearly hasn’t helped in this matter) that a court ruling (from the Grasse court) prevented any relocation of the orcas.

And even though Marineland has appealed this decision, what the judge of the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal will say is not yet determined. We’ll have to wait until December 5 to find out. It’s a safe bet that he won’t appreciate Marineland initiating action.

Marineland’s insistence and repeated lies prove that it wants to get rid of the animals as quickly as possible.

Especially since this is not the dolphinarium’s first attempt. It was mentioned at the hearing on October 29, 2024 that the Antibes facility had considered violating the court ruling a year ago… And in a dark irony, at the same time as their lawyer was trying to convince the judge of her good faith, sea lions and seals from the Côte d’Azur basins were sent abroad, as well as in the days that followed, on November 6 and 8.

Since the law does not oblige parks to part with animals, this was a deliberate choice on Marineland’s part!

We also reminded the Ministry that the law passed in 2021 did not oblige dolphinariums to part with cetaceans if they were carrying out scientific programs on these animals, which was already the case in all of them. This is one of the things we’ve deplored from the outset. But it is also proof that Marineland and Parques Reunidos, which runs it, have no thought whatsoever for the well-being of Wikie and Keijo, but reason solely in economic terms.

As the health assessment for Wikie and Keijo has not yet been completed, how can they be moved?

In principle, the government has a free rein to refuse to send them to this Japanese amusement park/hotel, since the experts appointed by the court have not been able to assess the state of health of the Antibes cetaceans. And in any case, the court rulings obtained by our association prevent any departure to any destination whatsoever before the said assessment has been completed.

One Voice and its partners are extremely concerned for the animals. Under Japanese law, there is no protection for dolphins and orcas. At the park Marineland chose for Wikie and Keijo, day after day, Ran is losing her mindand her health. And at Loro Parque (Tenerife, Spain), where the IGEDD report saw another fallback solution of the worst kind, the tanks are tiny and Keto has just died in them… Yet another victim of an industry which, while it exploits them, crushes individuals as if they were mere carcasses fit for the scrap heap.

One Voice files a complaint for Koukou, a horse who died following an administrative beat hunt

One Voice files a complaint for Koukou, a horse who died following an administrative beat hunt

One Voice files a complaint for Koukou, a horse who died following an administrative beat hunt
19.11.2024
Yvelines
One Voice files a complaint for Koukou, a horse who died following an administrative beat hunt
Hunting

On the night of November 5 to 6, a lieutenant of louveterie and pests carried out an administrative wild boar beat hunt just a stone’s throw from the Maisons-Laffitte racehorse training center. Close to the houses, the shots frightened the residents, but not only… The next day, the horse Koukou was found dead, leaving Quenelle, the mare in his company, traumatized. We are lodging a complaint and calling for the suspension of the prefectoral decree which led to this tragedy.

It was past 11pm when violent detonations were heard outside the home of a resident of Maison-Laffitte, in the Yvelines region. The woman – source of our partner Futur Asso, who informed us of the events – rushed outside in the dark to try and understand what was happening. Not far away, she clearly heard Koukou and Quenelle, her two horses, restless in their paddock, suffering from the same anguish. That’s when she spotted figures brandishing flashlights in the shadows, obviously on the lookout for something. They then climbed into a vehicle, not caring that the area was reserved for pedestrians, bicycles and horse riders. When they reached her, they got out. One of them was wearing a uniform indicating that he belonged to the “hunting police”. A sign of authority that should reassure, and yet… Torn between fear and anger, the whistle-blower called out to the lieutenant of louveterie and pests and those accompanying him. But all she received in response to her legitimate arguments and concerns about the use of weapons in the middle of the night, just a few yards from homes and a racecourse, was a contemptuous reply: “I do what I want, I have authorization from the prefecture”. Shocked, the local resident could only receive confirmation from the municipal police that the operation was indeed authorized, and that it was “surprising” that she had not been informed…

A dead horse, a traumatized mare

The next morning, when she went to feed her two companions, she was horrified to discover Koukou’s lifeless body. At 26 years old, Koukou led a peaceful existence in a meadow, enjoying excellent health. Just the day before, he was in great shape… until the lieutenant of louveterie and pests arrived. Upset by his sudden death, the woman didn’t have the courage to face the additional ordeal of requesting an autopsy. Yet all the evidence suggests that it was the intense stress of the night that killed him!

This shock did not spare Quenelle, who was at his side when he died, struck down. Since then, the mare has started showing signs of piroplasmosis. According to the vet, the disease, which she had probably been carrying for years, may have been reawakened by the stress caused by the event.

When the guns are out, no one is safe

This isn’t the first time a horse has died at the hands of armed men. In December 2023, Memphis was shot and killed, adding his name to the long list of collateral victims of this hobby whose enthusiasts don’t give a damn. To the blood they spill, the terror they impose, the suffering they inflict, they add denial, threats and arrogance.

In support of Koukou’s family, we are lodging a complaint and writing to the prefecture to ask it not to renew the mandate of the lieutenant of louveterie and pests involved in this administrative beat hunt, which is fatal for the wild boars targeted and dangerous for all humans and domestic animals in the vicinity. Sign our petition for a radical reform of hunting to put an end to these tragedies!

Justice reopens the trap of traditional hunting: banned a few months ago, the capture of larks is now authorized “for scientific purposes”

Justice reopens the trap of traditional hunting: banned a few months ago, the capture of larks is now authorized “for scientific purposes”

Justice reopens the trap of traditional hunting: banned a few months ago, the capture of larks is now authorized “for scientific purposes”
18.11.2024
Justice reopens the trap of traditional hunting: banned a few months ago, the capture of larks is now authorized “for scientific purposes”
Hunting

On November 13, 2024, the Pau administrative court rejected our request to suspend the prefectoral orders authorizing the capture of skylarks using “pantes” (nets) and “matoles” (cages) in the Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques regions. This decision marks an alarming backward step in the protection of birds, leaving the field open to practices that were thought to be a thing of the past. However, our request has reduced the number of birds who can be killed: 4 out of 5 larks offered to hunters have been saved. We will continue to challenge these decrees!

Justice authorizes hunting with pantes and matoles “for scientific purposes”

Despite the Council of State’s ban on these methods last May, the prefects of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Landes regions have, as last year, authorized the capture of skylarks using pantes and matoles until November 15, under the pretext of “scientific purposes”, under pressure from hunting lobbies. Clearly, these “experiments” are just a pretext for discreetly reintroducing them. The aim is clear: to give the impression that these methods are legitimate, in order to revive their use on the basis of alleged scientific validity. And curiously enough, it’s the hunters themselves who are responsible…

Our hopes were pinned on justice: by taking our case to court, we hoped to put an end to this aberration. But the judge refused to suspend the decrees, citing a lack of urgency. 

As a result, hunter-trappers will be able to continue their cruel pastime: they capture a skylark, tie them up with rope and lock them in a cage. Hiding nearby, they pull on the rope, causing the bird to cry out in pain. Attracted by their cries of distress, several dozen other skylarks – as well as other birds – rush to help.  But just then, the trap snaps shut: nets snap sharply from either side, trapping all the gathered birds. Some are injured, others die.

A success in spite of everything: catch quotas reduced

Nevertheless, between the filing of our request and the hearing, we managed to get the Landes Prefect to sign two decrees reducing the skylark catch quotas. Initially set at 18,000 captures, the quotas were finally reduced to 3,200 birds eligible for trapping. This last-minute U-turn reveals the fragility of the initial justifications and the difficulty of defending the indefensible. Our action forced the State to justify itself, to abandon similar decrees in other regions, and above all to drastically reduce the number of birds that could be trapped by means of a new decree.

The fight goes on

This decision in no way signals the end of the fight. We will continue to fight to abolish these archaic practices, backed by the 83% of French people who are calling for a ban on these methods, which are a relic of the past (Ipsos/One Voice 2022 poll).

Your support is essential: sign our petition for an in-depth reform of hunting and to prevent the reinstatement of these particularly cruel methods!

Complaint on behalf of mistreated horses: One Voice defends Casimir and Gazelle in court

Complaint on behalf of mistreated horses: One Voice defends Casimir and Gazelle in court

Complaint on behalf of mistreated horses: One Voice defends Casimir and Gazelle in court
14.11.2024
Manche
Complaint on behalf of mistreated horses: One Voice defends Casimir and Gazelle in court
Domestic animals

In September 2023, the manager of an equestrian center in the Manche region was filmed violently beating two horses. For Casimir and Gazelle, we filed a complaint as soon as we became aware of these unbelievably brutal acts, asking that they be confiscated from their torturer and entrusted to us, and that he be banned from practicing. On November 19, at 8:30 am, we will represent them as plaintiff at the Coutances legal tribunal.

In September 2023, Casimir and Gazelle were subjected to a veritable relentless assault at a Normandy riding school. While they were tied to a wall to be trimmed, the manager of the center attacked them, hitting the former on the head with a farrier’s rasp and raining pincers down on the latter’s rump. The two animals, completely distraught, tried to flee their torturer, desperately pulling on the rope by which they were held, to no avail. Like Happy before them, they had no way of escaping this outburst of violence. The video of the event did not go unnoticed. Following its publication on social networks, the gendarmerie opened an investigation.

Training as a pretext for the worst kind of violence

As for the person responsible for these acts, he claims that all he did was to “pull back into line” uncooperative, even dangerous horses, to avoid any risk of accident. In the media, it’s the same old story: his brother tells us that “you can’t train a horse (or any other animal) without being firm sometimes”. It’s a speech reminiscent of the justifications given by the pony club manager who hit Happy. Maltreatment under the guise of education, then. And people for whom it’s obviously easier to brutalize and traumatize the equines in their care than to try and understand the reasons for their malaise.

Casimir and Gazelle must be kept safe

It is unthinkable that someone capable of beating animals up, and finding it perfectly natural, should continue to work with them. To protect Casimir and Gazelle, we have filed a complaint against the stable manager who mistreated them, and demand that they be taken to safety. We are also demanding that the defendant no longer be allowed to work with animals.

On November 19, at 8:30 am, we will be at the Coutances legal tribunal as plaintiff. For Casimir, Gazelle and all the other horses and ponies, sign our petition to obtain pet status.

For Grenoble’s stray cats, inauguration of a second Chatipi on November 22 at noon

For Grenoble’s stray cats, inauguration of a second Chatipi on November 22 at noon

For Grenoble’s stray cats, inauguration of a second Chatipi on November 22 at noon
13.11.2024
Isère
For Grenoble’s stray cats, inauguration of a second Chatipi on November 22 at noon
Domestic animals

One Voice, which has been fighting feline straying for many years, has set up three-way partnerships with town councils (or places such as hospitals or retirement homes) and local associations, to microchip, sterilize and care for homeless cats, then release them by providing them with a wooden chalet for hydration, food and shelter.

In Grenoble, this is the second time that One Voice and the town council have worked together to ensure the well-being of stray cats. There will be an exchange with the press for the inauguration of the second Chatipi at noon on Friday, November 22, in the green space at 86 Anatole France street.

Chatipi, a lasting solution to feline straying vicious circle

Chatipi is more than just a cottage: it’s an ethical initiative aimed at creating living spaces for stray cats, helping them while raising public awareness of their plight, their needs and the importance of having them sterilized.

To date, some sixty Chatipis have already been installed throughout France in public areas, in partnership with town halls, or in health establishments such as nursing homes or hospitals.

Indeed, life outdoors remains a cause of great suffering for our feline companions, who fall ill far more often than those living with their families, have to contend with bad weather and sometimes even human malevolence.

In Grenoble, a first project was launched in 2022. To support the town council’s commitment, One Voice has decided to launch a second one. The Chatipi space has been set up in the Mistral district, in Anatole France street, on a site that has been completely transformed: the public buildings have been demolished, and a wooded area will now be home to the Chatipi’s resident cats.

Thanks to a partnership between the city of Grenoble and the Judicial Protection of Youth, young people in rehabilitation have also been involved in the project. It’s a way of bringing together some of the most vulnerable members of society: cats without families and young people in difficulty.

Distribution of tasks and responsibilities

Currently, six cats benefit from the Chatipi space.

