News Archive - Page 86 of 147

No to an exception for hunting during the second lockdown

No to an exception for hunting during the second lockdown
03.11.2020
France
No to an exception for hunting during the second lockdown
Wildlife

Since the second lockdown was announced Willy Schraen, the President of the Federation of Hunters, has constantly harassed the Ministry of Ecology in an effort to get round the rules that apply to each and every one of us. Each time an objection is made to their deadly pastime the lobbyists and representatives of the National Federation of Hunters try to obtain special privileges. We are writing to the Ministry to challenge its decision to grant such privileges.

The lobby given one special privilege after another

The exception that allows hunters to leave their homes in circumstances other than those authorised by the current regulations was granted after they had been refused an « hour of relaxation in the form of hunting » within a radius of one kilometre from home.

That showed that the hunters would use any excuse whatsoever in order to continue to kill. They aren’t motivated by the desire to render any sort of service to the public but rather by the pleasure of shedding the blood of animals.

« Sentinelles sanitaires », « heure de détente cynégétique »… Les publications WTF du patron des chasseurs !
Si Willy n’existait pas, il faudrait l’inventer (ou pas). #LaChasseUnProblèmeMortel pic.twitter.com/zqiGiWUzkE

— One Voice (@onevoiceanimal) October 31, 2020

A ministerial circular that broadens existing prerogatives

On 31 October a Ministry of Ecology circular asked departmental prefects to « grant exceptions to the lockdown relating to wildlife control and destruction of species of animal likely to cause damage ».

In this way the Ministry is sowing confusion between two distinct practices: ‘control’ and ‘destruction’. Hunting (control) is therefore added to a practice (destruction) that was already authorized during lockdown in the event of damage.

«L’heure de détente cynégétique» demandée par @WillySchraen n’ayant pas eu de succès, c’est la fumeuse « régulation » des animaux qui a fait mouche. @Ecologie_Gouv, ce boniment du pompier pyromane est pourtant facile à contrer… #LaChasseUnProblèmeMortel https://t.co/tPgjAEx0zn

— One Voice (@onevoiceanimal) November 1, 2020

Inequality among the French

At this time, so painful for so many of us, solidarity and decency should take precedence over the destructive pleasure and pointless interests of hunters. Such a get-out clause is the embodiment of the privilege of a very small category of the population unwilling to sacrifice any of its leisure time even to protect others.

We are writing today to the Minister and her Secretary of State responsible for biodiversity in order to have this circular amended: forests, meadows and their wildlife are part of the common heritage of the nation and those who don’t hunt, who are in the majority, have the right to quiet enjoyment of nature within the regulatory limit of one kilometre from their homes.

Translated by Patricia Fairey

First world kangaroo day calls for national australian moratorium on the commercial killing of kangaroos Saturday 24 october 2020

First world kangaroo day calls for national australian moratorium on the commercial killing of kangaroos Saturday 24 october 2020
23.10.2020
Australia
First world kangaroo day calls for national australian moratorium on the commercial killing of kangaroos Saturday 24 october 2020
Wildlife

New South Wales (NSW) poll shows overwhelming support for protection of kangaroos from commercial hunting. One Voice supports the first World kangaroo day and joins its partners’ call to stop the killing of kangaroos for commercial purposes (meat and fur).

Crédit photos: Kangaroos Alive

One of Australia’s most recognisable and renowned icons in the world, the kangaroo, will get its own international day of celebration this Saturday 24 October, with the first ever World Kangaroo Day. One Voice joins forces with its partners.

In Australia, kangaroos are considered a pest…

Mick McIntyre, the investigative filmmaker behind award-winning 2019 controversial documentary ‘Kangaroo: A love-hate story’ (which the Premiere in France in 2018 in Paris and Strasbourg was launched by One Voice) and co-founder of Kangaroos Alive who have helped create World Kangaroo Day, said,

«Saturday 24 October marks the first ever World Kangaroo Day, to elevate the status of a much-loved Australian icon with a call for its protection by law. Unfortunately, the kangaroo is often more loved outside our country than in it, with a long-held view by many as a ‘pest’ to farmers.»«It’s fantastic that we’re starting to see this perception shift, reflected in the latest statistics from the Animal Justice Party. Kangaroos don’t belong on our feet as soccer boots or as the meat in our sausages or pet food. This is a defining moment for our national icon. Will we STAND UP and join the growing international movement against the cruel and barbaric practice of commercial hunting, or will we STAND BY and let this cruelty continue?»

Renowned supporters

Legendary cricketer and animal advocate Jason ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie will join Kangaroos Alive, a not-for-profit dedicated to the ethical treatment of kangaroos and the Animal Justice Party, rallying support from around the world for a moratorium on the commercial killing of kangaroos – which continues to operate despite the unknown impact to kangaroo populations in the wake of the Black Summer bushfires, regarded as one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history. Thanks to the public support we were able to help the injured animals through local charities.

Gillespie said:

«The world watched in horror this summer as our beautiful country burnt, with an outpouring of love for all our precious wildlife, including the kangaroo. The devastation was on a scale never seen by this generation. The kangaroo is a native species, it belongs to our land. How can we continue to allow the commercial hunting of the kangaroo, with the true impact of this catastrophe still unknown? This is an animal we consider a national icon, and needs our protection by law, just as we would all native birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals.»«The mistreatment of wildlife on our national coat of arms, is a national disgrace. It’s time to stand up and show the world Australians care about the protection of the kangaroo. Join me to call on the Federal Government to stop the killing and demand a scientific assessment of the impact of the fires to our national icon at worldkangarooday.org,»

A new survey shows a clear majority against the slaughter of kangaroos

The move to protect kangaroos from commercial hunting is supported by the majority of NSW residents, a new survey by the NSW Animal Justice Party has found, with NSW the primary state for the commercial killing of kangaroos.

The study of 1000+ NSW residents confirmed the majority (74%) believed the NSW Government should do a population count of kangaroos as well as a scientific assessment of the impact of the fires on kangaroos and other wildlife, while just 15% agreed kangaroo killing should continue.

Despite the Black Summer bushfires the NSW kangaroo kill quota for 2020 is even higher than 2019.

The Hon Mark Pearson MLC, Animal Justice Party, said, «A new study of 1000+ NSW residents confirmed the majority (74%) believed the NSW Government should do a population count of kangaroos as well as a scientific assessment of the impact of the fires on kangaroos and other wildlife, while 69% believed the NSW Government should follow Victoria’s lead by implementing a moratorium on kangaroo killing in response to the recent bushfires. Just 15% agreed kangaroo killing should continue, with a further 17% of respondents saying they were ‘unsure’.»

Mr Pearson said a national moratorium on the commercial killing of kangaroos to protect the kangaroo by law, is what’s needed to ensure populations can properly recover.

The belief that kangaroos exist in plague proportions and therefore should be culled is baseless, given there’s no recent study of population size.

«I invite those who hold onto that claim as an excuse to kill: Show me. Take me to the places where kangaroos apparently exist in plague proportions, because I’ve not seen it – not before these bushfires, let alone since,» said Pearson.

Everyone can sign the petition (and post a selfie with kangaroo ears) for a moratorium on the commercial killing of kangaroos at: https://www.worldkangarooday.org/

Baby out of the wagon but still being exploited

Baby out of the wagon but still being exploited
07.10.2020
Loiret
Baby out of the wagon but still being exploited
Exploitation for shows

Following our campaigns on Baby’s ordeal of being confined to a trailer, her owner has ended up sending her to a private animal park. But the elephant still belongs to him and is once again at the mercy of the whims of humans.

Could Gilbert Bauer have undergone an epiphany? Baby’s keeper seems have retired her from a life on the road. Even better: he has installed her in a vast park at Sury-aux-Bois with a huge enclosure and a swimming pool in the midst of nature, near Orléans, in the Loire. The site is a sort of Noah’s Ark in which the elderly elephant is supposed to live happily ever after now she’s out of her wagon. Just imagine – she even invites you to ‘pay her a visit at the Parc Animalier‘ to share her happiness.

Fine words

But don’t be fooled: appearances are deceptive. The land belongs to Muriel Bec, a well-known animal trainer. Despite a tempting programme and special deals for families and despite the exhortation on the website to ‘Get to know her in order to give her more love and protection‘ and the statement that ‘Our aim is to enable you to discover how she lives in complete freedom‘, Baby continues to be exploited. The poor elephant is in fact now used to attract tourists, who are encouraged to accompany her as she walks ‘among woods and meadows‘, feed her and swing on her tusks, with no regard for the most elementary safety precautions and thus causing a risk both to the public and to the elephant.

Temporary ‘solution’

Is this really the kind of ‘distraction’ that the old lady – who has been subservient to humans since babyhood – needs for her old age? Of course not! She is infirm and has suffered quite enough indignities during her sad life. Enough is enough! She must be given a home in a refuge worthy of the name where she can enjoy her retirement and, at long last, the company of other elephants – away from the clutches of Gilbert Bauer, who still, currently, owns her. He doesn’t fool us! He sent Baby to Muriel Bec only because we put pressure on him. We are convinced that he is trying to create a temporary smokescreen in order to have a better chance of getting his victim back later. He used this kind of stratagem a few years ago: his plan was for Baby to remain in Varès, in the Dordogne, then he finally sent her to his brother at the Parc Saint Léger animal park, near Beauvais, in northern France. In fact he got into the habit of moving because of our complaints. And the same thing happened in the case of the elephants Maya and Lechmee, who were transferred well away from the circuses following our campaigns but without us being able to ascertain that they are well cared for.

Fresh complaint

This has gone on far too long! We are upholding our complaint against Gilbert Bauer for the acts of cruelty that he perpetrated on Baby by confining her to a trailer.We are also lodging a fresh complaint with the French Office of Biodiversity (OFB) for illegal exploitation. Then there is the matter of keeping an animal belonging to a protected species without official documentation. (Baby was not identified until 2016.) In view of the gravity of the offences and the repeated breaches of safety regulations we are applying for the elephant to be seized immediately. Our association has found a home for her in an accredited French refuge and all the logistics required to carry out the operation are in place. In the meantime please continue to sign our petition for her.

Wild animals in captivity: very vague measures

Wild animals in captivity: very vague measures
29.09.2020
France
Wild animals in captivity: very vague measures
Other campaign or multi-campaigns of One Voice

Barbara Pompili has just announced measures on animal welfare that have been awaited for more than a year and result from working groups in which we took part along with other animal-rights organisations and the ministers concerned. So what exactly are we talking about? A law? Regulations? Decrees? As all too often in France, we have waited a very long time for vague and minimal progress in this field. But nobody is fooled. These measures are going in the right direction but are too weak, don’t deal with the fundamental problem and fall well short of what society expects!

Five years to close down 4 mink farms, 2 of which are subject to legal proceedings? It was high time!

In four years seven mink farms have closed; there are therefore no more than four still operating. And we have begun legal proceedings against two of these four. Moreover the hearing about the one in Montarlot is scheduled for 13 October.

As the association that acted as rapporteur of the group on fur when it met at the Ministry of Ecology during the Spring and Summer of 2019, it is precisely thanks to our unceasing and repeated campaigningthat these mink farms have eventually closed! We were supported by our partners in the Fur Free Alliance, who have again recently challenged the French embassies in their countries.

When one thinks that Poland, the second-biggest supplier of fur in the world, is going to close theirs down and that the Netherlands is closing their 160 mink farms in March when they had expected to take three years over it, France is taking its time. But we have noted this long-awaited decision and are continuing our campaign to ensure that no mink are born next Spring on these cruel and polluting farms.

No date for the end of circuses … training hidden from view and anyone’s guess when it will be implemented!

No end date announced, no information on how it will take place! Hippopotamuses and elephants will be the first to benefit from the end of captivity and travelling circuses. It will be introduced gradually. Big cats last. But the Minister forgets that the circus is not only about travelling: it is also about training, which is completely hidden from view! And what about the animals that are not used in performances, which shouldn’t even be held in captivity?

The Minister of Ecology received circus representatives last week, and the discussions were « heated » if the trainers are to be believed. Other meetings are expected to take place. Allowing circuses several years to stop exploiting felines is another slap in the face for the lions and tigers that have never known anything else for their whole lives. It is a slap in the face for those that have been slaughtered. It is a slap in the face for the hippopotamuses and elephants that will remain in circus wagons for months or even years, some until they die. For Jumbo, Boulie, Mina and Kamala, Nelly and Brigit – already more than 50 years on the road. For Baby and Samba too.

In 21 years of campaigning for the abolition of circuses in France we have seen two thirds of circuses give up using animals in performances. There were 500 big cats in circuses 21 years ago. How can the State ensure that its measures are observed when there isn’t even a register of wild animals kept in circuses? Big cats have always ensured that trafficking remained lucrative.

Muriel Arnal, Chair of One Voice, says: «We have waited more than a year for these measures to be announced. It would not be worrying if they were not so vague. More than twenty-three countries in Europe have already passed clear legislation! India and New York have passed legislation! We expected France to roar for all those suffering animals but it has barely squeaked. » »

The leviathans of the ocean will leave their chlorinated pools starting 7 years from now

We are delighted about the immediate ban on breeding and the ban on the acquisition of new captive cetaceans in line with our requests. The Minister envisages that a sanctuary will be set up and we and our partners are offering our expertise. Yesterday two belugas obtained their semi-freedom. It is both possible and desirable!
Since January 2018, when the dolphinarium decree adopted in May 2017 was set aside, the State has stood by and allowed dolphins to be born and die in captivity. It is deplorable that for three years dolphin calves were born in those pools. After we submitted a writ against the State to the Council of State for an administrative error it made it wait for a year, assuring the highest administrative court in France that animal-welfare measures were on their way. Today these announcements are constructive and we are now awaiting details relating to individuals currently held in captivity. Another question needs to be asked: where are the orcas going to go in two years’ time?

We deplore the lack in these announcements of some fundamental themes and firm decisions, but we are not surprised that France is so spineless in this regard. France was and therefore is still way off the mark, out of step with what society expects, because the Minister has provided neither time-frame nor date nor method of implementation. Obviously at least the words have been spoken, but the government must not think that we shall be content with compromises. We cannot wait another ten or fifteen years before there is further progress! The animals certainly can’t wait.

Fur in France: the Fur Free Alliance raises its voice!

Fur in France: the Fur Free Alliance raises its voice!
21.09.2020
France
Fur in France: the Fur Free Alliance raises its voice!
Fashion

The FFA (Fur Free Alliance), an international coalition against fur of which we are the representatives in France, has followed up on our recent investigations on farms where animals are bred for their fur. Now there’s no stopping it. It is calling on all its member associations to put pressure on our government and help us to get the last four establishments in our country shut down before the end of the year.

Following our recent investigations on the last fur farms in France, the Fur Free Alliance is rising up. This international coalition of more than 50 organisations of which we are the representatives in France is urging its members to put pressure on our government to force it to shut down the establishments remaining in our country and promulgate a total ban on all breeding of animals for their fur. It is revolted by the images we took in 2017, 2019 and August 2020, which «revealed shocking examples of animal suffering, in particular mink with physical injuries kept in horrific conditions and showing stereotyped behaviour, which is deeply upsetting to see.»

Risks of zoonotic diseases

In addition to the cruel and senseless exploitation of animals for fashion, the FFA is also denouncing the risk of diseases being passed to humans by these fur farms, which has been highlighted by the current pandemic. It emphasises that «As of today more than 2 million animals have been slaughtered on more than sixty mink farms in the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain and the United States following the detection of SRAS-CoV-2 amongst the mink. According to scientific research carried out in the Netherlands and Denmark, there is solid proof that the virus has been transmitted from mink to humans.»

Join us!

Just when an increasing number of European countries are taking drastic steps to ban the production of fur for ethical and animal-welfare reasons, when the environmental damage caused by these polluting farms has become well known, when their potential danger to health is being discovered, when more and more brands are renouncing the use of fur in their collections and when 77% of the French public rejects it – what are our leaders waiting for? Since our initial investigations our struggle has borne fruit. In four years the number of factories of horror has fallen from eleven to four! But that still leaves four too many! We must not give up the fight: please add your voices to ours and to that of the FFA and support our campaign to get the last mink farms in France shut down:

Sign the petition on stop-fourrure.fr

One Voice’s partner organizations, members of the Fur Free Alliance taking part in the operation:

ACTAsia
Anima
Animal
Bont voor Dieren
Born Free USA
Deutscher Tierschutzbund e.V.

Djurens Rätt
Dzīvnieku brīvība
EVA BiH
Gaïa
HSI
Humánny pokrok
Java
NOAH
Respect for animals
Tu Abrigo Su Vida
UAnimals
VeGaia
Vier Pfoten
Voices For Animals

Translated by Patricia Fairey

Council of State dolphinarium decree: a rapporteur just doesn’t get it!

Council of State dolphinarium decree: a rapporteur just doesn’t get it!
18.09.2020
France
Council of State dolphinarium decree: a rapporteur just doesn’t get it!
Exploitation for shows

The public rapporteur made a completely irrelevant remark about the hearing, our additional statement and our application during the hearing in the Council of State of 17 September relating to what we deem to be the State’s failure to publish a new decree on dolphinariums similar to that of 2017. We make a post-hearing submission.He made some questionable implications about what we would do with the damages, even though the Ministry of Ecology did not seem to reject our applications…

The failure to understand, by the person who is supposed to advise the Council of State!

Our association’s application related to the measure contained in the 2017 decree banning the breeding and keeping of any new specimen of cetacean in French animal parks:

«In order to ensure the protection of species, improve animal welfare and prevent animal suffering, keeping cetaceans in captivity is prohibited, with the exception of the species Orcinus orca and Tursiops truncatus already in captivity in authorized establishments in France on the date this decree comes into force.»

The rapporteur obviously had no idea what that meant! He said that we were not showing that the 1981 decree was not valid. We felt like replying: « Obviously! » We are not taking that decree into account, given that it legislates on the captivity that we are contesting here.

Although cosmetic half-measures may satisfy some, they don’t satisfy us because they don’t get to the root of the problem!
The essential thing is that keeping animals in captivity must end. And obviously that was not in the 1981 decree.

Showing that captivity per se is mistreatment

We showed that simply keeping dolphins and orcas in captivity is mistreating them. We laid out, on more than forty pages in all, numerous arguments substantiated by documents appended to the file, such as the fact that captivity interferes with biodiversity, that cetaceans are non-human people. We also produced statements from biologists who are international experts in cetaceans that showed that captivity is harmful to their welfare.

The public rapporteur may be independent but he is not neutral.

Normally the public rapporteur is a member of the Council of State who makes a submission, reports on the arguments of both sides and advises the judges. Why did he not present both arguments? Why did he not say that the Ministry never rejected our applications and implicitly recognised their rationale, declaring:

«despite the delay, the willingness to adopt such measures relating to cetaceans in particular is still there and the work will resume as soon as possible.»

His irrelevant remark led us to think there had been a misinterpretation, a failure to understand the crux of the matter. Was he really giving an independent opinion on animal welfare or, worse, was he biased?

Questioning our probity is an extremely serious matter!

Here is our response to his questionable and inappropriate implication, his « totally gratuitous remark » (sic)! The association’s accounts are audited and the allocation of donations is verified.

France currently allows dolphins to be bred and born in captivity even though the practice was supposed to have ended three years ago!

One Voice is a founder member of a coalition the principal object of which is to set up sanctuaries for dolphins and orcas currently held in captivity. A marine sanctuary costs more than ten million Euros to build. In other words the sum demanded represents 5% of this amount or the equivalent of a year’s running costs. Damages of 500,000 Euros don’t seem much for the dolphins and the orcas who are the victims of irreversible harm!

translated by Patricia Fairey MCIL

The screams of angora rabbits in France must not be drowned out by music!

The screams of angora rabbits in France must not be drowned out by music!
14.09.2020
France
The screams of angora rabbits in France must not be drowned out by music!
Fashion

Once again we are forced to publish stomach-churning images in order to denounce the violence inherent in the breeding and farming of angora rabbits. In 2020 the usual method of collecting their ‘wool’ is still to fasten them by their paws to a board, stretch them out so that they cannot move and pull out almost all their fur by the handful. As a result of the decision of the Council of State to allow this method to continue we have submitted a complaint to the European Court of Justice.

Having heard the strident cries of rabbits having their fur pulled out the first time we infiltrated this sordid business in 2016, followed by the images published in 2018 and those taken this year, once again it is impossible not to be appalled that the authorities in France are continuing to turn a blind eye to the abuse. When we complained to the Council of State, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food insisted that the plucking process was non-invasive. They maintained that it was legal, basing their assertion on the conclusions of a report by INRA (Institut national de la recherche agronomique – National Institute of Agricultural Research) that turned out never to have existed!

A complaint to Europe

In parallel with numerous joint actions with our partner PETA France to raise public awareness, we decided to bring a complaint to Europe (link article 2), because this simply cannot go on. The chilling cries of these rabbits, whose fur is pulled out without anaesthetic several times a year, sometimes shreds of their skin coming off with it – that must end!

Our latest investigation strengthens our determination to save these rabbits

The rabbits struggle wildly, attempting with all their strength to break free. And when the breeder resumes plucking, which is tantamount to torture, they scream in terror and pain. In the wild rabbits use their voices only in very exceptional circumstances: when there is great danger.

Most on these premises are does. The bucks are killed shortly after they are born because their fur is not as dense. Only those that have the densest fur and are therefore the most profitable are kept for breeding. Approximately one hundred and seventy does spend their entire lives shut up in the hutches of this well-known breeder, plucked in this way several times a year, often in the presence of the breeder’s dog and sometimes other rabbits. During our infiltration we even discovered that he sold sick animals to vivisection laboratories – the ultimate horror for these poor creatures.

Please support our complaint to the European Court of Justice by signing our petition!

translated by Patricia Fairey

Plucking of angora rabbits – the fight continues

Plucking of angora rabbits – the fight continues
14.09.2020
Europe
Plucking of angora rabbits – the fight continues
Fashion

We have been fighting since 2016 for a ban on the plucking of angora rabbits. Last year the Council of State rejected our complaint despite new images. France is deaf so we arenow turning to Europe.

The barbarous practice of plucking

Following our 2016 undercover investigation we showed how angora rabbits have their fur plucked out. They are tied to a table by their four paws, often under the eyes of their fellows, while their fur is pulled out by hand at top speed, and sometimes strips of their skin are pulled off too. Before this procedure they are given lagodendron, a plant that makes the fur come out more easily but does not dull the pain and is not authorised for sale. We shan’t mention their miserable living conditions here. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food at the time hid behind a report by INRA (Institut national de la recherche agronomique – National Institute of Agricultural Research) arguing that the procedure did not amount to mistreatment. We asked to see this report, which turns out never to have existed! In 2018 the images taken by our whistleblowers showed that nothing had changed since our first investigation. This summer, the footage we publish do not differ from the former ones. The rabbits wish they would have.

We are not giving up!

In June 2019 the Council of State rejected our complaint because allegedly this method did not cause suffering. Who are they trying to kid? Didn’t they have the sound turned on when watching our videos and therefore not hear the blood-curdling cries of pain and terror?
We told you we were going to bring a complaint against France to Europe. We’ve now done so! We shall fight to have animal welfare respected in this system to which legislation seems not to apply. When will this barbarous and outdated practice cease? When will the clothing industry stop using materials deriving from animal suffering? When will the feelings of these living beings finally be taken into account? Have the French not pronounced in favour of respecting animals? While waiting for justice to be done, please continue to sign our petition and to share it. In addition to a ban on this horrible practice, our aim is to get these fur farms shut down. We are continuing the fight!

Counselling for the staff of Planète Sauvage, which is claiming 100,000 Euros from us!

Counselling for the staff of Planète Sauvage, which is claiming 100,000 Euros from us!
14.09.2020
Loire-Atlantique
Counselling for the staff of Planète Sauvage, which is claiming 100,000 Euros from us!
Exploitation for shows

Following a visit from our investigators at the end of May when lockdown ended but when the limit of 100km around home still applied, Planète Sauvage had threatened to bring a complaint against us if the images were published. We did publish them, because our specific rôle is to defend captive dolphins. In their view it was the last straw, and the dolphinarium in Nantes, which said it was losing money because of us, submitted a statement to back up their response to our complaint about the death of Aïcko. They want to reduce us to silence by demanding that we pay them 100,000 Euros!

Staff who can’t see straight when faced with the truth?

First attack: they asked for our complaint relating to Aïcko to be dismissed, claiming that we had « no interest in bringing a legal action ». However that is the precise object of our association. Then they claimed that their business had suffered because of our campaigns. Management of the park even provided counselling for staff and blamed us. Finally they are demanding 100,000 Euros in damages and a minimum of 15,000 Euros!

It’s great if it’s thanks to us that the public are losing interest in witnessing suffering!

Before the associations and scientists who were active in protecting dolphins, belugas, orcas and other large marine creatures made the public at large aware of their sentience, dolphinariums were able to indoctrinate young unskilled trainers to their hearts’ content, a phenomenon that is very well described in ‘Blackfish’, the documentary film dedicated to Tilikum.

The lies and distortions of the truth were denounced and demonstrated by former trainers in no uncertain terms, including after the loss of human lives. It is no surprise under these circumstances that the employees are not happy in their work. Nor is it surprising that they need psychological support when their work involves seeing animals that are so amazing and so thirsty for freedom suffer hour after hour for years on end and even die!

Will proof of the truth about the death of Aïcko be revealed one day?

We have never denied that our aim is an end to the keeping of dolphins and orcas in captivity. Quite simply, the death of the young Aïcko involved unimaginable cruelty. Since his death in these enclosures we have repeatedly demonstrated what really happened. The dolphin calf lived a life of hell, attacked 78 times by the other dolphins, who had become mad with stress. He was not protected, was badly treated, was drowned and had his jaw dislocated.

As an animal-protection association we were not going to be satisfied with the explanations put forward by the keepers and the management of Planète Sauvage. The park would have had nothing to gain from revealing the poor way in which it looks after dolphins, in particular in the last few months of Aïcko’s life.

Sadness in a sort of goldfish bowl

When our investigators returned to the dolphinarium to see how the animals were, they found Galéo, Aïcko’s brother, still covered in bites, Lucille lonely, and the others, also isolated, going round in circles, including Amtan, near the end of her pregnancy at the time and who subsequently lost her calf scarcely a week after he was born. The head trainer had provided the rare visitors with a demonstration of pool surfing, drawn by dolphins. That’s no life for them. And there’s no harm in saying it loud and clear.

An exorbitant sum claimed by the dolphinarium from an NGO!

Therefore instead of responding to our complaint relating to Aïcko with comprehensive documentation and keeping a low profile – after all a dolphin calf died by throwing himself against a wall of their pools – they prefer to attack us and demand an astronomical sum in order to silence us. They hope that if they cut off these funds we should no longer have the resources to continue campaigning.
They have tried to gag us with threats. And as we are not keeping quiet they are now putting their threats into practice in the courts. In demanding such a sum the powerful group that owns numerous animal parks, including Planète Sauvage, know what they’re doing. But it seems they don’t know who they’re dealing with! We shall continue tirelessly to denounce the suffering of the dolphins! Nothing shall stop us!

Translated from the original French by Patricia Fairey

One Voice’s application for the State to introduce a new decree for dolphinariums to be heard on 17 September!

One Voice’s application for the State to introduce a new decree for dolphinariums to be heard on 17 September!
14.09.2020
France
One Voice’s application for the State to introduce a new decree for dolphinariums to be heard on 17 September!
Exploitation for shows

Since our application for a finding of negligence plus 500,000 Euros in damages was submitted to the Council of State in November 2018 after the State had been issued with a notice to comply, we have been awaiting a date for the hearing. It has now finally been fixed! Our application for publication of a new decree substantially identical to that of 2017, which prohibited captive breeding and exchanges and imports of new cetaceans but was set aside because of a procedural irregularity, is finally to be heard. Since the beginning of the year three dolphins have died in dolphinariums, two shortly after being born! The hearing will take place in the Council of State in Paris (métro Palace Royal) at 9am on 17 September.

The hearing will take place in the Council of State in Paris (métro Palace Royal) at 9am on 17 September.

Since the decree was set aside French dolphinariums have been governed by totally obsolete regulations dating from 1981. It is high time to update the regulations concerned (again!) in the light of international scientific knowledge and animal rights in France, which have changed a lot in 39 years.

In its statement of defence of October 2019 the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy had replied by citing the ministerial announcements of November 2019, which in fact were never made. This shows that the extensive and interminable discussions organized at the ministry, in which One Voice participated, will have been to no avail given how many changes in ministers there has been since then. Only one thing hasn’t changed: the suffering of these extremely intelligent and social animals, condemned to swim in circles in circumstances that take all the joy out of their lives until death overtakes them.

We will not settle for a ministerial decree listing improvements to the prison conditions, which would allow captive breeding and exchanges of cetaceans between dolphinariums to continue. This hell must stop, and these measures must be part of the process.

In fact it’s still one death after another in French dolphinariums. After Aïcko, Valentin, Freya and many others over the years, two of the four dolphin calves born this year have died: Lotty’s calf, born in Marineland in Antibes, died on the day she was born, and her mother died two months later. Amtan’s calf, born on 8 June at Planet Sauvage, died on 16th, having lived for only a week – additional proof, if any were needed, that such premises are not suitable for cetaceans and that captive breeding is an abomination.

But what the Council of State is going to hear is our application for a ruling of State negligence: once the State had recognised that orcas and dolphins were suffering, why did it not issue a new decree? The whole of the €500,000 in damages that we are claiming will be used to set up a marine sanctuary for dolphins liberated from captivity.

Translated from the French by Patricia Fairey