Archives: News

Report, new investigation and action on the ground: to stop breeding and testing on dogs

Report, new investigation and action on the ground: to stop breeding and testing on dogs

Report, new investigation and action on the ground: to stop breeding and testing on dogs
29.08.2023
European Union
Report, new investigation and action on the ground: to stop breeding and testing on dogs
Animal testing

At the end of the summer, One Voice published an in-depth report on dogs in animal testing in France (and its ramifications in the European Union and elsewhere in the world). This report of over thirty pages and the bibliography provided is accompanied by unpublished footage from the Mézilles and Gannat breeding farms, currently owned by Marshall BioResources, the New York giant in ‘bio-resources’.Rallies near the breeding farms have been set and implemented by local One Voice activist branches, as they do every year at the end of the summer, on 1 and 2 September in Gannat, and 2 September in Auxerre.

Deep-rooted public opinion in favour of ethical science

Three quarters of French people are against animal testing (IPSOS/One Voice survey, April 2023). This figure rose to 85% regarding tests carried out on dogs. However, our country is home to Yonne and Allier, two industrial breeding farms for thousands of beagles and golden retrievers – animals that are particularly gentle and friendly – destined exclusively to suffer then die in conditions that we would not even wish on our worst enemy. The One Voice team obtained, in 2019 and 2021 respectively, a cancellation for their expansion.

The requirement for transparency leads by example, with the public’s support

One Voice, cutting edge on the subject of animal testing in France since the end of the 1990s, has also made a site analysing the official data available and invites the public to sign their petition that is in particular in favour of closing these two dog breeding farms. The association is asking that these experiments causing ‘severe’ suffering for dogs stop, but also for the development of replacement methods (meaning without animals), and brings other key measures such as obtaining true transparency, because this environment has a rare lack of transparency, and State services are more than unwilling to hand over inspection reports that are public.

 

Constant work alongside our partners in Europe, because mass-production and legislation goes beyond French borders

By supporting the European Citizens’ Initiative against testing cosmetics on animals, One Voice has managed to get the European Commission to commit for a progressive decree on animal testing. Even more recently, the association took over a collective campaign showing the conditions of international transfers of dogs in the hold of an aeroplane via Denmark — conditions that they had already reported on in the past.

To find out more about dogs in animal testing:

Every year, there are almost 20,000 uses of dogs in laboratories in the European Union, and this is mainly for toxicity tests for medications and in research into diseases.

More than half of these uses relate to new dogs imported or ‘produced’ for experiments, while the rest are made up of dogs that are reused from one year to the next. Most of them come from specialised EU breeding farms, but almost a third of them are imported from the United States or elsewhere.

France is among the biggest consumers of dogs, and for tests causing the most suffering

Almost all of these dogs are beagles, but individuals from other breeds (particularly golden retrievers) can be tested on. France and the United Kingdom are the biggest ‘consumers’ of them in Europe, with more than 4000 procedures per year each. Germany follows them closely but has noted a progressive reduction in the number of uses since 2015.

By nature, animal testing causes suffering. France stands out in Europe with a high proportion of very painful or very stressful procedures.

We invite you to read our report on dogs in animal testing, to sign our petition, and to watch our investigation videos on the French dog breeding farms that are among the biggest in Europe. You are also invited to participate in the rallies at the start of September to ask for the closure of these miserable places, as well as a paradigm shift on a scientific level.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Open letter regarding Iberian orcas and their interactions with ships

Open letter regarding Iberian orcas and their interactions with ships

Open letter regarding Iberian orcas and their interactions with ships
27.08.2023
International
Open letter regarding Iberian orcas and their interactions with ships
Wildlife

Cetacean experts, many of whom are those who regularly call upon One Voice to strengthen their stance, published an open letter to warn of the importance of not drawing hasty conclusions regarding orcas’ interactions with boats.

Photo: Michael Bamford – CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The undersigned are experts in cetacean biology and behaviour, including several who specialise in orcas (also called ‘killer whales’).

Interactions between orcas (which we will refer to as ‘Iberian orcas’ below) and ships along the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) as well as in neighbouring waters provoke keen interest from the public. We are worried about the fact that factual errors regarding these interactions are repeated in the media and embellished with a story – devoid of any scientific or genuine basis – according to which these animals attack boats aggressively or look to take revenge on sailors. We believe that this story inappropriately gives cetaceans human motivations and we fear that its perpetuation does not result in punitive responses from sailors or administrators. Orcas have shown a wide range of behaviours during interactions, including many corresponding to playful social behaviour.