One Voice, which invented the Chatipi concept, provided the chalet and cat flaps, and is paying for several kilos of kibble and veterinary expenses (sterilizations, microchipping, tests) for the cats at the start of the project, as well as the educational panel.

For its part, the town council has made the site available, carried out the construction work around the Chatipi (site preparation, tree planting) and is responsible for site management and maintenance.

The Cosa Animalia association and its volunteers are responsible for feeding the cats on a daily basis, and for trapping and transporting them to the veterinary clinic for treatment and sterilization.

As part of a partnership between the city of Grenoble and the Judicial Protection of Youth, the chalet and supporting floor have been assembled and fitted out by local young people undergoing rehabilitation. These young people may be called upon to assist the managing association in the upkeep of the Chatipi in the future.

The inauguration will take place on Friday, November 22 at noon in the green space at 86, Anatole France street. It will be attended by Andrea Argemi, president of the Cosa Animalia association, Sandra Krief, deputy mayor, responsible for animal welfare, Gilles Namur, deputy mayor, responsible for public spaces – nature in the city – biodiversity and freshness, revegetation, Thierry Chastagner, deputy mayor, responsible for Grenoble’s civil security, and Mathilde Perrot, head of the Chatipi project for One Voice. Representatives of the Judicial Protection of Youth and the young people who took part in the project are also expected to attend.

One Voice website dedicated to the Chatipi program provides a wealth of information on this educational program in favor of cats. 

Sign the petition to demand an emergency plan for feline straying.

Two hearings to be held against the massacres of wild boars, unjustly considered dangerous

Two hearings to be held against the massacres of wild boars, unjustly considered dangerous

Two hearings to be held against the massacres of wild boars, unjustly considered dangerous
12.11.2024
France
Two hearings to be held against the massacres of wild boars, unjustly considered dangerous
Hunting

While wild boars are already hunted down during the hunting season, the prefects of the Hautes-Alpes region and Corsica have authorized a new, unlimited attack on them. Beat hunts are becoming permanent and arbitrary, based on unfounded decisions. On November 14 and 21, we’ll be before the judges in Marseille and Bastia.

Wild boars know no respite. Even though they have been hunted since June, they have also been targeted in certain regions by prefectoral decisions authorizing administrative beat hunts at every turn.

In the Hautes-Alpes region, such administrative beat hunts can now be organized “by any means” since October 15, and throughout the year, in hunting zones that were initially prohibited…

In Corsica, shooting is allowed from September 30 to December 31, day and night, and cages have been installed to capture them more easily. Even the use of light sources, which panic the animals and leave them no chance, is tolerated.

An inappropriate response to “overpopulation”

Considered “too numerous” and “dangerous” by the State, adults and young boars are massacred in all seasons.

Constantly persecuted, wild boars are allegedly decreed to be “overabundant” by prefects. These decisions are completely at odds with scientific data showing that it is hunting itself that increases wild boar numbers: for every animal killed, additional births are systematically observed… Incessant stalking causes the death of the strongest males, who usually monopolize the females. This in turn leads to a greater diversity of young males when they come into contact with the females, further boosting fertility.

False and unlawful grounds

To justify the unjustifiable, prefects are prepared to go to any lengths. After the dogs in the Aveyron region, they have now moved on to wild sows and their young, which are said to behave “suspiciously towards human beings”. In the decree, the PACA region considers them to be “evil”, despite the fact that this term has been legally abolished. 

In reality, wild boars are harmless by nature. And it’s the constant stalking that causes them to flee, increases their movements, and sometimes even leads them to defend themselves when they try to protect themselves. 

To fight against their massacre, we will be present at the Marseille administrative court on November 14 at 2:30 pm, and at the Bastia administrative court on November 21 at 2 pm. And to oppose the persecution of wild animals, sign our petition for a radical reform of hunting!

Who’s afraid of pastoralism?

Who’s afraid of pastoralism?

Who’s afraid of pastoralism?
12.11.2024
Who’s afraid of pastoralism?
Wildlife

Enemies of wolves regularly pit them against pastoralism, as if this form of farming were the guarantor of a healthy mountain environment. However, today’s herd densities and intensive grazing methods are actually putting pressure on the environment, its resources and the wild species that live there. Let’s stop telling stories: if there’s one species to fear in the alpine pastures, it’s our own.

