News Archive - Page 8 of 144

Animal experimentation: the State seals the fate of thousands of monkeys in less than two months

Animal experimentation: the State seals the fate of thousands of monkeys in less than two months
16.07.2025
Animal experimentation: the State seals the fate of thousands of monkeys in less than two months
Animal testing

In less than two months, from March 27 to May 19, the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research approved six projects condemning 3,046 monkeys to endure all sorts of tests from virus inoculation to cranial implants. As always, there is no lack of stress and pain. We lift the veil on these cruel practices and their victims.

Harsh regulatory tests

To test the toxicology of drugs, no fewer than 1,120 marmosets and 1,120 long-tailed macaques will undergo experiments categorized as “moderate” and “severe”. What is merely a regulatory routine for the laboratories is a real ordeal for the animals. For months on end, they have to endure blood, urine and deep fluid samples… and even organ biopsies. And when it comes to sampling, this means restraint, sedation and several hours’ isolation in individual cages… These horribly invasive procedures generate intense stress, pain, lesions and infections, with risks of paralysis, lameness and arthritis. Not to mention the effects of the products tested, which can immediately cause neurological, immune, inflammatory or metabolic disorders in the animals. 2020 of the monkeys used in this way will be put to death after these procedures.

Hundreds of tormented individuals…

Not all toxicology tests are compulsory. For a non-regulatory study, 256 cynomolgus macaques and 46 rhesus macaques will be administered substances both orally and by injection every week, if not every day. They too will be immobilized for long periods, certainly in “restraint chairs”, including for infusions lasting up to four hours. And those who are not killed at the end of this ordeal will be kept alive only to relive similar torments…

Hundreds of other animals will be used:

400 macaques will be injected and sampled over a three-year period, and subjected to up to 10 vaccinations.
70 marmosets will be deliberately infected with the H1N1 influenza A virus, then subjected to repeated blood and nasal sampling. All will be put to death to prevent contamination of humans. The very people who made them sick, that is…
For tests on Alzheimer’s disease, scientists will operate on 13 long-tailed macaques to insert implants into their brains, which will remain there for weeks. This painful procedure will be supplemented by repeated injections of streptozotocin. And the misfortunes of these individuals don’t stop there, as they risk oedema, infections, inflammation and hallucinations… until they are slaughtered.

… and babies torn from their mothers

21 young rhesus monkeys will be “used” to study the consequences of early negative experiences on behavior. Half of them will be separated from their mothers at birth and raised without their social group. For a week, they will be deprived of their loved ones, disoriented, in a foreign environment, with, once again, restraint cages… An extremely stressful experience, since that’s the whole point of this “staging”. And their suffering will continue, since their return to their group will itself be a source of stress and potential injuries…

We will continue to shed light on what happens to the animals on the scientists’ cold benches. Sign to demand an end to these practices on primates!

Animal testing – No more pyrogenic testing on rabbits!

Animal testing – No more pyrogenic testing on rabbits!
15.07.2025
Union européenne
Animal testing – No more pyrogenic testing on rabbits!
Expérimentation animale

It was about time! The law passed in June 2024 by the European Pharmacopoeia Commission has just come into force this July: it bans pyrogenic testing on rabbits in all EU countries. This is a landmark victory for tens of thousands of these adorable mammals. But it has come very late.

These tests were developed in the early 20th century to verify the safety of injectable products (vaccines, antibiotics, etc.) by measuring their ability to induce fever. In EU member states, pyrogenic testing on rabbits has been used systematically since the late 1980s. This process, which we have long denounced, is lethal: the substance is injected into the rabbits’ ears, then their fever is measured before they are killed.

Challenged since the 1990s for their cruelty, unreliability and the existence of methods that do not cause suffering to animals, these tests have nevertheless become the norm in the European Pharmacopoeia.

Despite the existence of alternatives, and the entry into force in 2013 of the European Directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, the number of rabbits subjected to these experiments has continued to rise. The figures are chilling: 17,638 pyrogenicity tests were carried out in Europe in 2022 alone. 400,000 individuals are exploited for this purpose worldwide.

A major change of direction

The decision voted in June 2024 during the 179th session of the European Pharmacopoeia Commission is consistent with the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) and complies with the European Convention ETS No. 123.

The consequences are now clear:

pyrogenic testing on rabbits is banned from the European Pharmacopoeia;
drug developers must now use in vitro methods, such as Monocyte Activation Tests (MAT). This method, which allows the reaction of human cells in culture to be assessed without the use of animals, has been validated by the European Medicines Agency since… 2010!

Ultimately, this vote could also herald a real change of direction, particularly in terms of ending the exploitation of horseshoe crabs, which is supposedly crucial in the development of vaccines.

One Voice welcomes this major development but remains vigilant. In Europe, rabbits are still being subjected to all kinds of experiments: 372,239 in 2022 alone. In France, they are the second most commonly used species in experimentation.

Sébastien Castella is going to massacre six bulls in Bayonne. Twenty associations* denounce this torture turned into a spectacle

Sébastien Castella is going to massacre six bulls in Bayonne. Twenty associations* denounce this torture turned into a spectacle
11.07.2025
Sébastien Castella is going to massacre six bulls in Bayonne. Twenty associations* denounce this torture turned into a spectacle
Exploitation pour le spectacle

On 11 July, Bayonne will host a bullfight to mark the 25th anniversary of bullfighter Sébastien Castella’s “career”, during which six bulls are going to be massacred. FLAC president Thierry Hely was present in the stands of the Béziers bullring on 12 August 2000, where he shot the film Juste pour le plaisir.

Today, One Voice and its partners* are releasing this film again to remind people of what bullfighting really is: the slow agony of animals wading through pools of blood. In a bullfight, everything must be shown! Otherwise, it’s too easy.

When culture and aesthetics serve as a pretext for the expression of sadistic impulses

On 12 August 2000, Sébastien Castella performed his “alternative”, his induction as a matador. To the cheers of the crowd, bulls were stabbed in the arena, agonising for long minutes, choking on their own blood before being finished off. Today, together with our partners, we are once again broadcasting Juste pour le plaisir (Just for Fun), which was filmed during this brutal ceremony.

Voir cette publication sur Instagram

Une publication partagée par FUTUR ASSOCIATION (@futur_asso)

To mark this sad anniversary, which was announced at the Town Hall, a new bullfight is planned in the Bayonne arena. Behind the pomp and the costumes, this time six animals will be harassed, weakened and then killed in front of an audience that sometimes includes very young spectators being subjected to the show of willful infliction of suffering. This torture, which is banned everywhere else, will inevitably leave lasting and harmful scars on the psyche of these children and adolescents.

Customs can never justify torture

Bullfighting is nothing more than a slowly orchestrated torture, a spectacular agony inflicted on sentient beings. On several occasions we have investigated this outdated practice which is based on concealment and denial, as well as the schools that teach children to kill from an early age.

Reduced to the role of objects of entertainment to satisfy the suspicious and perverse urges of a ruthless audience in search of thrills, the heifers and bulls used in these events are peaceful and frightened, seeking only to survive, not understanding that their fate has been sealed in advance.

Our commitment goes beyond the cause of animals, those who are used to inflict injury as well as those who are killed. It also concerns the development of empathy in the youngest members of society. We advocate that minors, and in particular children, should no longer be allowed to attend such atrocities, and that bullfighting schools should be closed. We also campaign for a ban on all proselytising outside of the areas that are exempt, particularly at the Lutèce bullring in the heart of Paris.

In Bayonne and everywhere else: the French say no to bullfighting

For years, we have been organising coordinated national and unified actions to denounce this practice which is still tolerated in a few municipalities in the name of a supposed tradition, a premise that has been challenged on numerous occasions. In our fight against the barbarism of these aficionados, we receive, in city after city and year after year, the support of an overwhelming majority of French people —including in the regions concerned— people who want to put an end to this type of spectacle (which, incidentally, is less and less popular and whose funding is questionable).

As this bullfight in Bayonne approaches, numerous organisations, including those of the FLAC, of which One Voice is a member, are calling for an online mobilisation of citizens. It is time to make a simple truth heard: torture cannot be an art, let alone a cause for celebration.

* List of participants and partners in this online mobilisation:

Associations, foundations, collectives:

ASPAS
AVA France
Code Animal
Collective of Veterinarians for the Abolition of Bullfighting (COVAC)
National Confederation for the Defence of Animals (CNDA)
National Council for Animal Protection (CNPA)
Convention of Life and Nature (CVN)
FLAC (Federation for the Abolition of Bullfighting)
Franz Weber Foundation
Futur Asso
The Animal Law, Ethics and Science Foundation (LFDA)
No Bullfighting
OABA
One Voice
PETA France
PROTEC (Child Protection)
National Society for the Defence of Animals (SNDA)
Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA)

And in support of animal welfare associations and collectives:

Political parties:

Les Écologistes [the Ecologists]
Le Parti Animaliste [the Animal Party]

Specialised media:

Savoir Animal [Animal Knowledge]

World Horse Day: let’s live up to the bond that unites us

World Horse Day: let’s live up to the bond that unites us
11.07.2025
France
World Horse Day: let’s live up to the bond that unites us
Domestic animals

For World Horse Day, One Voice is reminding us of the many forms of suffering that we humans, our society and our laws impose on these animals, which have been some of our oldest companions since prehistoric times. Shows, circuses, racing, experimentation, tourism, slaughterhouses, hunting with hounds… we are definitely not living up to the faithful and extraordinary partners they have been and continue to be for the development of our species.

The United Nations General Assembly declared July 11 “World Horse Day”, calling for a celebration of their role in the evolution of the human species: “Few animals have contributed to the progress of humankind as profoundly – and unobtrusively – as the horse”. Unfortunately, this historical link is a one-way street. In France, horses and ponies are still subjected to countless forms of mistreatment, and their final destination is almost invariably the slaughterhouse. These practices, disguised as habits, trivialize the unacceptable.

“Man is the horse’s poorest conquest”

This quotation from Belgian linguist Jules Feller sums up the failings of our species towards equines.

Regarded as disposable, interchangeable objects, some are subjected to nothing but programmed suffering and death in animal experimentation, despite the fact that these opaque practices maintained by laboratories are condemned by public opinion. Others are mistreated, dragged from town to town without respect or dignity in shows or circuses. When they’re not tied up, far from meadows of fresh grass and access to water, they’re forced to wander around in painful postures. Others are forced to give up their lives to the applause and laughter of spectators at bullfights, where the violence is so omnipresent that their eyes are masked.

Whatever their health or weather conditions, humans exploit them to entertain tourists or feed gambling addiction, pushing them to the limit on the racecourse. Let’s not forget the individuals exploited in horse-riding events, hunting with hounds, or those who figure among the many collateral victims of hunters.

Abuse is everywhere, including in equestrian centers that cater for children and teenagers, claiming to offer “experiences rich in sharing and emotion”. Behind the pretty signs, how many cramped, dirty, dark stalls, beatings, loneliness and lack of care? Acts of abuse are sometimes committed in front of the youngsters.

Equidae are also used by certain humans as a means of venting their frustrations, and are victims of acts of cruelty by some, often following on from ill-treatment inflicted in the privacy of people’s homes. One Voice has been working to have this link between animal mistreatment and domestic violence recognized since 2007.

Denounce to better defend them

There is no exploitation of equines by humans that is not unworthy of their sensitivity, empathy and intelligence, and motivated by money.

Long gone are the days when tarpans roamed the plains and forests of Eastern Europe. Today, Przewalski’s horses, galloping across the Kazakh steppes, and mustangs, returned to the wild in the American West, remain the last free horses on our planet.

For more than twenty years, One Voice has been fighting for them, defending them while revealing the unacceptable practices to which they are subjected, and which are deeply rooted in our daily lives.

Denouncing these cruelties also means calling attention to the urgent need for a paradigm shift. If we continue to slaughter our faithful friends for non-essential, commercial food purposes, how can we collectively move towards a world without violence towards animals? How can a law that claims to “combat animal abuse and strengthen the bond between animals and humans” still consider that a stall life fulfills their essential needs as long as it allows them to “lie down”? Where is the consideration we owe them in the legality of their captivity and exploitation in traveling circuses, or their live disembowelment in bullfighting arenas?…

Let’s fight for them, for the recognition of their fundamental rights in our society.

Join us in demanding that horses and ponies no longer be classified as livestock, and that they be granted pet status so that they enjoy the same protection as dogs and cats.

Pig races in Vabres-l’Abbaye: a spectacle of suffering that must be stopped urgently

Pig races in Vabres-l’Abbaye: a spectacle of suffering that must be stopped urgently
10.07.2025
Aveyron
Pig races in Vabres-l’Abbaye: a spectacle of suffering that must be stopped urgently
Exploitation pour le spectacle

On Sunday 6 July, One Voice attended the 49th edition of the pig races in Vabres-l’Abbaye. While the images speak for themselves, the mayor of the commune is completely indifferent to the suffering of the piglets: “Every year, we receive letters from associations that are not even from here. And on social media, under the cover of anonymity, people allow themselves to say many things”. He says he is ’open to dialogue,’ yet he does not respond to the letters sent to him. Clearly, animal suffering is not a priority for the local authorities, who prefer to turn a blind eye to this cruel tradition rather than listen to calls to stop these practices.

Behind this supposedly “friendly” entertainment lie fear, clawing, screaming and panicked pigs. We demand an immediate end to this practice.

“Benevolent rules”? A cruel illusion

The presenter stresses that “pigs are sacred, precious… we take care of them… we don’t stick our fingers in their arses… we don’t eat their ears… we are gentle”. These details are as strange as they are disturbing. An implicit admission that reveals the latent violence behind this supposed benevolence.

This hypocritical set-up fools no one: these young animals are only ‘sacred’ during the race. But as soon as one of them crosses the finish line, it is brutally grabbed, often by the ears, lifted or dragged towards the lorry, clearly showing the promised respect to be a sham.

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A scene of panic under the guise of “fun”

From the very first seconds of the race, thrown into an unfamiliar course, their first instinct is to flee. When they manage to do so, they are quickly caught and forcibly returned to the track. The crowd laughs, without seeing —or without wanting to see— the fear in their eyes.

Throughout the race, the piglets hesitate, back away, and collide with obstacles. Some refuse to move forward, others are pushed, patted, even spanked to make them obey. When one of them finishes the race, it is not received gently. It is taken to the lorry and returned to the farm where it will be fattened up before being taken to the slaughterhouse. Screams, agitation. Where are the sows, the exploited mothers from whom they were separated very soon after birth? This is not a game: it is a scene of panic accompanied by laughter and applause from the audience. Behind the so-called ‘tradition’ lies nothing but stress and brutality. These animals, who do not understand what is being imposed on them, are being used as entertainment.

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A “game”? But at what cost?

The pigs struggle, injure themselves as they flee under the wire fence, and scream when they are handled. There is no respect for animals in this abuse disguised as entertainment.

The argument of tradition does not excuse the violence inflicted on sentient beings.

The races at Vabres-l’Abbaye are not a mere game, they are trauma camouflaged as folklore. One Voice calls for an immediate end to these races.

We call on the public to open their eyes, to refuse to participate in this spectacle of suffering, and to support our fight for the respect and protection of all animals.

Underground hunting: hundreds of badgers saved and new hearings to come

Underground hunting: hundreds of badgers saved and new hearings to come
09.07.2025
France
Underground hunting: hundreds of badgers saved and new hearings to come
Animaux sauvages

Allier, Eure, Rhône… In 2025, as in 2023 and 2024, we have embarked, together with ASPAS and AVES, and in some cases, the LPO, FNE and their local branches Perche-Nature and Eure-et-Loir Nature, on a real long-distance race to save as many badgers as possible from the diggers. Since 2019, One Voice has been leading the fight against this deadly practice. And as always, the courts have overwhelmingly ruled in our favour. Despite these repeated victories, the authorities and hunters continue to slaughter many animals at the bottom of their burrows. While we await the verdict on an emergency suspension in Charente-Maritime and Eure-et-Loir, and an interim hearing is scheduled for 17 July at the Administrative Court in Limoges for the region of Haute-Vienne, we are preparing a new series of requests!

From Allier to Eure via Rhône, the shovels will be staying in the shed this summer

Hunters are never short of ideas to keep themselves busy when the shooting season is over. At this time of year, while badgers, peaceful black- and white-furred housemates, are raising their newborn young, humans are preparing their giant tongs to go out and track them down for hours on end and take their lives. As every year, they find us and our partners standing in their way.

In the Allier and Eure regions, government officials had authorised the unearthing of badgers in the spring. Even though the authorities are constantly trying to put obstacles in our way to prevent us from acting, the judges have suspended the killings. In these two regions, young animals were going to be killed illegally.

The same thing happened in the Rhône region, where the Prefect did not even defend herself: the administrative judge has just put a stop to the hunting season, which had been open since 15 May 2025. A first for this region! In the Finistère region too, badgers were saved after a nullification a few days after the start of the season

Underground hunting, a hunting practice in decline… We are keeping up the pressure!

The number of French regions that allow this cruel pastime during breeding season has never been lower: 12 in 2025, compared to 72 in 2020. This is the result of long-term efforts, massive public support – 84% of French people are in favour of banning underground badger hunting –and an increasing number of court rulings. Sometimes –but far too rarely– prefects come to their senses: in the regions of Lot and Loir-et-Cher, they finally abandoned their plans after several successive defeats in court.

But the battle is not yet won. In the regions of Cantal and Puy-de-Dôme, the judge rejected our request based on an incomprehensible (lack of) justification, leaving the way open for hunters to indulge themselves shamelessly. In the region of Tarn-et-Garonne, the court considered that the killing of a few individuals did not justify an emergency ruling.

Therefore, throughout France, we continue to challenge, whenever we can, these unacceptable orders that sign the death warrant of hundreds of animals. In a few days, the courts will rule for Charente-Maritime (with AVES, ASPAS and LPO) and Eure-et-Loir (with AVES, ASPAS and Eure-et-Loir Nature), before a new hearing on 17 July at 2pm at the Administrative Court in Limoges for Haute-Vienne (with AVES and ASPAS).

As we prepare our appeals for many other regions, join us in demanding a permanent ban on underground badger hunting!

Alerting on inaction for biodiversity and animals: the French State under scrutiny

Alerting on inaction for biodiversity and animals: the French State under scrutiny
08.07.2025
France
Alerting on inaction for biodiversity and animals: the French State under scrutiny
Habitat naturel

On Monday 7 July 2025, the new report assessing the implementation of European Union environmental laws and policies at a global and national level was released. Known as the EIR (Environmental Implementation Review), this review is an important tool for determining whether the French State is a good pupil… It follows, among others, from the meeting on 2 July, during which we were received by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Environment. A rich exchange took place, lasting more than three and a half hours, on the challenges facing animals, nature and biodiversity, but above all on the alarming observation of what remains to be done at the political and legislative level.

A mixed picture for biodiversity, climate and animals

The newly published EIR shows once again the amount of work that needs to be done for nature. Looking at the highly representative graphs, France’s results appear no better than in 2022, showing some progress, alas undermined by some incomprehensible choices. Despite the national strategy for biodiversity up till 2030, the protection of nature remains a cause for particular concern.

When will we achieve zero pollution?

The Government must make efforts to reduce air pollution. It should also guarantee citizens access to clear and transparent information on the risks and the behaviours to adopt in the event of an accident involving industrial pollution, as well as its intensity.

The Seveso III Directive and the Water Directive aim to reduce the damage caused by a discharge of nutrients, chemicals and metals into rivers. On this point, and following the closure of all mink farms for fur, One Voice condemns plans to open and expand fish farms, as well as those concerning animal experimentation, which pollute rivers and seas…

Biodiversity and natural capital under threat

Three years ago, France was ordered to complete its Natura 2000 network in response to shortcomings identified regarding migratory birds and coastal marine areas. These protected sites accounted for 13% of the country’s territory in 2023, but much work remains to be done, particularly in the marine environment. Essential to the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives, priority actions focus on effective measures to restore habitats and species that are in a poor state of conservation. One Voice has contributed significantly to these issues through its campaigns (investigations, legal proceedings, field actions, advocacy, etc.) to defend these animals.

Agri-environmental practices are preferred in order to ensure compliance with European legislation. Today, only 9.87% of the land is used for organic farming… As a result, France is not contributing sufficiently to the target of 25% of EU agricultural land being covered by these crops by 2030. And this goal is unlikely to be achieved with the reintroduction of neonicotinoids which kill pollinators and, with them, biodiversity as a whole…

Worse still, forest fires are a major concern. While France has been planning since 2021 to plant a billion trees and renew 10% of its forest area by 2032, more than 780,600 hectares of forest went up in smoke in 2022 alone. Preserving these areas is essential to protecting wildlife and ecosystems, and it is becoming urgent to comply with European regulations on ‘zero deforestation’ products.

Climate action: putting a stop to heatwaves?

The French government is dragging its feet when it comes to preserving animals and biodiversity. Between 1990 and 2022, France’s net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions fell by 28%, making it one of the countries with the lowest reduction rates. Massive urbanisation for example, which accounts for 21% of emissions, needs to be reduced by 22%. More than ever, the failure to meet the 2030 targets is contributing to periods of heatwave. For many years, scientists have been warning the authorities about the risks of temperatures rising too quickly. Animals suffer the consequences even more than we do.

When the cost of inaction exceeds that of environmental action

Why is it that the preferred strategy is to turn a blind eye to the consequences of this inertia? The deficiencies observed can give rise to significant infringements that are detrimental to finances. The Directorate-General for the Environment estimates the cost of non-compliance with European Union law at €180 billion (1% of European GDP), while the cost of action is much lower: €120 billion. Real savings could be made right now, not in the distant future, and moreover for a nature that is so precious and essential to everyone. To this end, the European Commission highlights the possibility for Member States to use “nature credits” to reward positive actions in favour of nature through investments, particularly private investments.

Together with One Voice, challenge public decision-makers on their inaction, and urge them to take responsibility for implementing effective environmental policies. For animals, biodiversity, ecosystems and our health, the fight resonates even louder!

Despite the devastating fire, a hearing will be held in Narbonne on 9 and 10 July for bluefin tuna victims of illegal overfishing

Despite the devastating fire, a hearing will be held in Narbonne on 9 and 10 July for bluefin tuna victims of illegal overfishing
08.07.2025
Aude
Despite the devastating fire, a hearing will be held in Narbonne on 9 and 10 July for bluefin tuna victims of illegal overfishing
Wildlife

While bluefin tuna are fighting for survival in the Mediterranean Sea, the French Federation of Sea Fishing (FFPM) and the Narbonne Wholesale Fishing Association (ANPG) have come up with nothing better than to devise a fraudulent system to allow illegal overfishing of these animals. Between 2017 and 2020, many of them ended up on the stalls of the tuna markets held every year in Narbonne. On 9 and 10 July, we are defending them in the judicial court of the sub-prefecture of the Aude region.

A fragile marine biodiversity…

Long in danger of extinction, bluefin tuna are still classified as near threatened by the National Inventory of Natural Heritage (INPN), even though they are acknowledged as one of the pillars of biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea. To remedy this situation, recreational fishing for these animals is regulated by annual ministerial orders defining the fishing seasons and maximum catch quotas.

… which the fishermen ignore

But in Narbonne, the authorisations already granted were clearly not enough for some fishermen eager to wrest ever more animals from their environment. This was the finding of the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) when it discovered the tuna fishing events held annually in the city. Where did all these fish come from? There was room for doubt, and the OFB’s investigation ultimately revealed that between 2017 and 2020, many of the fish sold at these events had been the object of a system of downright organised fraud set up by the French Sea Fishing Federation and the Narbonne Big Game Fishing Association. For years, the two organisations encouraged recreational fishermen to break the rules using well-oiled methods. To carry out these raids unnoticed, all they had to do was falsify their declarations, starting with using the same tag for several tuna instead of just one. To top it all off, they took advantage of the annual tuna festivals to illegally sell their unfortunate catches…

A deadly pastime

For the accused, even the slightest concern for the suffering of the fish seems to be too much. When they are not forcibly removed from their habitats to entertain Sunday fishermen, they may also be subjected to experiments in which the use of electric fishing is not ruled out. And these cruel practices do not stop there, as many birds also suffer under them.

For the tuna illegally killed in Narbonne, to speak out on behalf of all fish victims of similar acts, and to protect the sea, we will be appearing in court in a civil suit on 9 and 10 July 2025.

Heatwave and animal suffering at Jardiland in Perpignan: this must stop

Heatwave and animal suffering at Jardiland in Perpignan: this must stop
08.07.2025
Heatwave and animal suffering at Jardiland in Perpignan: this must stop
Domestic animals

As the heatwave hit the country hard with temperatures reaching or exceeding 40°C in the shade in some regions, alarming reports reached us about the Jardiland store in Perpignan. A whistleblower, shocked by what he saw, documented how animals were being kept in completely unsuitable, even cruel conditions. We are calling on the group to take immediate action to relieve the affected individuals, to stop new arrivals and sales during summer, and to put a definitive end to the trade in sentient beings.

Everybody exposed to extreme heat, without protection or consideration for their needs

Outdoors in the blazing sun, placed on scorching concrete, chickens and other birds pant under metal sheets that turn the place into an oven. Thermometers show temperatures of up to 45°C in this first week of July.

As for those kept indoors, they are no better off, as the lack of air conditioning makes the air suffocating —a major health hazard. In the tanks, goldfish —a species that lives in cold water— are trying to survive in water exceeding 30°C.

Employees also work in this atmosphere… but they are lucky enough to be able to go home in the evening and to pass through cooler areas during the day, or when they have lunch…

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Mistreatment already reported in several shops

This is not an isolated case. In the spring of 2024, we already denounced the unbearable living conditions of chicks crammed into a terrarium at the Jardiland in Bonneuil-sur-Marne, trampling each other and dying in front of customers. In April 2025, it was the establishment in Metz that left fish to die in aquariums that had turned filthy due to neglect.

Each time, the same logic is at work: selling living beings as if they were mere objects, their basic needs thrown to the wind.

Living beings, not products

The trade in animals must stop. These practices are no longer acceptable in a society that claims to care about their welfare. The conditions in which they are bred, transported, “displayed” and now kept during the heatwave show the extent of the suffering inflicted on sentient beings for purely commercial reasons.

Jardiland must urgently take responsibility by:

Immediately implementing measures to relieve the animals currently on sale in Perpignan;
Stopping new arrivals in Jardiland stores starting this summer;
Permanently stopping the sale of sentient living beings in all of the chain’s establishments.

Take action now!

Write to Jardiland’s head office to demand an immediate halt to the sale of animals and a genuine consideration for their welfare:

by post: a template is available here;
or by email via: the form on the Jardiland website

A simple message can make a difference. Make your voice heard for those who cannot speak for themselves. Because a bird gasping for breath, a fish slowly “cooking” or a hen burning under a tin roof are not “seasonal products”. They are living beings. And they deserve better. Our species would be better for it, just for once…

Emmanuel Macron, the wolves’ gravedigger: another retrograde stance in Roquefort!

Emmanuel Macron, the wolves’ gravedigger: another retrograde stance in Roquefort!
04.07.2025
Emmanuel Macron, the wolves’ gravedigger: another retrograde stance in Roquefort!
Wildlife

Emmanuel Macron’s latest major project for animals? To “prevent the establishment of wolves where there is pastoralism”, even if it means “removing more wolves”. In order to promote, instead, the establishment of destructive agriculture, fuelled by pesticides, each more toxic than the last. We intend to call to mind a few truths about wolves, who do far more for the balance of our ecosystems than our public authorities and those who claim to “love” nature.

What a disgrace! President Macron’s second five-year term is a war on biodiversity to the bitter end, even in the wake of an unprecedented heatwave. Throughout his terms of office, he has behaved like the gravedigger of wolves and all wild animals, pandering to the livestock and hunting lobbies. His trip to Roquefort and his speech there on Thursday, July 3, 2025 are only the most recent expressions of this.

Death as the only solution… Spoiler: it’s not even effective!

The prefect coordinating the National Action Plan on wolves has already expressed her concern that an “unprecedented number” of wolves have already been killed in France at this time of year. The Head of State, on the other hand, chose to add fuel to the fire.

“We mustn’t wait until it [wolves, editor’s note] has settled in, until you’ve made all the investments, before we can harvest”. Using a filthy technocratic vocabulary (“to harvest”, he says…), Emmanuel Macron assumes the role of leading proponent of the eradication of wild animals, wolves in the first place. With these words, he is admitting his own failure: making farmers believe that culling is the only solution, not cohabitation. Killing has been made easier for several months now, with ministerial decrees each more hypocritical than the last.

A stupid and wicked policy

Systematic shooting does nothing to resolve the anger of breeders! Scientists are unanimous: in Spain and Michigan (USA), they found that shooting led to an increase in predation in subsequent years and in the surrounding area. In France, this ineffective and deadly policy has been practiced for years…

Wolves are our allies, like all living creatures

Political power’s disconnect from reality is reaching new heights. Emmanuel Macron is a bad pupil and a good demagogue: he claims that the wolves have been reintroduced, an appalling lie from a president. He would do better to listen to the eight out of ten French people (Ipsos/One Voice poll, November 2024) who believe that wolves have their rightful place in the wild. Though their detractors may not like it.

Tracking down every newcomer in the departments, like Camille in the Saône-et-Loire region and Milo and Mina in the Corrèze region, will solve nothing.

State rhetoric is largely inspired by the nauseating rhetoric of lobbies. Hunters in the Alpes-Maritimes region claim that wolves threaten wildlife. You can’t make this up, coming from those who slaughter wild animals at every turn. Are they afraid that wolves are much better than they are at their so-called mission of “regulation”?

The facts are there: in the Netherlands, it has been shown that wolves prefer wild ungulates such as roe deer and wild boars. Around Mont Ventoux, they have helped to regenerate forests. In Poland, they are a welcome sight, “regulating” deer and wild boars in the fields.

Fires and soil erosion, the consequences of unbridled pastoralism

The main culprits in the degradation of nature are intensive activities, of which unbridled pastoralism is one. The lobbyists have certainly done their homework! Emmanuel Macron seems to ignore the basics: the source of imbalances in ecosystems never comes from nature itself! When nature reclaims its rights and regains its health, it should be welcomed as a blessing.

Join us in refusing to let wolves become the expiatory victims of a deadly outdated system that is driving us into the wall at breakneck speed. Sign to put an end to their persecution!