News Archive - Page 6 of 144

A mass grave of ducks and teals in the Somme: One Voice files a complaint

A mass grave of ducks and teals in the Somme: One Voice files a complaint
27.08.2025
Somme
A mass grave of ducks and teals in the Somme: One Voice files a complaint
Animaux sauvages

Between 50 and 60 mutilated carcasses of mallards, shovelers, pintails and teals were discovered on 21 August 2025 near Péronne, in the Somme, a few hours after the opening of the hunting season. In response to this cruel and shocking act, One Voice is filing a complaint so that those responsible can be identified and punished. At a time when birds are being targeted from all sides by the government, and their songs are gradually dying out, now more than ever is the time for citizens to take action.

An unbearable massacre, and a complaint filed

Monday 21 August, 6pm, Péronne. In the middle of summer, a resident of this municipality in the Somme region discovered a pile of mutilated wild duck and teal carcasses, dismembered and piled up on the ground. According to the French Office for Biodiversity, they had just been shot. An unbearable cruelty. A total disregard for the lives of these water birds which are beginning their migration and are constantly being harassed by hunters along their route, particularly in wetlands and coastal areas throughout Europe. And yet another tragedy for ducks in this region where a few months ago we secured the conviction of a farmer for mistreatment.

The perpetrators? As always, everything suggests this to be a case of thrill-seeking hunters for whom the meagre rules protecting animals are already intolerable. The federations concerned are already starting to play the good hunter/bad hunter card. A ploy that no longer convinces anyone: whether in Sologne or in Vercors, poachers always have a valid licence.

Birds are under attack from all sides: join us in speaking out on their behalf!

As long as this leisure activity is supported by politicians who no longer hesitate to openly violate court decisions, such as the project to reauthorise so-called “traditional” hunts using traps, this type of massacre will continue. While France holds a sad European record with 65 species of birds eligible for hunting, the solution is simple: a complete ban on shooting.

But the government and hunters are digging in their heels: recently, the minister responsible for hunting dismissed recent scientific recommendations calling for a suspension of hunting of birds in decline. We therefore call on you more than ever to sign our petitions to call for a stop to the killing of birds and for a radical reform of hunting!

Montpellier Western Bypass: how many animals sacrificed for a pointless project?

Montpellier Western Bypass: how many animals sacrificed for a pointless project?
22.08.2025
Montpellier Western Bypass: how many animals sacrificed for a pointless project?
Habitat naturel

Between Saint-Jean-de-Védas, Montpellier and Juvignac, the government is about to authorise the construction of 6 kilometres of new roads linking the north and south motorways. Behind the promises of urban decongestion lies a grim reality: ever more concrete with serious consequences for the local wildlife, the surrounding biodiversity and the quality of life for the residents. Join us in the public consultation to say no to this anachronistic project —whose first victims will, as always, be the animals— when alternatives exist.

Wildlife destroyed to boost car traffic

The stated objective of this project is to reduce the risk of traffic jams in the metropolitan area by connecting two motorways. Is this a sensible idea? Not really. The area crosses several natural habitats and important nesting sites. A particularly rich biodiversity will be decimated: many species of birds, insects and bats —all protected— will bear the brunt of the bulldozers and the urbanisation. Not to mention the increase in greenhouse gas emissions —up to 30% according to the environmental authority, fine particles and hydrocarbons that will degrade the air quality, and noise pollution for animals and residents alike.

More asphalt, less nature and less agricultural land. These are not simply transport links but a completely outdated approach to urban sprawl. Especially since we now know that the primary consequence of building new road infrastructure is… an increase in traffic and car use.

The creation of roads does not promote environmentally friendly modes of transport

However, alternatives to this project do exist: from extending the tram line to improving the bicycle network, a completely new approach should now be adopted. But the authorities do not seem ready for this yet, preferring to rely on outdated models that have previously proven harmful to the environment.

At a time when massive efforts are needed to combat climate change, projects of this kind can no longer be sustained. One Voice opposes this project which will endanger thousands of animals and cause irreparable damage to this fragile ecosystem. Join us and take part in the consultation! You have until 28 August.

No to the culling of 80,000 great cormorants!

No to the culling of 80,000 great cormorants!
18.08.2025
No to the culling of 80,000 great cormorants!
Animaux sauvages

In order to “preserve” fish farming, the Minister for Ecological Transition is preparing to seal the fate of tens of thousands of great cormorants. Although the species is protected in France, 79,698 of them may be killed between 2025 and 2028. The aim of this measure is to protect the aquaculture industry, while the government supports the establishment of massive fish farms where tens of thousands of fish are crammed together. Make your voice heard in the public consultation on the draft decree, and say no to these ever-increasing exemptions: you only have until tomorrow to do so.

Iconic birds… harassed by gunfire

Great cormorants are instantly recognisable. With their black plumage tinged with white, they live peacefully near estuaries, lakes and waterways, building their nests on steep cliff faces or in trees near the coast. In France, these majestic birds are protected. They are bearing the brunt of pollution and warming waters. It is therefore strictly forbidden to disturb them… except with special permission.

A few months after facilitating the granting of these shooting permits, the Ministry, which is supposed to defend nature and its inhabitants, is preparing to define the official number of permits to kill cormorants for the next three years. The figures speak for themselves: 79,698 in France, with quotas of several thousand in some regions. The arguments put forward are, as always, absolute proof that the lives of animals have no value for the authorities who give in without resistance to pressure from the aquaculture lobby.

Accusing birds… to protect farming

To justify these upcoming massacres, the ministry accuses great cormorants of threatening wild fish… even though the National Council for Nature Conservation has debunked the myth of great cormorants as “fish exterminators” in its report!

The sole objective of this measure is to protect the aquaculture industry, while the number of farms where tens of thousands of individuals are crammed together is increasing, as in the case of the Aquafrais expansion project off the coast of Cannes which we recently investigated.

While we have been denouncing the relentless persecution of these large birds for years, the government remains stubborn. Join us in saying no to this draft decree, and make your voice heard for these targeted birds! Even if consultations carry little weight in the face of farming lobbies, the more opinions we gather to oppose the official texts, the more weight we will have in court when we counterattack!

After harassing her for months, her neighbour threatens to kill her and shoots her dog

After harassing her for months, her neighbour threatens to kill her and shoots her dog
14.08.2025
Haute-Savoie
After harassing her for months, her neighbour threatens to kill her and shoots her dog
Animaux familiers

In a town in Haute-Savoie, racist and misogynistic harassment targeting a local resident culminated in a death threat… and a bullet to her dog’s head on 24 July. Although Django miraculously survived, he will have to live with shrapnel in his skull and trauma shared by his human. We are pressing charges against the person responsible for this tragic situation.

“Dirty ni**er”, “cu*t”, “dirty wh**e”. Amelia (name changed to protect her anonymity), who moved back in with her parents three years ago, had been enduring months of racist and misogynistic insults from their neighbour who had gone so far as to threaten to “put a bullet in her head”. These chilling words gave good reason to fear that this escalation of aggression was not over…

An act of unspeakable cruelty

On 24 July, Amelia and her mother were at home when they heard gunshots. Worried that Django, who was also the target of frequent verbal abuse, was missing, they went looking for him, first in the street, then in their neighbour’s garden. That’s where the two women found him: frightened and seriously injured, he had left traces of blood on the ground and had a worrying wound on his face. Amelia immediately took him to a veterinary clinic where he received emergency treatment.

X-rays taken at the clinic confirmed that the young mastiff crossbreed had indeed been shot. Although he miraculously survived, he is far from unscathed. The buckshot fragments were lodged too deeply in his skull to be removed, as this could cause neurological damage later on. Django and his family will need a lot of time to recover from the cruelty they have suffered.

When animal abuse mirrors that against humans

Shocked by the horror Django had been subjected to, and fearing for her own life which had been threatened numerous times, Amelia filed a complaint. When she asked for our help in obtaining justice, we immediately responded. We refuse to accept that individuals can attack animals, sometimes even killing them, and that such acts are not taken seriously. Violence against animals must finally be recognised as such and for the tragic link it too often has with violence against humans.

For Django, we have filed a complaint for acts of cruelty and serious abuse. His tormentor faces three years’ imprisonment and a fine of €45,000. Sign if, like us, you condemn all violence, regardless of the victim.

In Arfeuilles, the “goose neck” game will not take place this year!

In Arfeuilles, the “goose neck” game will not take place this year!
14.08.2025
Allier
In Arfeuilles, the “goose neck” game will not take place this year!
Exploitation for shows

Thanks to the efforts of One Voice, the “goose neck” game planned in Arfeuilles was canceled two days before the event. This violent practice, in which a dead animal is decapitated in front of an audience that sometimes includes children, was considered sufficiently problematic by the authorities to warrant this decision. The association condemns these cruel “traditions” that are still tolerated in certain municipalities, notably Beaux and Saint-Bonnet-près-Riom (where the association had documented the “festival”), and continues its fight to have them banned nationwide.

Beating and decapitating an animal killed specifically for the occasion in front of an audience that includes children, whatever the reason given, is not a celebration. It is a violent, degrading and outdated practice.

And as the Allier Departmental Directorate for Protection of Populations (DDPP) reminded the municipality after our report on August 5, it is also, above all, illegal!

The prefecture has taken responsibility by banning the event scheduled in two days’ time, as announced by the festival committee.

That same afternoon, however, the mayor of the city sent a letter of protest to the prefecture.

One Voice remains fully committed to fighting all forms of cruelty to animals, even those that are disguised as “tradition”, particularly in Saint Bonnet-près-Riom (Puy-de-Dôme) and Beaux (Haute-Loire), where this practice still takes place, and for which we referred the matter to the authorities in each region at the beginning of last week.

The future of our society, our youth, deserves better.

We call on the public to join us in protesting against the “goose neck” game by signing and sharing our petition to have it banned at the national level.

Photo: @Sylvain Neron (source: La Montagne)

Investigation in Freneuse: horses left to fend for themselves in a field of misery

Investigation in Freneuse: horses left to fend for themselves in a field of misery
13.08.2025
Yvelines
Investigation in Freneuse: horses left to fend for themselves in a field of misery
Autre campagne de l’association (ou multiples)

Alerted by reports and the mayor of Freneuse (Yvelines), One Voice investigators discovered several horses, including a young foal, deprived of basic care. Their distress is not new. It is evidence of systematic neglect, rooted in the practices of their owner, a professional horse dealer. The residents, who are very concerned, are getting organised to help them. We are filing a complaint.

Under the sun, a daily ordeal. The report we received described emaciated horses desperately trying to drink from troughs that contained more algae than water.

Our investigators, who were immediately dispatched to the scene, discovered animals left in the blazing sun. With high temperatures forecast for the coming days, their ordeal is far from over: they appear to have no shelter or protection from the heat and insects, while the person who trades in them remains completely indifferent. In the yellowed pastures, the only fodder provided is thanks to the generosity of shocked neighbours who are trying to ensure their survival with the means at their disposal.

An orphaned foal, a forgotten mare, a field turned into a tomb

In this enclosure, the decomposing body of a mare remained exposed for several days before the town council finally had it removed –alerted not by the owner, but by residents inconvenienced by the smell.

A frail foal, clearly orphaned, wanders around, agitated. His mother had apparently been euthanised recently (based on what we know about the abandoned carcass, there is some doubt about the relationship between them…) At his age, the lack of mother’s milk or an equine wet nurse seriously compromises his health and therefore his chances of survival.

Further away, another horse is walking around with a broken halter, an additional danger for an already weakened animal…

Maximised profitability: mistreatment as an economic model

This situation is not an isolated case: it is the direct consequence of a commercial system in which equines are seen as a commodity. Reducing expenses is essential in such a mindset. Nothing is maintained, starting with their hooves. Veterinary care? Doubtful! Several reports of stray horses belonging to this horse dealer have been filed in the past.

This trade continues with virtual impunity. Hidden from view, far from legislative concerns, our representatives tolerate it and turn a blind eye. The result: sentient beings are mistreated, exploited, resold, too often in a pitiful state. For them, we shall not remain silent.

Similar cases are all too common: our action to help the victims

While waiting for an operational response from the authorities, once again it is the solidarity of citizens that must be applauded. Village residents and local elected officials are taking turns to bring some respite to these horses.

This case is just the tip of the iceberg. All over France, equines suffer amid almost total indifference. Just a few weeks ago, in another case, we reached out to the courts: one horse had been left for dead tied to a tractor…

Faced with this scandal, One Voice is filing a complaint against the dealer with the gendarmerie in Bonnières-sur-Seine. The courts must prosecute this abuser quickly and formally prohibit her from engaging in any activity involving animals.

Enough suffering! Let’s demand real protection for equines

As long as horses do not enjoy the same status as dogs and cats, as long as their commercial exploitation takes precedence over their welfare, these tragedies will continue to happen. To defend them, join us in demanding a legislative reform.

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

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

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

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

The State and hunters are swimming against the flow…

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

… against animals already in decline

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

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

CNRS to become national supplier of macaques for laboratories? One Voice opposes the plan

CNRS to become national supplier of macaques for laboratories? One Voice opposes the plan
11.08.2025
Rousset
CNRS to become national supplier of macaques for laboratories? One Voice opposes the plan
Animal testing

The French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) has decided to transform the Rousset primatology center into a national primate breeding facility with a capacity of 2,000 individuals. This project reduces animals to mere tools in the service of a lucrative system, in total contradiction with European commitments to reduce animal experimentation. Faced with this abuse, One Voice is mobilizing to prevent this expansion.

Funded by taxpayers up to €30 million, the future National Primatology Center already planned last fall to “produce 40% of the French academic research needs for cynomolgus macaques”. In its eagerness to turn the current Rousset station into a veritable primate factory, the CNRS has already revised its announced goal upwards. According to the president of the GIRCOR, the experimentation lobby, it now plans to supply 50% of these animals… and 100% of rhesus macaques. This means that three times as many monkeys will have to be bred in Rousset to undergo experiments in France… or be sold across Europe to suffer the same fate outside our borders.

Unspeakable suffering for endangered monkeys

To make this lucrative business work, the CNRS has joined forces with Mauritian farms that capture long-tailed macaques, also known as cynomolgus macaques, in the wild to use them for breeding, as our investigation has revealed. In doing so, it is directly involved in the trafficking of these animals, which are classified as “endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species… and which continue to be the most widely used primate species for testing, with no fewer than 3,077 individuals experimented on in France in 2023. Virus inoculation, cranial implants, endless injections and tests… the list of horrors to which these animals are subjected is endless.

Financial interests come first

Since 2020, France has been responsible for more than half of the monkeys used in European laboratories. And it has no intention of stopping there. Contrary to the recommendations of the European Directive, which unambiguously recommends reducing the number of animals, it is investing heavily in this outdated model. The CNRS intends to perpetuate this under the pretext of national sovereignty. The suffering of animals is irrelevant. The existence of reliable alternative methods, which are simply waiting to be funded, is irrelevant. As long as the laboratories are running, the experimenters persist—against all common sense.

As we successfully opposed the construction of a primatology center in Holtzheim, Alsace, and the expansion of dog breeding facilities in Mézilles and Gannat, we are now mobilizing against the CNRS project in Rousset.

Say no to the national primatology center and join us on August 27 at our information kiosk at Place Paul Borde in Rousset.

Would you like to contribute to the failure of this project at the local level through ad hoc informational actions? Let us know by sending us an email at: info@one-voice.fr

Cirque Muller: still illegal, still just as indecent for animals

Cirque Muller: still illegal, still just as indecent for animals
08.08.2025
Arles
Cirque Muller: still illegal, still just as indecent for animals
Exploitation pour le spectacle

Once again, the circus ‘Cirque Muller’ has set up camp and is flouting the law. Infringements, animal abuse and outdated displays being offered under the hypocritical guise of “entertainment”. Despite the ban, baby tigers have been born, while an endangered monkey is forced to ride on the back of a pony in the ring. Jumbo languishes in a tiny tub of stagnant water, a symbol of the authorities’ inaction. We have once again referred the matter to the authorities, calling for strict controls followed by exemplary punishment.

A circus with a ghostly existence, set up without rights or respect

It was in the car park of a shopping area in Arles that the ‘Grand Cirque Zavatta’ popped up, without authorisation and against the wishes of the local population, for a series of performances from 22 July to 1 August. Behind this false façade, with no legal existence, is the Muller family, infamous for its constant disregard for the law.

Despite a complaint from local shopkeepers supported by the mayor of Arles, Patrick de Carolis, the circus was able to perform. By the time the courts reacted, the circus performers had had plenty of time to dismantle their equipment, flee and start again elsewhere, with complete impunity.

generics.video.play

Illegally born tiger cubs, destined to suffer

In a trailer at the back of the circus, three young tigers, just a few months old. Their very existence is an offence: since December 2023, the breeding of wild animals in travelling circuses has been banned. These cubs were not born by accident: they were born to be trained, exhibited and broken. Like the lion cubs of the Claudio Zavatta circus, they embody a deadly trend tolerated by a complicit State.

In 2028, the exploitation of non-domestic species is set to end. But what about until then? These young felines will have known nothing but cages, coercion and fear. By perpetuating these illegal births, the Muller family is increasing the number of living beings that we will one day have to rescue from exploitation. The State turns a blind eye. The sanctuaries are already overflowing.

generics.video.play

Humiliation in the ring: a Barbary ape, threatened with extinction, harnessed to a pony, Jumbo still being tormented

The height of abjection is reached under the big top. A Barbary macaque —on the red list of endangered species*, dressed in grotesque trousers, is tied to the back of a pony forced to run round and round the track. This scene, which some still call a ‘show’, is a caricature of animal humiliation. Meanwhile, children laugh. They are being taught that causing suffering can be fun.

And then there is Jumbo, whom One Voice has been tirelessly following for ten years. Confinement, isolation: the complaints and reports keep coming in. His living conditions, which are illegal for a hippopotamus, have never changed. Until recently, he was stuck in a tub of stagnant, stinking water under the blazing sun. He is dragged into the ring by force. The director, with chilling irony, boasts of his ability to run at 50 km/h and face crocodiles. Then he mentions the ‘beauty’ of his skin. Is this what we want to convey? That suffering sells, as long as it shines under a spotlight? And that stagnant water is an unknown beauty secret?

The Mullers had already moved back to Uzès at the beginning of August. We have reported these alarming findings and clear violations to the prefectures of the regions of Bouches-du-Rhône and Gard, calling for inspections followed by exemplary punishment.

Let us demand an immediate end to this disgrace.

Let us save Jumbo after 40 years of captivity! Join us in calling for his urgent transfer to a sanctuary.

And let us demand even more: sign the petition for a total ban on animals in circuses. This fight is not a whim. It is a moral necessity.

*Last category before extinction status, according to the global classification established by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Reopening of the hunt: the Ministry of Ecology approves the killing of 10,560 turtle doves

Reopening of the hunt: the Ministry of Ecology approves the killing of 10,560 turtle doves
07.08.2025
France
Reopening of the hunt: the Ministry of Ecology approves the killing of 10,560 turtle doves
Animaux sauvages

After a suspension in 2024, the Ministry of Ecological Transition plans to reopen the hunt for turtle doves. Citing an improvement in their numbers, it plans to send over 10,560 individuals to their death, once again giving in to hunters. This is a real step backwards for these birds whose species is not faring well. Today, One Voice is calling for the immediate removal of turtle doves from the list of huntable species.

Efforts to protect turtle doves reduced to nothing

10,560 turtle doves are going to lose their lives to bullets. Classified as ‘vulnerable’, they have enjoyed a brief respite in recent years, following a massive campaign against hunting them, which led the Council of State to impose a complete ban. This year, the Ministry of Ecology has backtracked and approved their killing in the name of a supposed improvement in their population. This is an unacceptable step backwards and yet another example of how the State promotes this destructive practice.

The quota set is nothing more than a smokescreen. Rather than protecting sentient beings, the authorities are once again legitimising a leisure activity from another era, under the constant influence of the hunting lobby. While guns are being loaded, animal life and ecological arguments are being relegated to the background.

Yet for many years the IUCN has been warning that the pursuit of this activity during migration is one of the most significant threats facing these birds, not to mention pollution, forest fires, heat waves and massive urbanisation.

A persistent threat ignored

Turtle doves still do not have the right to live in peace. Banning shooting would be an essential measure to prevent their disappearance, but the government continues to turn a blind eye. Behind false pretexts, it authorises the slaughter of thousands of birds, sometimes using particularly cruel methods. No questions are being asked despite the less than mixed results of the European Commission’s actions to protect animals and nature as a whole.

To oppose this draft ministerial decree, we invite you to make your disapproval known before 22 August, and to sign the petition to protect endangered bird species and ban systematic slaughter!