Consequently, we would like to clarify facts based on the scientific evidence available. Most of this information comes from a peer reviewed article published in Marine Mammal Science in 2022 by several signatories of this letter.

Iberian orcas are classified on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list as being in critical danger of extinction. Their population is likely less than forty individuals. These orcas represent a geographically isolated and genetically distinct sub-population, which mainly feed on bluefin tuna.

These disruptive interactions with ships truly started in July 2020. To date, at least eleven juveniles and four adult females have been identified as participating or observing. There is no evidence of the existence of a recognisable ‘leader’ who would be at the head of this interference. Researchers have given these fifteen orcas the Latin name Gladis
and an individual name: for example, Gladis Blanca or Gladis Negra (respectively White Gladis and Black Gladis in English). We discovered that the juvenile female Gladis Negra – initially reported to have interacted with boats – had a laceration on her head at the start of spring 2020 and an injury behind her dorsal fin later in 2021. The origin of the two injuries remains unknown.

The nature of the interactions is distributed as follows: no contact with the ship, light or moderate contact with minor or no damage to the ship, significant contact with serious damage (preventing sailing). Since spring 2021, at least five damaged ships sank. Serious damage is produced in only 20% of these interactions.

Despite damage caused to ships, we believe that is it wrong to consider these interactions as ‘attacks’. Although the boats (rarely) had teeth marks in some places, the predominant damage to the rudders and the keels were due to collisions or water hammers to the head or body. Orcas do not demolish the rudders like they would if they were hunting. Even if their behaviour is scary (and costs money) from a human perspective, from the orcas’ perspective it appears rather recreational.

Orcas, like any other species of dolphin, are incidentally known for starting cultural ‘trends’ – meaning new behaviours that last briefly in time and develop within a given population, such as carrying dead fish on their heads, and which we could compare to our clothing ‘trends’. Although interactions with ships can represent a similar phenomenon, they persist for a longer time than a trend kind of behaviour, spreading it throughout the population, and have a more and more significant impact. Nevertheless, it is possible that, following the examples of previous trends, this behaviour will disappear as suddenly as it appeared.

We are urging the media and the public to no longer construct projective stories about these animals. In the absence of any additional proof, people must not presume to understand their motivations. The orca is an intelligent and socially complex species. Each population has its own culture which includes various vocalisations (called dialects), preferences when it comes to prey, hunting techniques, and even different social structures and migratory behaviours. Iberian orcas present a behaviour which, among cetaceans, has never been seen with such regularity. Even in the days of industrial hunting on wooden vessels, while much bigger whales had a reputation for smashing or damaging ships, such incidents were relatively rare. Science still cannot explain why Iberian orcas act this way, even though, as we noted earlier, such behaviour is most likely linked to playing and socialisation rather than aggression. It is unfounded and potentially dangerous for these animals to claim that it is about vengeance for past wrongs or to spin another melodramatic story.

While we are at sea, we are in the realm of marine life. We do not have the right to punish wildlife for being wild. We must keep cool while animals present previously unseen behaviours, and we must redouble our efforts to adapt our own actions and behaviours in their presence. The survival of species with whom we share this planet depends on it.

Signatories:

  • Dr Naomi A. Rose, Scientific Director, Institute of Marine Mammal Biology and Animal Welfare, United States
  • Dr Robin W. Baird, Director of the Hawaii programme, Cascadia Research Collective, United States
  • Dr Giovanni Bearzi, President, Dolphin Biology and Conservation, Italy
  • Dr Maddalena Bearzi, President, United States Marine Conservation Society, United States
  • Dr Jaime Bolaños, Executive Director, Caribbean-Wide Orca Project (CWOP), Sea Vida Coordinator (Venezuela), Venezuela
  • Dr Inês Carvalho, Population and Conservation Genetics Group, Instituto Gulbenkian Ciência, Portugal
  • Dr Mel Cosentino, Marine Mammal Researcher, Aarhus University, Denmark
  • Dr Volker Deecke, Wildlife Conservation Professor, University of Cumbria, United Kingdom
  • Dr Rocío Espada-Ruiz, University of Seville, Ecolocaliza, GTOA (Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atlántica/Atlantic Orca Working Group), Spain
  • Dr Ruth Esteban, Madère Whale Museum GTOA, Portugal
  • Dr Andrew Foote, PhD Researcher, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Norway
  • Dr Tilen Genov, Morigenos – Slovenian Marine Mammal Society, IUCN Group of Cetacean Specialists, Slovenia
  • Dr Deborah Giles, Science and Research Director of Wild Orca, United States
  • Dr Christophe Guinet, Research Director, CNRS, Chizé Biological Research Centre, France
  • Dr Erich Hoyt, Research Fellow, Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) and IUCN SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force co-chair, United Kingdom
  • Dr Eve Jourdain, Thesis Director and Research Fellow, Norwegian Orca Survey, Norway
  • Dr Alfredo López Fernández, University of Aveiro, CESAM CEMMA, GTOA, Portugal
  • Dr Eduardo Morteo Ortiz, Thesis Director, Marine Mammal Laboratory at the University of Veracruzana (LabMMar-IIB-ICIMAP-UV), Mexico
  • Dr Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Honorary Chairman, Tethys Research Institute, Italy
  • Dr Laetitia Nunny, Scientific Consultant, MSc OceanCare, Spain
  • Dr Liliana Olaya-Ponzone, University of Seville GTOA, Spain
  • Dr Christian D. Ortega Ortiz, PhD Professor, University of Colima, Mexico
  • Dr E. C. M. Parsons, Teaching Fellow, Centre for Conservation and Ecology, University of Exeter, United Kingdom
  • Dr Héctor Pérez Puig, MSc, Marine Mammal Programme Coordinator, Centro de Estudios Culturales y Ecológicos Prescott, A.C. Mexico, Mexico
  • Dr Randall Reeves, PhD Chair, IUCN-SSC Cetacean Specialist Group, Canada
  • Dr Filipa Samarra, Research Specialist, University of Iceland, Iceland
  • Dr Marina Séqueira, Institute for the Conservation of Wildlife and Forests GTOA, Portugal
  • Dr Tiu Similä, Chief Scientist, Whale2Sea, Norway
  • Dr Mark Peter Simmonds, OceanCare, Director of Science, United Kingdom
  • Dr Courtney E. Smith, Affiliated Faculty, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, United States
  • Dr Paul Tixier, Researcher, Marine mammal ecology and their interactions with human activity, National Institute for Sustainable Development, IRD MARBEC, France
  • Dr Jared Towers, Executive Director, Bay Cetology, Canada
  • Dr Lindy Weilgart, OceanCare Adjunct Senior Ocean Noise Expert and Policy Consultant, Biology Department, Dalhousie University, Canada
  • Dr Hal Whitehead, PhD Professor, Dalhousie University, Canada
  • Dr Alex Zerbini, Scientific Director, Cooperative Institute for Climate Ecosystem and Ocean Studies, University of Washington, United States

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Animal testing: twenty rulings asking for transparency

Animal testing: twenty rulings asking for transparency

Animal testing: twenty rulings asking for transparency
25.08.2023
France
Animal testing: twenty rulings asking for transparency
Animal testing

Case files come one after the other and are similar: since last summer, thirteen new tribunals have told prefectures in twenty departments to provide their inspection reports for animal testing laboratories. This is in addition to around thirty rulings already obtained since Autumn 2021.

These new rulings concern the Charente-Maritime, Landes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Seine-Saint-Denis, Dordogne, Gironde, Yvelines, Essonne, Côte-d’Or, Guyane, Mayenne, Maine-et-Loire, Loire Atlantique, Vendée, Corrèze, Indre, Calvados, Haute-Garonne, Haute-Vienne, and Drôme Prefectures. The laboratories are in particular those at the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment [INRAE], several University Institutes of Technology [IUT] and Universities, Sanofi, and also the French Office for Biodiversity, Dordogne Breeders’ Association, Dijon Agro Institute, French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, and the Equitechnic company among others.

We find it difficult to understand how prefectures and their veterinary services (DDPP) still refuse to provide animal testing laboratory inspection reports after all of the rulings that oblige them to do so.

Transparency scares administrations

Prefectures’ justifications are always the same: (unfounded) fears for safety, criticism from animal associations, or the unbelievable idea that if the public have access to laboratory inspection reports, this would undermine investigations into violations and the enforcement of the law.

But tribunals are rarely fooled: while some rulings have authorised prefectures to hide very specific information, almost all of them only authorise names of laboratory staff and veterinary inspectors being redacted.

Such reluctance from the administration would be almost laughable if it were not so dramatic, when we know that sanctions are excessively rare and insignificant.

Transparency is substantive work

Not that these are the first lies issued by the administration to cover up their lack of transparency… It is therefore our responsibility to continue monitoring and carrying out substantive work, in order to gather information helping to report on the limits of the regulations and their application.

These documents allow us to finally note situations of animal mistreatment – always serious, sometimes illegal -in order to report on them and to attack those responsible through the justice system or to act against the inaction of the administration when this is possible.

Thus, even when the administration does not learn any lessons, each new ruling in favour of transparency is a victory.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Not Japan, nor Dubai, nor another park, but a sanctuary for the orcas and dolphins at Marineland Antibes!

Not Japan, nor Dubai, nor another park, but a sanctuary for the orcas and dolphins at Marineland Antibes!

Not Japan, nor Dubai, nor another park, but a sanctuary for the orcas and dolphins at Marineland Antibes!
24.08.2023
Alpes-Maritimes
Not Japan, nor Dubai, nor another park, but a sanctuary for the orcas and dolphins at Marineland Antibes!
Exploitation for shows

One Voice is getting the latest push ready to save the four orcas born and kept at Marineland Antibes as well as the dolphins who also go round and round in the worn and empty pools there. The finishing line, like a mirage, comes in waves — it seems close and then seems to elude us: we are doing everything we can for her to be put into a marine sanctuary and not into a dolphinarium on the other side of the world.

Risking everything for Inouk, Moana, Wikie, and Keijo

There is no longer a minute to lose. And yes, at no time have we skimped on the means used; more than ever we are increasing them tenfold. Following consistent information on the next departure of orcas and dolphins from the marine park from the Côte d’Azur to somewhere even worse than what they have already experienced, we are writing to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, the Alpes-Maritime Prefecture, Marineland, and its owner, Parques Reunidos.

We are therefore committing in concrete terms to a dialogue with authorities and the park owners, at the same time as a power struggle, because it is not yet too late for the cetaceans being kept captive at Parques Reunidos in France.

A duty to set an example for animals and future generations

The orcas kept at Marineland are young; there is still time to repair all the harm done to them by the captivity industry in particular, which was fuelled, and continues to be, like a voracious monster that is never satisfied in seas across the world, or by humanity in general.

We must raise our expectations when it comes to ourselves and our peers. Let’s try to learn from our mistakes and do all we can to rectify them, instead of adding yet more to the long list of deaths of these individuals exploited since their birth and for decades.

A tightly woven network of specialised partners surrounding ‘French’ orcas

Our friends and cetacean experts throughout the world are committing to lending us a hand now. They are ready, when the moment comes, to prepare them to be welcomed into marine sanctuaries under construction.

Thus, everyone takes on their part of the work alongside animal defenders. Including among those converted away from the captivity world. And incidentally the ‘keepers’, who are as close as possible to the animals every day, will be those who we will need not only to surround them during a transfer to a marine sanctuary, but also in their daily life, later.

Let’s ensure that the only family of captive orcas living together are not separated and sent to Japan. Let’s ensure that the dolphins are not sent to Dubai, which our sources have agreed is their destination: here they would be victims of endless exploitation. Both will be, even more than in France, in contact with clients, and thus exposed to disease and stress in even smaller pools, with no protective legislation.

After twenty years of fierce fighting against the captivity industry, it is essential for us that the last four orcas born and trained in the chlorinated waters of France can finally enjoy a dignified life and have some respite, which they have never experienced to this day. Our team of lawyers, comprised of Caroline Lanty, Coline Robert, and Andréa Rigal-Casta, is by our side to finish this fight. As long it is possible to take action, we will do so.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Feline straying: one year later than the set deadline and still no government report in sight

Feline straying: one year later than the set deadline and still no government report in sight

Feline straying: one year later than the set deadline and still no government report in sight
23.08.2023
France
Feline straying: one year later than the set deadline and still no government report in sight
Domestic animals

The passing of the 30 November 2021 law aiming to fight against animal mistreatment has allowed a few rare steps forward when it comes to animal welfare. They are, however, largely insufficient, and those on feline straying are completely ignored. More than a year and a half after these new standards coming into force, nothing has been done about it.

This law effectively plans for neutering campaigns led on an experimental basis by the State in cooperation with mayors and presidents of volunteer local authorities.

To launch this process, a key element must be submitted by the Ministry of Agriculture: a report setting up a quantified diagnostic on the issue of stray cats in France, evaluating the cost of capturing, neutering, and formulating operational recommendations to respond to this issue, all while presenting the arrangements for financing the system by local authorities and the State.

This document must be put forward no later than six months after the enactment, which means that 1 June 2022 is the latest deadline.