Pastoralism. A gentle word that evokes for many the communion of shepherds and flocks at the heart of grandiose landscapes. This bucolic image almost makes you think that sheep, cows and goats grazing all together in the open air will never end up in the slaughterhouse. And even that all these animals together represent the future of our mountains! Let’s set the record straight. At a time when some farmers’ unions are attacking wolves, accusing them of endangering pastoralism and, through it, the preservation of the environment and biodiversity as a whole, it’s time to remind people about certain truths that are light years from common preconceptions. 

No longer a traditional practice

Pastoralism is often described as “extensive” and praised for its positive impact on the environment. It may have its origins in the early Neolithic period (some 6,000 years ago) in the mountains of our country, but it no longer has much in common with that of our ancestors. Gone are the days of traditional transhumance, when shepherds would accompany their animals for days on end to summer pastures, regularly changing their stopping place and looking after each member of the small group. Only a handful of shepherds and breeders still operate in this way, trying to maintain a certain mobility in a territory monopolized by large-scale farmers.

With the advent of industrial livestock farming, most flocks have considerably increased in size: some are as large as 2,000 ewes and their lambs. Now transported to higher altitudes in livestock trucks, they trample in summer pastures in the same place for months on end, often without the slightest guarding or protection measures, even though these are subsidized! This situation leads to overgrazing of the meadows, with dramatic consequences. Scientific studies show that, on a local scale, pastoral activities can have a negative impact on soil and plant communities structure, on the nutrient cycle, and on high mountain safety (avalanche risk). On a larger scale, pastoralism can lead to declining populations of invertebrates (especially soil fauna) and vertebrates with which livestock compete (regional scale), and even contribute to increasing the risks associated with flooding (soil erosion) and global change (global scale)”, explain researchers Philippe Gaubert and Sean Heighton in the report we are publishing. So we’re a long way from, and often the exact opposite of, the famous ecosystem services put forward by pastoral stakeholders and users…

Wolves are not the “bad guys”

Yet these same stakeholders and users – industrial breeders and hunters, in this case – have no qualms about attacking wolves, accusing them of undermining their so-called heritage and natural practices. To maintain their stranglehold on all living things, they do not hesitate to spread untruths about both the benefits of modern pastoralism and the misdeeds of wolves, with whom they refuse to cohabit.

Upon consideration, it’s wildlife, including large predators, that is the victim of pastoralism. Not the other way around. In the report by our two conservation specialists, we understand that between the over-exploitation of plant resources, the increasing scarcity of forests, the health risks associated with the use of dewormers with a delayed effect, the transmission of diseases by domestic animals, the pressure on ecological restoration zones, the deterioration in the quality of waterways, it takes a brave one to manage to survive in highly anthropized and aggressive areas…

And when a few wolves manage to do so, they’re attacked and shot at, as if they were nature’s worst adversaries. We must be dreaming… Because, without fanfare, they are in fact the true guardians of biodiversity...

Read our detailed report, and join us in stopping the persecution of wolves by signing our petition.

No to the presence of children at bullfights and cockfights

No to the presence of children at bullfights and cockfights

No to the presence of children at bullfights and cockfights
13.11.2024
No to the presence of children at bullfights and cockfights
Bull fighting

This Thursday, November 14, Senator Samantha Cazebonne’s bill to ban the presence of minors under the age of 16 at bullfights and cockfights will be examined by the Senate. This proposal is supported by One Voice, which has infiltrated bullfighting schools on several occasions.

While awareness of respect for animals and their welfare has just been introduced into the curriculum for Year 2 classes in 2024, paradoxically, these same children, in the middle of psychological development, can still witness scenes of unheard-of violence at bullfights and cockfights.

Infiltration of bullfighting schools

On several occasions, One Voice has investigated bullfighting schools, veritable “training centers” for teaching youngsters to become animal torturers and killers. From as young as 6 years old, they can be confronted with young cows, or even calves, incited by adults to torment them. Killing by inexperienced teenagers is slow and painful, and amounts to a veritable torture session.

Let us say it once again: bullfighting is forbidden in France, as it is tantamount to cruelty and severe mistreatment to animals. Only a few towns in the south of France are authorized to hold bullfights because of an exemption. How can we explain the fact that children cannot attend such illegal “shows” in some regions, but can do so in others, and are even allowed to take part in the killings?

One Voice supports senators Samantha Cazebonne and Arnaud Bazin and their co-signatories, who have the courage to put forward this proposal.

Sign the petition calling for a ban on the presence of children in bullrings and the closure of bullfighting schools, and call out to your local mayor.

Sign for a ban on the presence of children in bullrings and the closure of bullfighting schools. Sign for a ban on the presence of children in bullrings and the closure of bullfighting schools. Sign for a ban on the presence of children in bullrings and the closure of bullfighting schools. Sign for a ban on the presence of children in bullrings and the closure of bullfighting schools. Sign for a ban on the presence of children in bullrings and the closure of bullfighting schools. Sign for a ban on the presence of children in bullrings and the closure of bullfighting schools. Sign for a ban on the presence of children in bullrings and the closure of bullfighting schools. Sign for a ban on the presence of children in bullrings and the closure of bullfighting schools. Sign for a ban on the presence of children in bullrings and the closure of bullfighting schools. Sign for a ban on the presence of children in bullrings and the closure of bullfighting schools.

Thousands of macaques in distress: revelations about their transport conditions to laboratories

Thousands of macaques in distress: revelations about their transport conditions to laboratories

Thousands of macaques in distress: revelations about their transport conditions to laboratories
13.11.2024
Thousands of macaques in distress: revelations about their transport conditions to laboratories
Animal testing

One Voice reveals the information and photos gathered by our friends at Animal Rights on the conditions under which monkeys are flown in to supply European and American laboratories. Reports and images reveal the brutal and deadly reality of this international trade, centered around Brussels airport, one of the world’s hubs for sending laboratory animals to Europe and the United States. In 2024 alone, several thousand macaques passed through the airport.

Endless flight hours in unbearable conditions

As we reported in 2023, long-tailed macaques are captured from the wild in Mauritius for use in laboratories around the world. But before they get there, they endure a harrowing journey. They are locked up in small wooden crates, shipped by the dozens, even hundreds, by airlines such as BinAir, SkyTaxi, and RAF-AVIA. These boxes, with simple openings for ventilation, isolate each primate in a space so cramped that they can’t even stand upright normally. The photos speak for themselves: huddled beings, terrified and clearly exhausted by these extreme conditions.

generics.video.play

Serial injuries, stress and death

Inspection reports¹ reveal some chilling facts: during a shipment to the UK in July 2023, it was noted that the macaques traveled in a hold with a temperature of 10°C, far too cold for them. The inspector admitted that this temperature did not comply with standards, yet the shipment was authorized. 

And that’s not all… On another trip, one of the macaques suffered from anal prolapse, a serious, hemorrhagic injury. However, the inspector approved the transfer, describing the injury as “minor” and considered that further treatment would suffice. The photos show a different reality: the monkey and the walls of their cage are covered in blood. Here’s an absurdity: European regulations prohibit the transport of “farmed” animals with anal prolapse, but do not apply to those intended for laboratories, which can therefore be transported with mortal wounds. Animal Rights has filed a complaint for allowing these monkeys to board these flights. 

And it doesn’t stop there. Last July, on a flight to New York JFK, a macaque was found dead in its crate on arrival. In fact, in some reports, our closest cousins, when found dead on arrival, are simply crossed off the list on the delivery note and considered as “units” deducted from the total, which will certainly not be charged…

France is also concerned by this trade, of which macaques are the first victims

Call to action: let’s put an end to this sordid trade

We call on Brussels airport to put an immediate stop to the monkey trade. These practices must stop! 

Join us in demanding an end to the use of macaques in laboratories by signing our petition.

¹The information was obtained in the form of inspection reports received from the Flemish Animal Welfare Department for the period January 2023 to August 2024. These reports concern monkeys sent from Brussels airports to the UK, Germany, France, Spain and the USA.