News Archive - Page 5 of 129

1,867,481 animals in French laboratories in less than 2 months

1,867,481 animals in French laboratories in less than 2 months
20.12.2024
1,867,481 animals in French laboratories in less than 2 months
Animal testing

Every day, in French laboratories, thousands of animals undergo experiments approved by the State. Between September 17 and November 15, 2024, 1,867,481 of them will be used in new projects: 1,690,867 mice, 816 monkeys, 3,048 pigs, 2,895 dogs, 68,440 fish… Eventually, all will be slaughtered or re-used.

Between September 17 and November 15, 2024, the French Ministry of Research once again gave the go-ahead for nearly two million animals to be experimented on. They will soon undergo painful and invasive tests, even though the law requires a reduction in animal experimentation and the use of alternative methods.

Painful surgeries, repeated injections and endless tests will be performed on them. Here are just a few examples…

Invasive surgeries and extreme experimentation for primates

Hundreds of marmosets will undergo craniotomies, i.e. surgeries in which the skull is opened to fix screws and install a medical device. This device, often not specified in the procedures, will be used to record or stimulate their brain activity. No need to draw a picture to understand the intense suffering of the monkeys condemned to undergo these procedures. Afterwards, they will be subjected to intensive behavioral tests, several hours a day, for dozens of weeks, prolonging the stress and pain.

Other studies involve numerous injections and administrations of products to be tested on macaques. Or, in another project, they will be inoculated with pneumonic plague. Procedures with terrible consequences: vomiting, epileptic seizures, cognitive disorders, severe pain or loss of appetite.

Pigs subjected to invasive protocols

Thousands of pigs will be used for invasive tests or surgical training, practices revealed in our recent investigation. They will then endure organ removal, prolonged hemorrhagic shock or cardiac arrest before being killed or reintegrated into the breeding cycle, where they will end up as sausages.

Dogs in the firing line of chemical and medical tests

Hundreds of dogs will be programmed to undergo multiple injections to test therapies, toxicological products, or intentionally induce vomiting and nausea in order to evaluate drugs. Afterwards, they will be “euthanized” for tissue analysis or reused in other protocols.

Rodents at the heart of cruel medical research

Hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, mice and rats account for around 96% of the animals included in the protocols validated during this period and intended for use over the coming months.

These protocols include kidney transplants and injections of cancerous cells to observe the progression of certain pathologies. In another procedure, several hundred rodents will have their legs immobilized daily for hours at a time, or will be subjected to extreme behavioral tests such as fear conditioning with electroshocks or forced swimming, a method we have been denouncing for years.

Other projects aim to force-feed them with pollutants in order to study their toxic effects, or to transmit to them serious diseases such as tuberculosis, forcing them to suffer endless symptoms. Other experiments involve inducing neurological damage, such as sciatic nerve damage, or testing toxic substances injected directly into the brain. The result: intense stress, unbearable pain, inflammation and weeks of isolation before premature death, sometimes by cervical dislocation.

Sham transparency, or the wood for the trees

Official reports from the French Ministry of Research conceals considerably the real situation. By counting only the first uses, they do not mention the many experiments repeated on the same animals. This institutional opacity is slowing down the transition to more ethical, modern and reliable research, which is what three quarters of French people want, according to our 2023 survey.

Why aren’t alternative methods the norm?

The 3Rs principle – replace (with other methods), reduce (the number of uses), refine (less pain inflicted) – which features in the European Directive, aims above all to reduce the number of individuals experimented on in laboratories! Professionals need to be trained in alternatives, and investment in animal-free experiments massively increased. In fact, we succeeded in getting an important amendment passed in the Finance Act, introducing a contribution of €1 per animal used to fund this research. Although the law was not passed, it was already a real step forward…

We will continue to denounce these cruel practices and demand concrete measures to protect living beings, until their use in laboratories is abolished. To put an end to their ordeal, join us in demanding an end to animal experimentation!

For the wolf cubs of Europe, request filed with the Court of Justice of the European Union!

For the wolf cubs of Europe, request filed with the Court of Justice of the European Union!
17.12.2024
Europe For the wolf cubs of Europe, request filed with the Court of Justice of the European Union!
Wildlife

Together with our partners Green Impact (Italy), Earth (Italy), LNDC Animal Protection (Italy) and Great Lakes and Wetlands (Hungary), we are filing a request with the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). It opposes the EU Council’s decision of September 26, 2024 setting the EU’s proposal to lower the protection status of wolves at the Bern Convention Standing Committee meeting of December 2-6, against which we protested.

Short-circuiting procedures: a scandal we won’t turn a blind eye to

In its haste to reduce protection for wolves and quench its thirst to kill again and again against popular opinion, the European Commission went directly to the Bern Convention to have the EU’s downgrading proposal adopted, flouting the standard 60-day deadline. This haste prevented any requests for annulment of the decision, which was already inevitably adopted since the EU holds the majority of votes within the Convention.

Wolves have been in serious peril since the European Union’s irresponsible and hasty decision. Which animals will the EU go after next if we don’t stop this submission to the lobbies, which is damaging biodiversity as a whole? For their sake, together with our partners, we are going to the European Court of Justice. Muriel Arnal President of One Voice

Yet, over 700 scientists and academics, as well as an IUCN specialist group, have recommended to the Bern Convention that it should not authorize this vote on the European Union’s proposal on wolves, or that it should vote against it on the grounds that the proposal is not sufficiently backed up by scientific evidence.

The EU’s request was based on a single report, devoid of scientific proofreading and validation, facilitating the political translation of the lobbies’ claims.

A request to denounce these aberrations

If accepted, our request, led by the Luca d’Agostino law firm and funded by the Gallifrey Foundation, could lead to the annulment of decisions based on the EU’s September 26, 2024 proposal to downgrade wolves. It was filed just after the revelation of the dysfunctions highlighted, such as: lack of scientific support, lack of scientific scrutiny, lack of democratic process in ignoring NGO and citizen demands, predominance of the will of the EU, of the processes of the EU and of the Bern Convention regarding wolves…

The fate of wolves in the hands of 17 countries

17 member States of the Convention have until March 3rd to rectify the situation by requesting the cancellation of the December 3rd vote. Until then, sign our petition to show your support for the wolf people.

Nota :

The legal work involved in filing this crucial request with the European Court of Justice was made possible thanks to the kind support of the Gallifrey Foundation, which donated funding for legal costs to Green Impact, and the work of the Luca d’Agostino law firm team.
The European Commission’s proposal to weaken legal protection for wolves was mainly driven by Ursula Von der Leyen and the European People’s Party (EPP), and supported by the right-wing and far-right groups in the previously elected European Parliament.
During negotiation of the Commission’s proposal to downgrade wolf protection in the EU Council, Spain and Ireland voted against, while Belgium, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus abstained.
Other EU countries such as Germany and Poland hesitated until the eve of the vote. The Belgian EU Presidency postponed the vote twice, raising doubts about the lack of scientific basis for the Commission’s proposal.
The Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats is a binding international legal instrument in the field of nature, covering most of the natural heritage of the European continent and extending to certain African States. It is the only regional convention of its kind. It aims to conserve wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats, and to promote European cooperation in this field. https://www.coe.int/en/web/bern-convention
On the initiative of a small group of experts supported by Green Impact, over 700 signatures from scientists and academics have been collected on two scientific statements on the conservation of wolves and their role in ecosystems. Both scientific statements recommend against supporting the downgrading of wolves and are available here and here.
The Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe – IUCN Specialist Group – has issued a scientific statement and press release stressing that “the current proposal to downgrade the species, however, seems premature and wrong, for the reasons outlined above, and that LCIE does not recommend its adoption”. See details.
“Conservation is the result of decision-making that must be based on credible scientific evidence. In the case of European wolves, the available data do not justify changing their protection status under the Bern Convention”, said Luigi Boitani, Head of LCIE / IUCN. https://iucn.org/news/202412/concerns-over-eus-wolf-downlisting-proposal

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.