Dumba in Germany, finally far away from life on the road

Dumba in Germany, finally far away from life on the road
11.06.2021
Germany
Dumba in Germany, finally far away from life on the road
Exploitation for shows

Our investigators travelled to Germany to see how Dumba was doing at the Elefantenhof Platschow settled circus near Hamburg. She is finally far away from the touring and isolation; nevertheless she is still exploited. But our legal proceedings in France and Germany are underway and we will never give up on her.

Under pressure from FAADA in Spain, us in France, and with the support of Free The Wild, led by Cher along with members of the public from around the world, the touring life is over for Dumba! And she is no longer alone. Surrounded by other elephants, she is nevertheless still exploited. Our investigators went to see her twice in a kind of permanent circus, near Hamburg in North Germany, since her arrival there at the end of February.

Her living conditions at Elefantenhof Platschow are far from good. In fact, the place is managed by circus artists and she has to take part in routines for an unaware audience or pose for souvenir photos. Because there are non-stop visits and celebrations of all types (birthdays, marriages…) being organised, where popcorn is sold and people get on the elephants, training is ever-present and compliance is constant.

The photos and videos that our investigators reported have made it possible to understand her conditions of confinement. The legal proceedings are therefore underway in France and Germany. There is no question of throwing in the towel or giving up on Dumba! Her place is in a sanctuary, for example at Elephant Haven, our partner in France where we have a place reserved for her, certainly not in a settled circus where she remains exploited and threatened with a stick.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Unpublished images of Inouk, the orcas, and the dolphins at Marineland in Antibes

Unpublished images of Inouk, the orcas, and the dolphins at Marineland in Antibes
27.05.2021
Antibes
Unpublished images of Inouk, the orcas, and the dolphins at Marineland in Antibes
Exploitation for shows

Marineland in Antibes is expected to reopen on 11 June 2021. For months, Inouk, Keijo, Moana, and Wikie no longer endure repeated performances. However, the four orcas, kept in the dolphinarium along with the dolphins, are still isolated in concrete tanks with no depth or length and no fish or crustaceans. In the images of the park that One Voice received from a whistle-blower, Inouk can be seen subdued and facing a wall (like Femke during her time in Astérix Park) and the tanks are clouded with algae. The association for animal rights is currently working towards the solution of a safe haven; “our” four orcas must not be sent to China or die in these tanks!

For years, we have condemned the experiences of the orcas and dolphins exploited in dolphinariums. The scientific proof that cetaceans are highly intelligent animals and possess their own culture is currently being acquired; it is doubtful that their fate remains the same for those who are born in captivity. A few months ago, we found out about a plan to move the four orcas, from Marineland in Antibes to China, to parks which belong to the group who own the French dolphinarium. Our campaign prevented their departure and, a few months later, the Ministry of the Ecological Transition announced the end of captive cetacean exploitation. Whether it be Femke or her companions, the dolphins at Astérix Park, they paid the price. We cannot make do with the solution that the dolphinariums have proposed. Surrounded by leading specialists, we are working towards solutions that allow these four French orcas to benefit from a different life as soon as possible.

We have sent these unpublished images from Marineland to cetacean (specifically orca) specialists for their expertise.

For Dr. Ingrid Visser, a biologist who specialises in cetaceans (Orca Research Trust, New Zealand), who exposed Inouk’s health problems through ascientific publication and report, the algae, visible all over the bottom of the tanks, doesn’t show that the water has a good pH balance, but instead shows a problem with the filtration and the pump circulating the water. Their development can only happen if nutrients exist; here, they are evidently the cetacean’s faeces and the remains of dead fish which are given to them.

«There are of course concerns that dead fish, animal excrement etc can accumulate in the bottom of the tank(s) and not be extracted, creating a reservoir for diseases.»

For Dr Pierre Gallego, a marine wildlife veterinary specialist who shares this point of view, the slowed swimming behaviour of the dolphins and orcas are a sign of boredom, which can lead to “prostration and stereotyped movements”: signs of distress, caused by captivity and the absence of all enrichment (toys, waves, or other stimulation) in the tanks. This analysis echoes that which Dr Naomi Rose also states below regarding boredom, which can pose health problems, and that which Dr Ingrid Visser reported on in her previous analysis of Inouk in 2019.

On Inouk, Dr Gallego noted that: «[He] can be observed immobile at the surface of the water, a behaviour which is not frequent in the wild, but much more frequent in captivity… The fact that the fin is completely collapsed clearly shows that Inouk doesn’t swim enough, and therefore that the size of the tanks is inadequate.»

For Dr Naomi Rose (PhD), a marine mammal scientific specialist (Animal Welfare Institute, USA), while waiting for marine sanctuaries that can welcome them to emerge (many are already built or are being expanded), the orcas must stay where they are and their wellbeing must be improved, notably by immediately stopping performances.

«Training the animals to entertain people goes against their wellbeing. They are made to do the same performances day after day… In the wild, no one day will resemble another. The change, variety, and wide range of stimulation and even challenges, constitute a normal existence for a dolphin or an orca in their wild state, whilst in captivity, every day is identical… This boredom is harmful and can result in depression, which itself can lead to health problems. In short, change doesn’t really exist in the kind of life that we offer them. The situation must evolve, offering them variety and choice. Therefore, at the very least, we must improve their wellbeing in their current environment and that will be the short-term solution for virtually all of them…However, long-term, I think that the marine sanctuaries situated in different places around the world can help a lot. In my opinion, any sanctuary can shelter at least one, or maybe even two dozen animals.»

We have been working for months with the leading worldwide orca specialists for a solution for marine sanctuaries. We are open and ready to discuss, with the guidance of Marineland, so that Inouk, Keijo, Moana, and Wikie are finally able to live somewhere other than in a concrete tank.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

One Voice is at the administrative court in Marseille on Wednesday 26 May at 10am for Samba the elephant

One Voice is at the administrative court in Marseille on Wednesday 26 May at 10am for Samba the elephant
21.05.2021
Bouches-du-Rhône
One Voice is at the administrative court in Marseille on Wednesday 26 May at 10am for Samba the elephant
Exploitation for shows

After years of exploitation, Samba deserves to retire. The poor elephant has suffered beatings with a stick and isolation for far too long. However, One Voice are the only ones to have been worried about her well-being for around 20 years. The Association summoned the Prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône to trial at the Marseille Administrative Court because the Prefecture has a responsibility regarding all captive wild animals in their jurisdiction.

On Wednesday 26 May at 10am, the hearing took place at the Marseille Administrative Court of Appeals against the ruling of 12 July 2019. On this date, One Voice’s complaint, which condemned the Prefect’s refusal to proceed with Samba’s retirement from the circus that was keeping her, was rejected. For the Association, removing the elephant from a life in a circus must happen as soon as possible, whether it be the circus belonging to Max Aucante (Cirque d’Europe) or any other. Giving up is not part of their vocabulary. A life is at stake.

Samba experienced traumatising incidents and One Voice has fought for her for 19 years. The African Elephant was captured from where she lived peacefully surrounded by her mother and aunts. She suffered violence from the trainers from a very young age. She was beaten in front of children… and the one time that she rebelled, she bolted, taking the life of a man with her. We managed to ensure that she was not slaughtered, but she remained in the possession of the trainer, Max Aucante, and was renamed Tania. Since, our fight has not stopped.

In this case, the Ministry for Ecological Transition was trying to avoid the truth: in his submission, he tersely concluded that he “was referring to observations presented in the first instance by the Prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône, which he agreed with”. And nothing since. However, the announcement of measures to stop touring circuses from keeping animals in September 2020 could have since led to another standpoint…

We claim that Samba is deprived of all contact with her own kind, in violation with the by-law of 18 March 2011 regulating that circuses require satisfaction of behavioural requirements. This need for socialisation is all the more prominent among mammals defined as “socially complex”, such as elephants, apes, and orcas. On this point, the 23^rd resolution implemented during the 11^th Conference on the Conservation of Migratory Species under the umbrella of the United Nations, is very clear: “a certain number of socially complex mammalian species, such as many species of cetaceans, great apes, and elephants, show that they have a non-human culture”. Samba needs to be taken out of the circus to finally live surrounded by her own kind, because, as for all herd animals, isolation makes them mad with despair.

We would also like to refer to our investigative videos, as is customary for us, because in these cases, justice often needs additional tangible proof as well as expertise. In October 2019, one of our investigators attended a circus performance in Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours. These images were submitted to Dr. Willem Schaftenaar, an elephant specialist who is totally independent from the Association, for his opinion. They gave rise to a further complaint, enriched by his expertise. For him, Samba-Tania should be left to rest.

For us, and this is what we are again asking the court: her state of physical and mental health, as well as her confined conditions, should be evaluated; the Cirque d’Europe and Max Aucante should no longer be able to show Samba-Tania to the public (we request that the opening rights of the circus are repealed in relation to this); and she should be retired from the circus and entrusted to us. As soon as possible.

Hearing in Blois on 12 May 2021 for acts of cruelty on the Poliakovs’ animals

Hearing in Blois on 12 May 2021 for acts of cruelty on the Poliakovs’ animals
11.05.2021
Loir-et-Cher
Hearing in Blois on 12 May 2021 for acts of cruelty on the Poliakovs’ animals
Exploitation for shows

On Wednesday 12 May at 13:30, at the Blois criminal court, the trial for the serious abuse, acts of cruelty and mistreatment committed by the professionals will be held, following the charges that we filed against the Poliakov-Bruneau couple. They are also being prosecuted for having put their animals in an environment likely to make them suffer.To support our argument: the inspection reports by the Prefecture’s veterinary services, the expertise of bear specialists, the witness accounts of previous employees of the couple, and some two hundred hours of video footage from our investigation.A gathering of activists from our association, AVES [A Voice for Endangered Species], Paris Zoopolis and the Animalist Party will take place in front of the court just before the hearing.

Do we need to remind you of the conditions in which Micha, Bony and Glasha had to survive? In nefarious prisons open to draughts, fed with mouldy fruits and vegetables, living with rats potentially carrying diseases which, for the bears, have not been treated for years and years… Little Mina, kept for six years in a space measuring 50 square centimetres, then transferred in her current cage which had appeared previously to only be a waste disposal at the property with so many empty yogurt pots and other items accumulating there. The Poliakovs didn’t even have permission to keep her! The horses’ hooves weren’t trimmed and the rare birds, macaws and cockatoos, as well as the turtledoves were kept confined in cages inside a shed without daylight.

But no one forced the couple to keep animals!

They were attached to them, we were told during the court hearings… Can you believe it?
The maggots were teeming, not only on Micha’s paws but also coming out of his respiratory tract. The bear, who had scarring from repeated beatings on his battered body, had lost a considerable amount of weight and on an ongoing basis for at least four years.
The laryngeal cancer, which he was diagnosed with after we had sent our images to the Ministry of Ecology and distributed them publicly, had only been detected because Micha had been removed from the Poliakovs’ custody! Without this, he would have died in his medieval cell in utter silence, far from public view and without their knowledge.

What would have happened to Bony and Glasha? To Mina? To the birds? What would happen without this indispensable work that we’ve carried out by keeping watch and whistleblowing? The animals die without anyone worrying about it, since the State itself, at a ministerial level, doesn’t list the animals kept by the trainers. And on a Prefectural level, they are satisfied with the inspections, that could be politely described as lenient, by staff who aren’t specialised in the species concerned and who are understaffed, and who over the years make reports without clamping down. This is what is happening for so many of them.

Keeping wild animals and keeping them captive is nonsensical, even more so based on current scientific knowledge and the serious threats that endanger them in the wild. But since the law allows it under certain conditions, this must ensure accountability of these people who are, in frustrating circumstances, professionals. In any case, the animals should not be subjected to such moral, emotional, and medical misery.

Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice, stated: « Our investigators have taken many risks to show the reality of the prison conditions, which led Ms Borne, then Minister of Ecology, to intervene immediately, and we thank her for this. Their courage is far from that of the authorities who turned a blind eye for years. They knew and had seen Mina being kept illegally for six years in a 50cm2 cage in the back of the lorry, which the bears only came out of to go on the runway. Back in 2005, we alerted the authorities and the public, with supporting images, on what the animals were enduring and the infractions of the measly legislation. Today, nothing has changed for animals being kept illegally by circus trainers. Who will finally have the courage to apply the legislation in force? We aren’t asking for anything else. Why does this lenience never end? We hope that this trial will highlight these scandals which are continuously repeated. »

For our lawyer, Ms Moreau, “over more than twelve years, the owners have left domestic and non-domestic species of animals to live in conditions which have caused great suffering… In any case, these animals have not been kept in conditions designed for their well-being and health.” As for the mistreatment, the owners have acted with full knowledge of the facts, given that they are professionals who hold certifications. In addition, Mr Poliakov is an habitual offender. Finally, concerning the acts of cruelty, the witness accounts are explicit. He used violence towards the animals, notably when he was in an inebriated state.

We are requesting that all of the animals kept by the couple are taken away from them and that they are entrusted to us and that permanent custody of Bony and Glasha is given to the sanctuaries who have taken them into their care. But this doesn’t stop here: we request that the Poliakov-Bruneau couple can never keep animals or perform professional or social activities linked to animals.

SOME KEY DATES OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS (2018-2021)

• 4-16 February 2018: Micha is exhibited in a restaurant in Bagnolet. Our charges for mistreatment against a wild captive animal are filed.
• 25 July 2018: these charges are closed. We immediately initiate an appeal.
• February-April 2019: an inspection in February by the DDCSPP [Departmental Directorate of Social Harmony and Population Protection] and the ONCFS [National Hunting and Wildlife Agency] (veterinary authorities) concludes in April that, in addition to numerous serious non-compliances, Micha must not be shown to the public because he is suffering with his paws.
• August 2019: One Voice’s investigation and the first images of Micha in the outdoor enclosure.
• Very beginning of September 2019: images of the bears in the Poliakovs’ jails.
• 6 September 2019: we file charges for acts of cruelty and mistreatment by a professional, with hundreds of hours of video.
• 7 September 2019: an equine veterinarian authorises Micha to walk for hundreds of kilometres to be exhibited.
• 8 September 2019: AVES film Micha in great distress during a performance in Racquinghem. The next day, we filed another charge, this time for this exhibition of Micha.
• 13 September 2019: Élisabeth Borne, in response to our images, is committed to ensuring that Micha will no longer be shown in performances and that he will be cared for. We advocate for Bony, Glasha and the other captured animals.
• 14 September 2019: not willing or able to have him cared for for seven days, Poliakov takes Micha to La Tanière.
• 16 September 2019: we file a second charge with expert reports based on the videos. Among others, we request that Micha is definitively withdrawn. In addition, we file charges alongside the Ordre des vétérinaires de France [French College of Veterinarians] against the equine veterinarian who issued authorisation for Micha to be exhibited in Racquinghem.

• 19 September 2019: the experts who we made an appeal to to analyse the videos sound the alarm regarding the state of the bears and their prison conditions. We receive witness accounts from previous employees who attest to the detrimental circumstances of the animals on the property and of Mr Poliakov and Mrs Bruneau’s violence.
• 5-8 November 2019: our public actions trigger a response from the Prefecture… We essentially file an appeal (Administrative Court) against the Prefect with regard to the abuse of authority (because they have not acted for the animals). On the 8^th, we file a suspended injunction to retract the trainers’ competency certificates, to cancel their permit to open and to seize Bony, Glasha and all of the other animals (the hearings took place on 15 April 2021: rejected by the court)
• 12 November 2019: Micha is operated on and dies at La Tanière.
• 25 November 2019: new images of the jails barricaded and first images of Mina. The prefect orders custody of Bony and Glasha.
• 29 November 2019: Bony and Glasha temporarily leave their jails and are transferred to the sanctuaries where they still are today. (On 29 April 2021, after a voluntary intervention at the hearing on 15 April 2021, we ensure that they cannot be taken back by the Poliakovs).
• 3 January 2020: the Poliakovs hinder the unexpected inspection by the State’s services.
• 15/29 April 2021: three hearings on the same day and a decision on the charges at the Administrative Court for abuse of power, retraction of the competency certificates and of the permit to open the establishment, as well as the removal of Mina and other animals. Voluntary intervention in the case of the Prefecture against the Poliakovs, to assure us that Bony and Glasha will never be returned to the Poliakovs.
• 12 May 2021: at the Criminal Court in Blois for the criminal charges against the Poliakovs, following our charges filed on 6 September 2019 and the additional ones which followed.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Feedback on the three Poliakov hearings in Orléans

Feedback on the three Poliakov hearings in Orléans
29.04.2021
Loiret
Feedback on the three Poliakov hearings in Orléans
Exploitation for shows

Since the triple administrative hearing in Orléans regarding the animals kept by the Poliakovs, the official case officer dismissed the three cases. In other words, she requested that the court dismiss our request to remove the animals remaining with the trainers and their permit to open, as well as the damages relating to the fact that the authorities have been so slow to act in the interest of the animals. But she also dismissed the request put forward by the Poliakovs to get Bony and Glasha back. The final decision was made by the President on 29 April 2021: to reject the three cases.

On 15 April just gone, the Orléans Administrative Court has looked at three cases concerning the animals kept by the Poliakovs.

• We have requested the withdrawal of the trainers’ competency certificates, of their permit to open their establishment, as well as the removal of the animals remaining there: Mina the Barbary monkey, rare parrots, horses, and donkeys.
• In the second case opposing the Prefecture of Loir-et-Cher, we requested damages and compensation for detriment concerning the fact that the animals have not been rescued by the Prefecture, who is responsible for doing so, prior to our on-site investigation and our warning. These two requests were rejected… until 12 May coming up.
• Finally, we voluntarily intervened as a private party in the case opposing the Poliakovs against the Prefecture, because we wanted to insist on the fact that the Poliakov-Bruneaus would not one day be able to get Bony and Glasha back, which was something that they asked for. In this case, the Poliakovs’ request was rejected, thus we were successful in this instance.

Our lawyer is dotting the i’s

Our lawyer responded to the scathing comments made by the two other parties on the videos put on file, described as “unlawful” (even if the Prefecture recognised the “whistle-blower of the association’s work”), by insisting on the fact that One Voice were specifically forced to do this to show the reality of the prison conditions and the health of the animals kept at the Poliakovs’. However, isn’t it the Prefecture’s role to protect them and to act proactively?

Our lawyer has underlined the inconsistencies between all of the documents, reports, inspections, and veterinary boards arranged by the Prefecture over the last thirteen years at least: some warned of problems, shortcomings and discrepancies; others seemed to say that everything was fine. As a tragic example of this grotesque situation, our images of Micha with maggot-infested paws and severe breathing difficulties were answered by a video from AVES [A Voice for Endangered Species] France which showed him 700 kilometers away from the jails a few days later. Between these two instances, a veterinarian had permitted the Poliakovs to put her into a truck and to make her balance on a ball! Micha was in perfect health according to them.

The Prefecture put before the court that a legal attachment was in place concerning Mina and four birds; we had to correct this error. As the attachment was administrative, supervised by the Prefecture, the animals remained there in the trainers’ hands. We requested a legal attachment which would have allowed the animals to finally get out of that place.

The cherry on the cake was that the Prefecture failed to carry out a check on these animals since the end of 2019 because the trainers opposed it. The State’s services did not use the legal documents that would have permitted them access, despite them being widely used for controlling animals. In fact, the Prefecture argued that they should be in good health since the detention facilities now met the standards and seeing as the last check had taken place in November 2019 following the circulation of our images… surely health cannot deteriorate in seventeen months.

«If the Association had not sent investigators to climb on the roof of this establishment and into the jails, where we saw the true state of the bears, which effectively were ablaze with social networks and resulted in Ms Borne [Minister of Ecology at the time] to intervene directly, what would have happened? It was Ms Borne that sent a clear message to the commissioner telling him: “You must intervene for these bears”; it wasn’t the commissioner who took the lead! If the One Voice Association hadn’t produced 200 hours of video, if they hadn’t increased their efforts, these three bears would still be over there, and they would probably all be dead.»One Voice’s lawyer during their speech at the hearing on 15/04/21

Lastly, even beyond animal wellbeing, which is essential in our eyes, these animals are of remarkable heritage from protected species. The trainers have repeatedly reiterated that they are attached to them. But what is this attachment that has pushed them to keep the bears in unsanitary jails, with Mina in a cage measuring 50cm² and the birds in a dark shack? No one forced them to be responsible for animals!

A Prefecture on the defensive, to arguments that don’t carry

What a surprise! At the hearing, the Prefecture announced having suspended the permit to open the Poliakov establishment until June, awaiting the decision of the court which will convene in Blois in May. Since we requested this suspension: They have only just admitted “perhaps being delayed” to act on the inspections and formal warnings.

Lastly, the fact that the animals remaining are still there in custody of the Poliakovs doesn’t pose a problem to them. “We have no reason to believe that they could be unwell, in the sense that they are in enclosures which are now compliant, and furthermore the last report from the November 2019 visit does not report sick animals, apart from the bears.” For the Prefecture, “there is no need to do more at this stage”.

An unclear role…

A comment on which the Prefecture and the Poliakov’s lawyer agreed on, nonetheless without making an argument or drawing a definitive conclusion, is the role of the Poliakovs’ previous veterinarian, having attested to the bears’ heath in the past and then criticised Micha’s detrimental medical condition once they became the veterinarian for La Tanière Association.

The trainers’ lawyer depicted a “drained” and “completely exhausted” couple and recalled that Micha had been taken to La Tanière “voluntarily” by Mr Poliakov, without specifying however that he would have been forced to do so a few days later if he did not provide her with care… For him,

« the autopsy report was extremely clear: the bear was operated on at La Tanière and died as a result of the operation, not because of medical negligence. Quite simply, because of the realisation that this bear had laryngeal cancer. This wasn’t the Poliakovs’ fault either. And it was during his extubation, during the operation, that he died. So, it was neither the Poliakovs’ fault, nor entirely La Tanière’s fault. We are being told today that he died of mistreatment, which is false. » The Poliakovs’ lawyer during their speech at the hearing on 15/04/21

These three “very sad cases”, as the Chairperson concluded on the day of the hearing, leave an unaccomplished taste in our mouths. We celebrate the fact that the Poliakovs cannot get Bony and Glasha/Franca back. But concerning the trainers’ permit to open their establishment, halted by the Prefecture, and the fate of the other animals, we are impatient to be in Blois on 12 May for the case pertaining to acts of cruelty and mistreatment.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

At Loro Park, Ula goes from bad to worse… and it’s the dolphinarium that says so

At Loro Park, Ula goes from bad to worse… and it’s the dolphinarium that says so
26.04.2021
Spain
At Loro Park, Ula goes from bad to worse… and it’s the dolphinarium that says so
Exploitation for shows

At two and a half years old, the state of health of Ula, the daughter of Morgan, already born with a deformity and several ailments at Loro Park, has just deteriorated. For several days, and it is the dolphinarium of the Spanish Canary Islands which announced it, the very young captive orca has been ill. Worsening of mood, intestinal problems… and on top of that – at the moment – they have not found where the problem is coming from, with blood tests to support this.

Loro Park, whose tragic death of Alexis Martinez and documentary Blackfish served to establish its sad worldwide recognition, has already dismissed the sustained concerns for little Ula. Of course, these warnings came from experts who were not in favour of the captivity of cetaceans. The park now prides itself on making ‘the best international specialists’ available to the sick. How cynical this is, when we know how much the news of the poor health of an imprisoned animal is never a good sign in this industry. Just this year, we remember the bitter taste left by the Parc Astérix regarding Femke… and saw what followed.

The mother and daughter are separated. If it was free, an orca of this age would never leave its mother. The park has therefore isolated Ula to fend for herself, which can only be a source of additional stress. And as we know, that proved to be harmful to the immune system of these beings which are so sensitive. Let’s hope that she doesn’t end up like Aïcko, the young dolphin which lost weight day by day at Planète Sauvage and which, force fed with whole fish, ended up drowning at just six years old, its larynx dislocated during one of its ‘forced feeding’ sessions… But he also wasn’t well according to the institution and as usual, we were the chief extremists and alarmists…

Translated from the French by Sophie Martin

Three court hearings in one day for the Poliakovs’ animals

Three court hearings in one day for the Poliakovs’ animals
14.04.2021
France
Three court hearings in one day for the Poliakovs’ animals
Exploitation for shows

For years, One Voice has fought for the case concerning the animals being kept and used by the Poliakovs to be put before the court due to them being victims of mistreatment. Investigations and legal proceedings have been carried out. Almost two years after our on-site investigation, the time for justice is finally coming to a head with three court hearings at the Orléans Administrative Court on 15 April at 11am acting as a warm-up before the criminal prosecution in May.

Edit on April 22nd

The Court decision is expected on April 29th.

Like a bolt from the blue, our 2019 investigation revealed how two trainers were keeping bears: in nefarious prisons. Micha’s paws and airways had been eaten away by maggots, her body scarred from beatings she’d received in the past; there were also untreated lumps around Glasha’s eyes. What would have happened to Bony if, without our footage, he had been kept in these prison conditions? Élisabeth Borne, Minister for Ecological Transition at the time, was personally invested in the matter. Micha died after having experienced a few weeks of respite. What happened to Mina, the little Barbary macaque who was imprisoned in what seemed to be a mini dump site at the property? And the birds, several macaws and cockatoos among them, the donkeys, and the ponies?

At the time, we submitted multiple administrative appeals because, from our point of view, the Prefecture of Loir-et-Cher should ultimately take responsibility: namely ensuring the well-being of wild animals kept in captivity. How do you explain that the crimes unveiled at every veterinary examination for more than ten years have never been followed up with any sanctions?

On 15 April 2021 at 11am, three hearings will take place at the Orléans Administrative Court.

Request to withdraw various authorisations

The first is our request for the withdrawal of the certificates that verify that the trainers can keep and use wild animals, the cancellation of the opening order for the establishment belonging to the Bruneau-Poliakov couple, and the capture of animals. Without a response from the Prefecture of Loir-et-Cher, we pushed for their implicit denial to carry out these withdrawals. For us, there is no shadow of a doubt that the acts of cruelty and mistreatment exist.

However, for the Prefecture, the bears’ prison conditions, shown by our investigation, aren’t sufficient for them to remove the other animals, especially because the trainer duo are likely to be very attached to their animals; in other words, Micha, Bony and Glasha lived as sub-beings, but the Poliakovs had built palaces for the other animals elsewhere at their property… who can really believe that for a moment?

Wishing to proceed with an inspection in January 2020, the Prefecture’s services were denied access, but did not insist, despite being permitted by law to do so. Therefore, no one could say in what state Mina the little Barbary macaque is currently living, or the birds, or even if they are in good heath or still alive! Mina has been kept illegally, without authorisation, for over ten years. Is that the way the law is implemented when endangered animal species are concerned?

Request that Bony and Glasha should not be handed over to the trainers before their trial

We voluntarily became involved in the withdrawal procedure and the immediate and temporary care of Bony and Glasha (now called Franca), the two bears who survived Micha. Their care has been arranged by the Prefecture at the request of the Minister for Ecological Transition; one at the Alternative Wolf and Bear Park in the Black Forest in Germany and the other at L’Arche Animal Shelter in France. We want to make sure that they will never be given back to the Poliakovs. A mere doubt on the prison conditions would be sufficient for the Administrative Tribunal to prevent them being given back to the Bruneau-Poliakov couple between now and when the court rules on the charges against them.

Request that the authorities pay for their inaction and shortcomings

We have highlighted the serious shortcomings of the State committed by the Prefecture of Loir-et-Cher in their mission to protect wild animals kept by the Bruneau-Poliakov couple. For this we requested 50,000 euros in compensation for moral harm in November 2019. Since then, the Prefecture has confirmed receipt of our request and since 29 January 2020 we have pushed for their implicit denial to pay these damages. This will be the subject of the third hearing.

On 15 April in Orléans, all of the hearings that we have requested will take place so that the Prefecture can finally face up to their responsibilities. The power to protect wild captive animals sits with their department. For us, this responsibility has not been taken on correctly in the past and still now continues not to be.

The plight of Bony and Glasha is still hanging on these decisions; nothing has been resolved for Mina or the birds. Worse still, we don’t know what state they are in. We are now justified to expect that the actions of the State will be faultless.

In addition to these hearings, the trial of the couple themselves is scheduled at the criminal court on 12 May in Blois for severe abuse, acts of cruelty and mistreatment, and the care or maintenance of an animal in an environment that can cause suffering.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice