Badgers will not be dug out in Haute-Garonne this summer!

Badgers will not be dug out in Haute-Garonne this summer!
13.06.2022
Badgers will not be dug out in Haute-Garonne this summer!

After a referral by One Voice, the Toulouse Administrative Tribunal has suspended the Haute-Garonne prefectural decree authorising an additional period for underground badger hunting with hounds!

One Voice filed a request to the Toulouse Administrative Tribunal on 20 May to urgently suspend the Haute-Garonne prefectural decree authorising an additional period for underground badger hunting with hounds from 15 May this year in their department. We will win for these badgers: the urgent applications judge suspended the decree on 13 June 2022!

This was urgent. The badgers were going to be massacred deep in their setts, where they feel safest, in the period when they are raising their young (babies that are weaned but not yet independent). All of this during four months with no limit on numbers, while the state of their population is being ignored… there was therefore a risk of jeopardising it.

According to Muriel Arnal, Founding President of One Voice:

«Badgers are protected in numerous countries such as England, Wales, the Netherlands, Denmark, Greece, and Hungary. It is implausible that, every year in the majority of departments, hunters succeed in lengthening the hunting season, which is already too long and unbearable for the animals as it is for those who love nature; all this to have something to do in the summer when they cannot shoot and the earth is loose and easy to dig.»

Consulting the public who are kept totally in the dark…

What did it matter to the Prefecture when providing the necessary elements to be able to form an opinion during the public consultation for their draft decree…?
Everyone, to make an informed opinion, should have the means to judge a project with concrete information. Especially those enabling an assessment of reality and the extent of the damage attributed to badgers, the state of their population in the department, as well as the repercussions of the order on the environment… but where are they?!

The young still in the setts and unlimited hunting

On the other hand, the Prefect has not only authorised the hunting of an unlimited number of badgers, but what is more is that they have done it during the reproduction period and the scientifically proven presence of young still in the setts in this period (an argument rarely listened to by courts in the past) without proving that there will not be an impact on the equilibrium of the species. We know however that a litter of badgers is rarely more than two and that their weaning time is a lot longer than it is for other species. These are therefore an animal whose population is growing very slowly. A combination which could turn out to be harmful for badgers in Haute-Garonne.

The order did not even purport to defend farmers with the hypothetical excuse of damages

It is not the agricultural interests of the department that are being defended here — since it is not a question of damage to crops — but the private interests of the hunting hobby of underground badger hunting with hounds in the spring… a frank power-lobby collusion to the detriment of the animals.

Badgers are good neighbours!

Lastly, badgers often cohabit in the same burrows as other animals, such as foxes, wild cats, or European otters. The last two are threatened and therefore protected. This implies that the setts ripped open by hunters in search of outdoor activities in the summer could have endangered these even more vulnerable animals.

The violence of underground hunting with hounds is equal to our pleasure to be able to save badgers!

We are delighted with the decision of the urgent applications judge at the Toulouse Administrative Tribunal, after the one in Corrèze. The Haute-Garonne badgers will be saved this summer. But we can only regret that the prefects stubbornly want to flatter hunters’ cruel desires and fantasies.
Because so-called ‘small-game hunting with hounds’, which consists of locating badgers in their setts, ‘terrier’ dogs being sent into the tunnels then digging abruptly, thus ripping open the woodland or the field concerned with no hesitation in slicing open the tree roots if they are impeding the diggers, features among the cruellest of hunting practices. The animals have no chance of escaping. As we well know with our investigators having led an undercover investigation some time ago alongside a crew and having brought back supporting footage.

Since 2018, we have been calling for a radical hunting reform consisting of around ten measures including a ban on underground hunting with hounds. We are also calling for a ban on badger digging in particular. Continue to sign these petitions! And do not forget the one on the Senate’s website.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

11 June 2022 will mark the first Day Against Bullfighting

11 June 2022 will mark the first Day Against Bullfighting
08.06.2022
11 June 2022 will mark the first Day Against Bullfighting

The weekend of 11 and 12 June will be celebrated with the first Day Against Bullfighting in around thirty towns in France. One Voice and Alliance Ethique are at the initiative of this previously unseen rallying.

The weekend of 11 and 12 June will be celebrated with the first Day Against Bullfighting in thirty towns in France. One Voice — a member of the Féderation des Luttes pour L’Abolition des Corridas (FLAC) [Federation of Fights to Abolish Bullfighting] — and the Alliance Ethique are at the initiative of this previously unseen rallying, which will result in physical events such as rallies with signs, banners, and information stands; but also with online action, taking the form of a ‘tweetstorm’ of portraits bearing the image of dozens of partner associations using our communal hashtag: #StopCorrida, to shout out to our representatives and to abolish bullfighting [also known as Corrida].

See the Facebook page on the Day Against Bullfighting.
See the Facebook page for One Voice’s national actions.

Thirty-three towns in France and worldwide, dozens of partner associations and hundreds of citizens and leading figures condemning bullfighting alongside us.

In nineteen towns, within the framework of a coordinated national action, the One Voice branches will organise audience participation events within the public awareness programme. In Nice, Henry-Jean Servat will be there and we will be implementing a static audience participation event in a circle, as though it is an arena, with videos being broadcast on a large screen. In Paris, Jeanne Mas has been invited. In Captieux, a demonstration will take place in the context of a bullfight.

And in thirteen other towns, our partners from Collectif Nature et Sauvage [Nature and Wildlife Collective], CRAC Europe [Radical Anti-Corrida Committee], 269 Life, Colbac, or even from the Collectif Animaliste Sainté [Holy Animalist Collective], and other private individuals will take over the rallying. Finally, the Aichi Prefecture will also get involved and their virtual action will also be supported just about everywhere in Japan.

Dramatisation is expected, but photo albums will be created with the public in particular, supporting the initiative, which will add to the existing album.

2022 objective: 5000 portraits. Numerous leading figures have already given their support with images for the abolition of bullfighting.

To show your support online:

Choose the #StopCorrida visual in the list of participating associations, available here, print them in A4, take a photo of yourself, your family, your friends, and send your support to the following address: stopponslacorrida@gmail.com.

• List of partner associations
• See the support from leading figures
• See anonymous support

Shout out representatives on social networks:

If you would also like to take part in the first Day Against Bullfighting but you are not able to travel, here are the posts that you can use (and adapt) at your leisure on your social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and others) throughout the weekend of 11 and 12 June.

• Today is the first day of rallying in France to say #StopCorrida! Did you know that calves and bulls are still put to their death in 63 towns in France? Stop this cruelty by signing our petition https://www.stop-corrida.fr/ @onevoiceanimal
• Bullfighting in France must stop! 74% of French citizens would like to end this cruelty but the government is turning a deaf ear. Let’s make this change! Sign for a cruelty-free France: https://www.stop-corrida.fr/ #StopCorrida @onevoiceanimal
• It is time to put an end to bullfighting in France! We need YOU to add your signature so that these barbaric practices stop in our country. Sign today: https://www.stop-corrida.fr @onevoiceanimal #StopCorrida
• The bulls and horses need your help! Sign our petition, join, and share the campaign. #StopCorrida @onevoiceanimal To find out more: https://one-voice.fr/fr/nos-combats/nos-autres-combats/corrida/explication.html
• Distribute widely! I am calling for France to put an end to bullfighting. Join me in sharing this post and taking your turn to sign #StopCorrida @onevoiceanimal https://www.stop-corrida.fr
• Bullfighting schools, accessible to children from 6 years old, must close! Join me in signing and sharing this investigation: https://one-voice.fr/en/news/one-voice-infiltrates-a-bullfighting-school-for-children/ #StopCorrida @onevoiceanimal
• Each year in France, hundreds of calves and bulls suffer and are then massacred for entertainment. Each signature counts for bulls in France. Sign today to put an end to bullfighting: https://www.stop-corrida.fr/ @onevoiceanimal #StopCorrida

One Voice’s campaign against bullfighting:

One Voice carried out an investigation in 2019 in a bullfighting school in Nîmes. On this occasion, a petition was published in order to get these schools, where children learnt how to make sentient animals suffer and how to kill young bulls, closed down.

Towns participating:

Note: you can consult the event online before going
Updated live to assure you that it has not been changed.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

In Corrèze, there will be no digging out this year; the badgers will live!

In Corrèze, there will be no digging out this year; the badgers will live!
03.06.2022
In Corrèze, there will be no digging out this year; the badgers will live!

The Corrèze prefectural decree allowing an additional period for underground badger hunting with hounds has just been suspended thanks to One Voice’s proceedings.

The Limoges Administrative Tribunal has just ordered an urgent suspension of the Corrèze prefectural decree which anticipated the authorisation of an additional period for underground badger hunting with hounds from 15 May to 14 September. It is a truly wonderful victory, which will allow the young badgers from this year to take their first steps surrounded by their parents, sheltered from the risk of being driven out and killed by diggers, surrounded by dogs, something we have continuously condemned since our undercover investigation.

At the hearing on 1 June, we faced the Corrèze Prefecture. The hunters themselves did not come and did not send a lawyer either. After the report from the urgent applications judge, we could express ourselves.

Yes, it was urgent for the badgers in Corrèze

The first thing was to assert the urgency for badgers being threatened with imminent death. The order was from 11 May, the request had been filed on 13 May and the opening date for the additional hunting period was 15 May, for a hearing two weeks after, during which badgers had undoubtedly already lost their lives…

Especially as the Prefecture itself recognises that it is possible that young badgers still depend on their parents and are living in the setts at this time. On the other hand, the state of the badger population is uncertain, to the point where we are asking for them to be classified as a protected species. Finally, as usual, the grounds on which damages are attributed to badgers by the Prefecture are precarious to say the least. And other animals, whose species are protected, can find themselves in setts, which would be drastic.

According to Muriel Arnal, Founding President of One Voice:

«Badgers are intelligent, social beings, they have an essential role in our ecosystems. It is implausible to massacre them. What’s more, in such a barbaric way! We have clearly demonstrated this during our infiltration of a crew. There is no reason to authorise additional periods for this bloody hobby other than as a convenience for hunters because the soil is looser in the summer, and they lack hobbies. Now is the season when the young are still totally dependent on their parents. A disgrace for the authorities who compromise themselves out of complacency! We maintain that, on the contrary, it is necessary to protect badgers, as is the case in numerous neighbouring countries such as England, Wales, the Netherlands, Denmark, Greece, and Hungary.»

Prefectural arguments blasted — as always — by hunters

After the Prefecture revealed their arguments, the President posed questions to their representative on the duration of the hunting period (initial and additional); on the damage caused specifically by badgers, to which the Prefecture responded by hiding behind a graph; and on their choice to spread the decree out throughout the whole department and not only to one part of the area.

Released in open countryside by the hunters, the Prefecture was neither able, nor knew how to, convince

But for us, the important thing was that the decree had been made on the basis of insufficient and incomplete information. On one hand, hardly a third of the local authorities had responded to the survey by the hunters’ federation; on the other hand, the graph released by the Prefecture confirms that the damage that they attributed to the badgers was decreasing! Finally, the Prefecture did not show an absence of other satisfactory solutions instead of killing animals, innocent by definition, again and again.

After this hearing, the urgent applications judge therefore decided that the Prefecture’s arguments did not hold water: the figures were biased and other solutions must exist. In Corrèze, badgers can therefore spend their summer in peace.

This really great news comes as a culmination to extend the first International Badger Day, celebrated in mid-May with our partners. It was an occasion to raise awareness among the public of these very sociable builder animals and to call on them to take part in three petitions that you can of course continue to sign:

• the one on our dedicated website presenting the reality of digging out and calling for badgers to be protected,
• the one calling for a radical reform on hunting, notably with a ban on underground hunting with hounds, supported by more than forty other organisations and voted for by more than eight in ten French people (IPSOS/One Voice survey from September 2021), and finally,
• the one on the Senate’s website.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Céleste, Hannah, Marli, and Patty transferred to Tuscany: a fantastic adventure

Céleste, Hannah, Marli, and Patty transferred to Tuscany: a fantastic adventure
30.05.2022
Céleste, Hannah, Marli, and Patty transferred to Tuscany: a fantastic adventure

They made it! The transfer to Italy of four lions saved from the Cirque de Paris has happened. After months of preparation, this long journey represents the last step on the road to happiness for Céleste, Hannah, Marli, and Patty. They are now coming out into a vast haven of greenery in Tuscany, far from the Gougeon family. Help us to take care of them with our ‘ sponsorship ’ involvement (*), and thanks to those of you who have already supported them!

Good news! On 11 May, Céleste, Hannah, Marli, and Patty arrived safe and sound in sunny Italy. Since we saved them from a circus in July 2020, the four lionesses have gone back to being strong and confident at the Tonga Terre d’Accueil sanctuary. The recent death of Jon had however affected them all profoundly. Nonetheless, with time, they had been able to mourn. Finally, after a year and a half of care and recovery, they were unrecognisable. Ready for the great journey to the Tuscan sanctuary of Animanatura that we have been preparing for for months. But what an expedition… twenty-four hours of travel awaited them!

An epic departure

On 10 May at seven o’clock in the morning, alongside the Tonga team, we were on the lookout to get the lionesses into the lorry, with all of the necessary precautions. Not having any idea what was awaiting them, they were not at all cooperative. The only solution to lead them up to the vehicle and lift them on board was to anaesthetise them. When opening the door of the enclosure, Hannah was the most awake. It was she who was shot first. Ten minutes later, she sank into unconsciousness and let herself be handled like a big, limp cat. With Céleste, it was a whole different ballgame. She paced, resisting the anaesthetic for several minutes… During this time, Marli found a way to remove the syringe by keeping it in her mouth, while Patty, despite being more docile, also tried to fight against the effects of the drug… Fortunately, at eleven minutes past eight, the four friends were finally snoring together. Once they had been put into their respective transport carriers, they woke up one by one and at quarter to nine, the convoy set off.

On the road to the unknown!

Thrown on the road to Tuscany, the majority of them were grumbling and only had one wish: to get the blood flowing in their legs! Alas, they had to be patient, and for a long time… Only the placid Patty seemed to accept the situation without batting an eyelid. Where were they going? None of the lionesses knew. One certainty: despite the frequent stops by the driver to give them a drink and make their journey the least difficult possible, the travellers did not like the adventure at all…

Paradise in the end

But arriving at the destination was an extraordinary relief. When the doors of the lorry were opened, everyone was struck with astonishment and marvel. An enchanting landscape unfolded as far as the eye could see with its green, woody hills. The wilderness welcomed those who had never come across it before… Amazed, they took their first steps, each in their own way, in this new environment: Céleste and Hannah burst out of the vehicle; Marli and Patty stepped forward warily and bewildered. For an hour, there was no question of exploring the immense 400 square metre enclosure that we reserved for them. Discovering the pre-enclosure, intended for them to make their first paw prints, and settling into their spacious stalls was already more than enough. After such a journey and so many emotions, they especially needed to recover and to be left in peace. Soon, they will be rolling in the lush grass, hiding behind foliage, scratching their claws on the tree trunks… And the best chapter of their lives will begin. Finally.

Sponsor a lioness

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Discredit and distortion of the truth: Marineland’s games at the hearing on 25 May 2022

Discredit and distortion of the truth: Marineland’s games at the hearing on 25 May 2022
26.05.2022
Discredit and distortion of the truth: Marineland’s games at the hearing on 25 May 2022

Hearing set in motion on 25 May in Grasse against Marineland to obtain an independent expert assessment.

At the interim relief expertise hearing following our summons on Marineland, the dolphinarium played the distortion of the truth and discredit card on the experts whose reports we delivered to the magistrates. It is a known method, if you want to counter the truth without any evidence: state that it is a lie and discredit the opposition.

We have just come out of the hearing at the Grasse Legal Tribunal, where Marineland treated us as liars, stated that the experts having written the reports on Inouk and Moana were anti-captivity activists, and even pleaded for us to leave them to work in peace… As if they could change jobs without exploiting animals!

To be precise, we simply requested that the tribunal decide to arrange for an independent expert. Neither did we demand to have access to the animals, or even for the experts that we appealed to have them. The aim is to assess Inouk and of Moana’s state of health (and to a greater extent that of the water and the facilities, but still with the same aim). Following this logic, the management team at Marineland should agree with us! Why refuse?

“The stakes are important in this case file”

The President of the Tribunal announced in the preface:

«I know that the stakes are important in this case file. I will remind you nevertheless that we are in an emergency interim hearing and that your defence speeches must not be a mere reading of your respective scriptures.»

Teeth and skin: we have exposed Inouk and Moana’s serious health problems

Our lawyer then spoke and reminded everyone that the subject — the state of health of the orcas who are being kept at Marineland — could be seen as unusual, but that the proceedings remain common. A request for an expert opinion on the state of the tanks, the water, and the problems that this has on the state of health and welfare of the orcas kept at the dolphinarium.

She recalled the damning reports that highlighted a very damaged state of health for Moana, 11 years old, and Inouk, 23 years old.

Dr Visser could see sub-dermal tissue damage on Moana:

«[She] recommends that Moana be taken to a sanctuary beside the sea where there would be more space, with natural seawater and appropriate medical aftercare. At the least, he should no longer be expected to perform circus tricks in exchange for his food, his participation in shows should stop immediately and he should not be expected to perform while he has subdermal tissue damage. Other less stressful activities should be put in place to help maintain Moana’s physical form, including daily exercise sessions during which he is not required to ‘perform’. The aggravation of the sub-dermal tissue damage is worrying because it indicates an underlying problem in this facility. »

As for Dr Gallego, he declared in his testimony:

«The orca Moana’s state of health as it appears in the images seems critical to me and requires urgent veterinary care. The pathological process that Moana seems to be suffering from is likely to put his life in danger. My professional opinion is therefore that Moana should be subject to diagnostic tests as quickly as possible and receive treatment conformant to the best standards of veterinary medicine for cetaceans.»

We added that an extensive medical analysis should therefore be carried out, and that it is for this reason that we are asking for a designated expert.

Marineland’s unchanneled aggression, lies, and fool’s games

The lawyer for the Côte d’Azur-based dolphinarium, on her turn, spoke and demonstrated an astonishing aggression as a defence. Regarding the condition in which the orcas are kept, she stated: “When we read One Voice’s publications, we are given the impression that the park is a kind of no man’s land that does not follow any rules. […] One Voice feels that the orcas should be nurtured in sanctuaries and more so in parks. Whether they like it or not, Marineland has a right to keep and use them.” Even at the detriment of their health, it seems…

Trampling over the diplomas and experience of the specialists we have called on

She claimed that we were breaking the law, then proceeded to a full bashing, dismissing the reports and opinions of marine biologist Ingrid Visser PhD, veterinarian Pierre Gallego, John Jett PhD, and Jeff Ventre MD by not recognising their competence, despite it being proven. “These people are not veterinarians or experts. The reports have been written by anti-captivity activists.” At no point did she say ‘professor’ or ‘doctor’, but ‘these people’, ‘these men’, or ‘this woman’.

Marineland’s argument? They are members of the Whale Sanctuary Project, the sanctuary under construction with which we have developed a partnership (in fact, they are members of the scientific council, which incidentally is not the case for Pierre Gallego, who is only an advisor). According to the park, they are therefore anti-captivity fanatics. From their side, the dolphinarium offers a trainer’s certificate. Including who is capable.

An expert… in training! And a veterinarian that does not specialise in orcas

According to the park, Inouk has had dental weakness since he was little, has been treated for it, and therefore does not suffer.
They presented a testimony from a ‘European zoological expert veterinarian’. Except this veterinarian consulting at Marineland is not a specialist in orcas, or even in cetaceans! It is also worth noting that he does not even reside in the region and therefore cannot ensure regular monitoring of the animals.
The opposing counsel finished by alleging that in the wild Inouk would already be dead… However, in the wild, the only endangered orcas are those that were wiped out by the captivity industry in the 1970s.

Equally for Moana, the dolphinarium swept aside the demonstration work by the specialists. According to them, the report that we presented “contained unclear photos”, and Dr Gallego “flaunted pseudo-problems”.
The dolphinarium then presented a testimonial from Mr Gojceta who took the initiative to come and see the situation for himself, alerted by our publications, we are told. But he is nothing more or less than a dolphin trainer, coordinator for bottlenose dolphins on the European Programme for endangered species. What is the link with orcas? Furthermore, he is not a veterinarian and resides in Attica where Ekinox was sent (Femke’s son), a Greek park condemned for having operated without any authorisation for 4 years.

Lies and crocodile tears

The lawyer claimed that our complaints for Inouk and Moana had been filed with no further action taken. Oh really?! What a strange statement even though we have not until this day received any classification decision. We have brought awareness to the industry that accuses those who defend animals of lying while lying themselves.

Finally, they have tried to appease the court by arguing that “the park staff feel insulted by these proceedings: they bring love and care to the animals” and that they should leave the dolphinarium in peace…

The decision should be returned on 30 June.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

One Voice is bringing Marineland in Antibes to justice for Moana and Inouk. The hearing is on 25 May in Grasse

One Voice is bringing Marineland in Antibes to justice for Moana and Inouk. The hearing is on 25 May in Grasse
20.05.2022
One Voice is bringing Marineland in Antibes to justice for Moana and Inouk. The hearing is on 25 May in Grasse

One Voice is bringing the dolphinarium to justice for the orcas at Marineland in Antibes. The hearing is at the Grasse Legal Tribunal on 25 May 2022 at 8:30am.

We have done everything we can to offer another life to Moana and Inouk, two of the four orcas being kept at Marineland in Antibes and whose state of health is very worrying. And we will keep going! After our campaigns to avoid them being transferred to China, our investigations and rallies, and, finally, the publication of expert reports following the complaints already under way for all French orcas, One Voice is now bringing the park to justice. The hearing will take place at the Grasse Legal Tribunal on 25 May 2022 at 8:30am.

The goal of our proceedings: to obtain an independent expert’s opinion

The objective of these interim proceedings is to obtain the appointment of an expert whose mission will be to establish a clinical assessment of Moana and Inouk’s state and of the conditions they’re being kept in, and to retrieve a number of official documents for this purpose.

In this case, the expert will specifically have to determine whether the state of health of Moana and Inouk allows them to participate in performances, determine whether the water quality and the establishment are capable of guaranteeing the well-being of these orcas, and to carry out all necessary tests.

Damning reports

This request for an expert is based on damning reports on Moana, who has markings on her skin which could be a sign of a serious disease, by New Zealand Marine Biologist Dr Ingrid Vissier who specialises in cetaceans, and on Inouk whose dental condition is one of the worst in all captive orcas worldwide.

The importance of respecting orcas and getting them out of dolphinariums

The animals belong to world heritage, as our guidance to the courts likes to remind us. In fact, without animals in the wild, we are robbing our children of these fantastic creatures who populate our planet alongside them.

And with regard to orcas, dolphins, and whales in particular, experts have reported on their sentience. The UN echoed this statement about the need to protect their cultures. In India, dolphinariums have incidentally been forbidden since 2013.

Complaints still under way

As a consequence of these reports, we have filed two complaints before the Grasse Prosecutor against the dolphinarium that is keeping them. On 8 April 2019 for Inouk and 12 November 2021 for Moana: for acts of mistreatment towards animals placed in Marineland’s custody, the placement or keeping of a wild captive animal in a habitat, environment, or establishment that may be the cause of suffering, and the illegal operation of an establishment keeping non-domestic species of animals.

These complaints are still under way. However, the urgency of the situation requires interim measures to be taken in order to limit the distress of these animals.

In addition, Inouk and Moana’s cases are not isolated cases and they question not only the quality of the care provided but also of the infrastructures and the water. We are just as worried for Wikie and Keijo. That’s the reason why a request for expert evidence has been initiated.

Inouk, 20-year-old male orca in captivity, suffering from chronic and extensive dental lesions

Expert report, March 2019

TéléchargerInouk, expert report, updated August 2020

Moana, 10-year-old male orca, born in captivity, with sub-dermal tissue damage

Report written for One Voice by (Dr) Ingrid N. Visser

Télécharger

Translated from the French by Joely Justice