August 2023, still no report…

In summer 2022, the government explained that they had already faced difficulties and did not know when the said report would finally be published.

In December of the same year, the MPs in charge of deciding on how this legislation is applied were concerned about the lack of publication, criticising “the inaction of communities and a lack of drive on the State’s part” on the situation of feline straying, all while recalling that “there is an obligation to neuter stray cats in the initial bill and that this had been taken out at the Senate under pressure from local representatives.”

In February 2023, we wrote to the Ministry of Agriculture to ask them for information, question them on a delivery date for the report, remind them of their obligations, but also to send them our research on the subject. A letter that has still not been answered.

And so, we are at the end of the summer and the case still has not progressed.

While waiting, cats continue to suffer

There is nothing very unusual about the government’s inaction on subjects regarding animals and the environment. But here, stray cats continue to reproduce, fight against cold, heat, hunger, bad weather, and human malice. Thousands of kittens born outside continue to die every year from disease or being run over by cars. Those who survive give birth to other individuals, themselves destined for a tragic fate, and so on…

When it comes to mayors, many of them refuse to take responsibility by carrying out neutering campaigns, and can find nothing better to do than ban feeding cats or destroy their shelters. We receive dozens of witness statements along these lines every week. The associations, who are weighed down by requests for support and continue to struggle, are on their side: those defending animals do the best they can to feed, treat, and even neuter stray cats at their own expense, despite inflation making their work more and more difficult.

The only solution to put an end to this misery can be found in obligatory neutering, as is the case in Spain or in Belgium, where this provision even made it possible to reduce the number of euthanisias.

Help us to move forward with this fight: share our report with your local council and sign our petition demanding an urgent national plan to put an end to feline straying and the suffering that it causes.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Killing at the cemetery: in Moselle, wild boars are slaughtered between gravestones

Killing at the cemetery: in Moselle, wild boars are slaughtered between gravestones

Killing at the cemetery: in Moselle, wild boars are slaughtered between gravestones
22.08.2023
Moselle
Killing at the cemetery: in Moselle, wild boars are slaughtered between gravestones
Wildlife

Killing animals in a cemetery; we should have thought of that. For a few months, we have been worried about opinions on the Moselle Prefecture’s methods, which clearly does not hesitate in disturbing the sleep of the dead by ‘cleaning’ a cemetery of animals who are not welcome. Nothing justifies these methods while alternatives exist.

In December 2022, the Moselle Prefect authorised the ‘testing’ of deer inside the Saint-Avold American cemetery. We therefore published an article, and the Prefecture guaranteed that these animals would be trapped and not killed. In the meantime, hunters were unleashed with the finesse that we know from them: “We would never kill animals in a cemetery!”, “these people know nothing”…

It is now clear that we were right to be concerned. On 17 August 2023, the Prefecture published a decree authorising ‘administrative shots’ on wild boars inside the cemetery. We are impatiently waiting for the reactions from those who oppose us. Perhaps we can explain to them that ‘administrative shots’ absolutely do not mean ‘killing’, but are simply about starting CERFA forms…

In any case, we are calling once again on the Prefecture: why kill animals while alternatives exist? Why not strengthen fences? Let’s understand: it is vital that the cemetery’s grass stays very green, and it is undoubtedly easier to clean up spots of blood than to put back a few clumps of earth dug up by wild boars.

No rational explanation, and more proof, if any is needed, that State services have definitively adopted hunters’ logic. No matter the situation, there is only one reaction: killing animals.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Fish are disappearing and the orcas living in the South Pacific are starving: let’s reopen the dams!

Fish are disappearing and the orcas living in the South Pacific are starving: let’s reopen the dams!

Fish are disappearing and the orcas living in the South Pacific are starving: let’s reopen the dams!
22.08.2023
International
Fish are disappearing and the orcas living in the South Pacific are starving: let’s reopen the dams!
Wildlife

Ten days. This is the time that we have left to question political representatives in the United States and convince them to save the orcas in the South Pacific. By opening the dams of the Snake River, salmon and rainbow trout who have seen a concerning decline could be protected, and it would finally allow residents of the Salish Sea to no longer suffer from starvation. Together, let’s rally for Lolita’s family.

In the past, orcas who swam in large numbers off the coast of Vancouver and Seattle could be seen playing and exploring the world around them for ages. Today, their daily life is an eternal search for silence, space, and food. Victims of pollution, fishing, heavy maritime traffic, and above all, imposing dams that decimate the fish populations that feed them, residents of the South Pacific die, among other things, from hunger.

Taking action on dams can wait no longer

Alongside our friends and partners from the Center for Whale Research, we are asking once again for the American government to guarantee the survival of orcas and fish who are evolving in the Snake River. For them to successfully spawn, four dams must be opened. An option considered by the Council on Environmental Quality, who is allowing citizens to give their views on this subject until 31 August. It is essential that measures are taken very quickly, otherwise orcas in the Salish Sea are at risk of disappearing.

Lolita’s family must outlive her

Captured in 1970 in a very violent way, the prisoner of Miami Seaquarium, also known as Tokitae or Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, her Lummi name, passed away on 18 August without being able to see her mother again, who was still alive and the matriarch of pod L, or the vast expanses of water in which she had spent the first four years of her life. Those close to her were also captured to be sent to minuscule pools in four corners of the world; she was the last one surviving.

In her memory and for all of the members of her family, take action with us by calling on political representatives in the United States via social networks by combining #BidenBreachNow with your message and/or by commenting on the government project.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

2023: a record year for badgers!

2023: a record year for badgers!

2023: a record year for badgers!
18.08.2023
2023: a record year for badgers!

2023 was a milestone year. In ten new departments, judges have once again suspended additional periods for underground hunting with hounds. A grand finale that has closed an historic season where 80% of decrees contested by the association were suspended: in 29 areas out of the 36 where we have attacked, badger cubs and their parents will have their lives saved. More than 4000 of them will live and digging out is on the chopping block more than ever.

In March 2023, we launched a big legal push against additional periods for underground hunting with hounds. We have pulled out all the stops, along with our partners where it was possible, and rallied all of our energy to fight this type of unbearable hunting. Up until the middle of the summer, we attacked the prefectural decrees and continued to obtain bans on these planned massacres, often before the hunting season even started.

Ten new victories, and thousands of badgers saved

The ten suspensions obtained recently can be added to the 19 suspensions already obtained throughout the spring and summer.

In Aveyron, Corrèze, Creuse, Haute-Vienne, Indre, Indre-et-Loire, Seine-et-Marne, and Orne, with our partner AVES, we have convinced judges of the necessity of urgently suspending digging out. Faced with a total lack of any serious data and the risks for badger families that we have systematically shown, judges have heard us and have swept away the hunters’ untruthful arguments that they were whispering to the State.

We have even pushed the limits of the law on the ban on killing the young! In Essonne, in which we attacked alongside the LPO, the Tribunal did not let themselves be fooled by the Prefecture’s attempts, who had reported the opening of this type of hunting on 15 July supposedly to protect the young, and said ‘stop’ to this carnage despite the late date, since badger cubs are present in the setts for at least one year.

And in Puy-de-Dôme, the Clermont-Ferrand Administrative Tribunal confirmed its position: even though the Prefecture took out a second decree following our first victory – scheming that did not really surprise us much as the Prefectures are used to these practices – we once again achieved our aim with Animal Cross, AVES, FNE Aura, FNE Puy-de-Dôme, and LPO Aura.

In total, more than 4000 individuals were saved in total in 29 departments that went against the closure of this type of hunting that was already authorised for the rest of the year, and which we condemned the cruelty of thanks to a high-risk infiltration investigation within a team of diggers.

Additional period for underground hunting with hounds: the beginning of the end!

Thanks to all of this success, digging out in the spring and summer is jeopardised more than ever. The State Council itself confirmed without ambiguity the law banning killing badger cubs, and invited us to continue, department by department, to attack decrees. They are counting on us! Because if the additional period is in the dock, prefects do not give up: for spring 2024, several dozen decrees have already been passed… But we will be there, whenever needed, to put a definitive end to these massacres.

Let’s not forget that after the additional period, digging out could restart from September in numerous departments. Badgers are targeted, but also foxes, as we have shown in our infiltrations. We are going to continue to increase initiatives – such as our complaint to the Bern Convention – and to give these animals a voice, alongside the public!

All of these victories lead the way to the end of this unbearable persecution that these reserved heroes who are true architects of our country’s underground spaces are subjected to. Behind their black and white coat, they provide major services for wildlife (for example, their setts shelter protected species such as bats, wild cats, or even otters). In Bas-Rhin, like in several European countries (the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Luxembourg…), hunting them is banned and damage is not increased: logical, since badgers feed mainly on berries. They can reproduce in peace here – and this happens slowly, which further justifies them being protected.

So that diggers stop spreading terror in the countryside – as more than four in five French people would like (IPSOS/One Voice survey, September 2022)- more than ever, support badgers and sign our petition for the abolition of underground badger hunting with hounds and for their protection!

The 29 victories in the spring and summer of 2023

  • Aisne: hearing of 16/06/2023 (Amiens Administrative Tribunal)
  • Aube: hearing of 06/06/2023 (Châlons-en-Champagne Administrative Tribunal)
  • Allier: hearing of 30/05/2023 and 18/07/2023 (Clermont-Ferrand Administrative Tribunal)
  • Aveyron: hearing of 27/07/2023 (Toulouse Administrative Tribunal)
  • Charente-Maritime: hearing of 09/05/2023 (Poitiers Administrative Tribunal)
  • Corrèze: hearing of 17/07/2023 (Limoges Administrative Tribunal)
  • Creuse: hearing of 01/08/2023 (Limoges Administrative Tribunal)
  • Essonne: hearing of 09/08/2023 (Versailles Administrative Tribunal)
  • Eure-et-Loir: hearing of 05/06/2023 (Orléans Administrative Tribunal)
  • Haute-Loire: hearing of 20/06/2023 (Clermont-Ferrand Administrative Tribunal)
  • Haute-Vienne: hearing of 01/08/2023 (Limoges Administrative Tribunal)
  • Ille-et-Vilaine: hearing of 08/06/2023 (Rennes Administrative Tribunal)
  • Indre: hearing of 01/08/2023 (Limoges Administrative Tribunal)
  • Indre-et-Loir: hearing of 10/08/2023 (Orléans Administrative Tribunal)
  • Loir-et-Cher: hearing of 03/07/2023 (Orléans Administrative Tribunal)
  • Loiret: hearing of 05/06/2023 (Orléans Administrative Tribunal)
  • Maine-et-Loire: hearing of 27/07/2023 (Nantes Administrative Tribunal)
  • Manche: hearing of 09/05/2023 (Caen Administrative Tribunal)
  • Meuse: hearing of 13/06/2023 (Nancy Administrative Tribunal)
  • Nièvre: hearing of 31/03/2023 (Dijon Administrative Tribunal)
  • Oise: hearing of 09/05/2023 (Amiens Administrative Tribunal)
  • Orne: hearing of 03/08/2023 (Caen Administrative Tribunal)
  • Puy-de-Dôme: hearing of 30/05/2023 and 01/08/2023 (Clermont-Ferrand Administrative Tribunal)
  • Savoie: hearing of 16/06/2023 (Grenoble Administrative Tribunal)
  • Seine-et-Marne: hearing of 25/07/2023 (Melun Administrative Tribunal)
  • Tarn-et-Garonne: hearing of 03/05/2023 (Toulouse Administrative Tribunal)
  • Vienne: hearing of 26/05/2023 (Poitiers Administrative Tribunal)

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Trapping: today it is a fawn; how many other victims before a shake-up happens?

Trapping: today it is a fawn; how many other victims before a shake-up happens?

Trapping: today it is a fawn; how many other victims before a shake-up happens?
17.08.2023
Bouches-du-Rhône
Trapping: today it is a fawn; how many other victims before a shake-up happens?
Wildlife

Every year, tens of thousands of animals are trapped in France. Apart from the cruelty of it, this practice constitutes a major danger for many of them, wild or not, who are immobilised, mutilated, or killed. In the outskirts of the town of Aurons, a fawn was recently taken by a neck snare trap. Faced with the growing concern of all citizens who fear for wild animals and for their pets, we are alerting the mayor so that the person responsible for this illegal installation can be identified and we are once again condemning trapping as a practice.

Pets or wild animals: no one is spared

A few months ago, we announced that we were filing a complaint for Mani, a cat who almost had to have an amputation after being trapped in a neck snare. After long hours of suffering, he was finally freed and his paw saved in the nick of time. Cooper was saved from a leg-hold trap, and a wolf was found strangled in a fox trap in Gard. We have filed a complaint for them too. Despite repeated alerts, nothing has changed, and forests are transformed into an obstacle course for animals.

In the small village of Aurons, dismayed residents have recently alerted us after having discovered a panicked fawn taken by a trap in August 2023. For several hours, he remained immobilised, a strong metal wire tightening around his neck all the more as he tried to escape.

Far from being anecdotal, these cases are symptomatic of the hypocrisy of the regulations. To be authorised, traps are supposed to be ‘selective’. In other words, they must only be used for species classified as likely to cause damage (previously ‘pests’). How can they be selective if they are put in the middle of the forest, ready to spring into action at the slightest movement? In reality, these devices work in an indiscriminate way, whatever the animal may be.

Traps: a nightmare for animals classified as species likely to cause damage

Beyond trapping non-targeted individuals, every year, from foxes to stone martens and crows to jays, hundreds of thousands of animals lose their lives, killed by trappers. Strangled by neck snares, mutilated by leg-hold traps, trapped by their leg that is often broken before being killed, imprisoned in cages, or tangled up in nets, nothing spares them.

The ordeal of members of these species on the ground that are supposedly ‘pests’ is constant: at any time and anywhere, hunters are formidably inventive when they conquer them. While we are filing a plea against the classification of numerous species as ‘species likely to cause damage’ throughout the area, we are solemnly calling on authorities to take action and responsibility, while our forests are progressively turning into minefields for all animals.

For the fawn in Aurons, we have written to the town mayor so that the trapper can be identified and pursued. For all of the others, collective support is vital! Sign our petition for a radical reform of hunting, and let us know about any trap that does not clearly show the trapper’s registration number!

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

New investigation at Parc Saint Léger: nothing has changed for animals at the settled circus

New investigation at Parc Saint Léger: nothing has changed for animals at the settled circus

New investigation at Parc Saint Léger: nothing has changed for animals at the settled circus
17.08.2023
France
New investigation at Parc Saint Léger: nothing has changed for animals at the settled circus
Exploitation for shows

After the April 2022 seizure at Parc Saint Léger, has Kid Bauer done what is needed to transform his settled circus into a haven of peace for the ring-tailed lemurs, lions and other animals? Not really! Our investigation from May 2023 shows that their situation is still as alarming, from the felines and raccoons imprisoned in ridiculous spaces and ring-tailed lemurs exposed to dozens of tourists inside their enclosure. While this is still happening, we are filing another complaint for illegal operation and mistreatment by a professional.

Nothing, or almost nothing, has changed since two muntjacs, a porcupine, a swan, two macaws, four tortoises, and a python were seized last year, which happened thanks to our investigators’ footage and our complaint for mistreatment. Far from taking a good look at themselves, the Saint-Léger-en-Braye settled circus continues to exploit the animals that they exhibit without changing any of their living conditions.

When the park is open, the ring-tailed lemurs have groups of fifteen to twenty people coming through their enclosure. The whole crowd is talking to each other. Led by the adults, some of the scared children cry while others shout with excitement and their ‘caregiver’ does not ask them to calm down. There is also no warning of the very real risk of zoonotic diseases, while visitors feed the animals perched on their shoulders by hand. Invaded from all sides, the ring-tailed lemurs have to endure these stressful moments if they want to eat, even if it means getting trampled. A scenario that is not improbable, since even the member of staff who shows them around the enclosure admits to having stepped on one of the lemurs’ tails earlier in the day. A surreal scene!

Raccoons who try to escape

In the raccoons’ miniature enclosure, the bowls are empty and wooden planks and concrete slabs litter the floor as a distraction. They have no trees and no swimming area to use, while in the wild they love climbing, swimming, and travel over a distance from one to three square kilometres. How surprising is it in such conditions that one of them, staring at us with his piercing gaze through the mesh, seems to be desperately looking for a big enough gap to escape through?

Lions and tigers still kept captive but not on the park map

Although Parc Saint Léger has not presented an elephant show since the ones Baby was forced to do in 2019 and seems to have abandoned the performances during which they brought a spectator into the lionesses cage, the trained big cats are still there. You could believe the opposite given that the lions and tigers no longer feature on the settled circus’ map or among the photos of the animals kept…

Shut up in an enclosure that does not allow them to hide or find any shade, all suffering from sterotypies, expressing their stress and boredom by the comings and goings that leave long, bare paths in the middle of the grass of these open-air prisons.

Nothing, neither the revelations from our investigations, nor the rescue nor the reminders to competent authorities, seems to have an effect on Kid Bauer. Are they waiting for the trainer to take an example from his brother and send his prisoners to die elsewhere, like at Belvédère, the Tunisian zoo where Gilbert Bauer abandoned Baby? Parc Saint Léger must close and all of the animals there must be placed into a sanctuary.

Every time, our footage has revealed the disastrous consequences for these animals. In 2023, the situation has hardly changed. For the pumas, giant tortoises, kangaroos, and all of the others, we are once again filing a complaint against the establishment.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice