News Archive - Page 87 of 148

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

Pardoned turtle doves!

Pardoned turtle doves!
11.09.2020
France
Pardoned turtle doves!
Wildlife

For turtle doves, getting this decree suspended was a matter of the utmost urgency. Especially when you consider that their species is in serious danger of extinction (habitat loss, disappearance of insects, noise, poaching and… hunting)! What is the sense of priorities of this ministry, which is supposed to protect nature, and which already has its wrist slapped by the European Union for France’s failure to comply with the Birds Directive? Following our request and that of the LPO, the Council of State has now handed down its decision, and it’s in favor of the turtle doves, who have been saved from the slaughter!

A lobby so powerful that it even insinuates itself into prefectoral and ministerial decisions

On the day of the hearing, we learned that 68% of vertebrates had disappeared from the earth’s surface in less than 50 years… And yet, we were questioning the Council of State once again on an issue concerning the right or not to kill tens of thousands of these birds, peacefully living in our country.

Thousands of turtle doves are already dead, and data is still unreliable!

On the morning of September 10, 6,287 turtle doves had already died under this decree. By the end of the hearing, this figure, updated daily, had risen to 6,368! What is often overlooked, however, is the fact that these already astronomical figures fall far short of reality, by the very admission of those concerned, since they are declarative: hunters must enter their catches themselves into the « ChassAdapt » application. In other words, a computer revolution… without a foregone conclusion.

The Ministry’s decree made no sense, turtle doves are going to live!

Muriel Arnal, founding president of One Voice, declares:

« How could the State expose turtle doves, on the brink of extinction, to hunters who, let’s not forget, kill them for their leisure time? The data provided is unreliable, as we have demonstrated. Hunting – this hobby – only aggravates a very worrying situation for these birds, which belong to the common heritage of mankind. It’s high time we went beyond mentalities and changed actions! Today, the Council of State has ruled in our favor, which is a huge relief ».

Our team on site pointed out the highlights of the trial and the inconsistencies of the Ministry and transcribed them on our Twitter feed. After analyzing the evidence and the two contradictory opinions, the Council of State ruled against the public prosecutor, and therefore in favor of the turtle doves!

The fight for the birds goes on. The prefects and ministers would do well to remember this before issuing new decrees concerning hunting of any kind, whether by shooting, glue or digging out: we’ll be there. So much so, in fact, that we’ll be back at the Council of State for the hearing against traditional hunting (six decrees on bird trapping) on September 16, 2020 at 10am.

New investigation: Only four mink farms left in France – let’s close them down!

New investigation: Only four mink farms left in France – let’s close them down!
31.08.2020
France
New investigation: Only four mink farms left in France – let’s close them down!
Fashion

The images we reveal were filmed in August 2020 and show how the last four fur farms in the country look like. They are better guarded, some are having work done on them – indicating that fur farms are not going to vanish totally from France tomorrow – but the horror in the cages remains.There are fewer mink in the ‘fur farm of horrors’ in Eure-et-Loir: not all the cages are occupied and there is no longer any overcrowding. But the air in them continues to be unbreathable and the droppings still pile up like stalagmites, and as for the poor mink … We are asking that they be shut down before the end of the year by ministerial decree and for the worst of the four, the one in Eure-et-Loir, to be shut down immediately! We are submitting an additional complaint relating to ‘the fur farm of horrors’.

Fur farms in France: the horror that never ends

In 2017 we revealed images of six of the 11 mink farms still in operation in France. We showed the full horror: tiny wire-mesh cages that injure paws, the absence of water even though mink feed while swimming, overcrowded cages leading to fights and injuries. No checks on waste discharge despite these establishments supposedly being regulated (because of their impact on the environment), with harmful consequences for nature and biodiversity. The following year the French animal-rights organization L214 revealed new images of one of them, which has since closed.

In 2019, in the midst of discussions with the ministry on this matter, we released images of four of the five fur farms still operating. We showed stomach-churning images of cannibalism, of mummified corpses, of dozens of babies dying or in agony in the worst of the farms in France, the one in Eure-et-Loir. In response the authorities and the couple running the farm announced that there had been a sudden outbreak of disease, which was of course « exceptional » and obviously had ended!

Mink farms, premises that are little documented yet subject to epidemics

However everywhere in the world mink exhibit injuries and infections, which are little studied and yet recur and are similar on all fur farms.

More than a million mink have also been affected by Covid19 in Europe alone, slaughtered on farms in the Netherlands, Spain and Denmark for the simple reason that humans exploit them and subject them to prison conditions conducive to the spread of this type of scourge.

«There are still four mink farms in France – 4! The Netherlands have decided to shut down 160 and Finland is considering doing likewise in the case of its 700 fur farms. In France, despite meeting after meeting, nothing, absolutely nothing is happening. And during this time, in Eure-et-Loir, mink, still alive but with putrefying flesh, drag themselves over the wire-mesh floor of their cages to reach a few drops of water» Muriel Arnal, One Voice Founding President

Meetings with the relevant authorities at all levels

At the end of 2019 a round table in Brussels organized by MEPs provided the opportunity to show images of this ‘worst fur farm in Europe’ to representatives of furriers and to have discussions with them and the MEPs.

When lockdown ended we arranged a meeting with a representative of the National Association of Veterinary Surgeons following a statement from the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe and announcements from Irish and Bulgarian vets. We are still waiting for the measures announced by the Ministry of Ecology following the meetings on wildlife held in captivity to be taken.

August 2020 – a new investigation, an additional complaint and requests for close-down!

This Summer there are only four fur farms still in operation. Many of the cages are empty or contain only one mink, in particular at Montarlot-lès-Rioz and, in Eure-et-Loir, at Champrond-en-Gâtine. But everywhere there are mutilated mink: eyes, teeth, tails, paralysed and necrotic legs, skin diseases … And piles of droppings, causing real and lasting soil pollution.

«As a veterinarian I am appalled by what I’ve seen from these French fur farms, it runs counter to everything I know about animal welfare, from keeping wild species like mink in small battery cages, to the insanitary conditions and the very obvious stereotypies which are likely to be the result of mental distress, the brain’s way of coping with a deprived and inadequate environment. The mink with necrotic hind quarters is really shocking because for an animal to get to that state, it will have been left untreated for at least several days. It looks like both hind legs, the pelvic region and caudal abdomen are affected, and the legs are clearly paralysed which also appears to impede its ability to get to food or water. It is likely this happened with an injury of some sort, and from the point this occurred, the animal would have been in intense pain, as well as no doubt being psychologically traumatised if this was injury from an attack, which is one plausible explanation. This animal should have been separated and treated immediately that the initial injury occurred, but that has clearly not happened and it has been left to get in a state where now it requires immediate euthanasia. » Professor Alastair Macmillan, Veterinary advisor to Humane Society International

France is way behind its neighbours; the people are waiting for change!

Since 2017 we have been urging the Ministry of Ecology to publish a decree shutting down all the mink farms in France. This year how will the State justify its failure to act when many countries in Europe have introduced legislation?

The last fur farm in Bosnia-Herzegovina closed in July, the Netherlands will have shut down its 160 fur farms by April 2021 and Finland is also planning to shut down its 700 fur farms once and for all!

In France more than half a million people have already signed the referendum for the animals, one of the measures of which relates to fur farms! The French people are with us: 77% of them are in favour of a ban on farming animals for their fur.

We are asking for the ‘fur farm of horrors’ in Eure-et-Loir to be shut down immediately, submitting an additional complaint, and also demanding a decree providing for the dismantling of the other three farms by the end of 2020.

Sign our petition to save thousands of mink! Year by year French fur farms are closing down solely because of such pressure and the reaction to the images that have been published.

The waiting has lasted long enough: we want action now. Let no-one tell us that it’s complicated: there are only four of them!

Support us

A gang attempts to trap a wolf in the Alps

A gang attempts to trap a wolf in the Alps
13.08.2020
France
A gang attempts to trap a wolf in the Alps
Wildlife

A few kilometres from the border between France and Italy the Écrins massif contains a majestic national park, home to thousands of species of animal, including mammals, birds and insects. Wolves are among the animals living in this protected area, between Huez, Briançon and Gap. Since they returned to France over the Italian Alps they have been constantly targeted by farmers, local politicians and representatives of the State. A few days ago a gang tried to trap and butcher one of these wolves, whose natural regulatory rôle is so beneficial to the ecosystems of our mountains. We are complaining in order to ensure that there can be no doubt that such crimes will not go unpunished.

The wolves living in the Écrins National Park are constantly persecuted by local farmers and poachers! Last year we had already submitted a complaint against the ‘Front de libération du Champsaur’ (Champsaur Liberation Front) for conspiracy to destroy a protected species and conspiracy to attempt to destroy a protected species. Then this Summer, only a few days short of that sordid anniversary, it happened again.

“Out of love for his animals” he reckons – but he won’t get away with it!

A sheep-farmer who also runs a shop, an inn and a bed-and-breakfast ‘denounced’ himself in the local press :

«One night we went on patrol, with a live ewe as bait. We waited twelve hours. Nothing. We got fed up so put everything back in the van. And that’s when we saw it: as we were leaving it was 20 metres behind us, sitting watching us.»

Even attempting to harm a wolf is a serious offence!

We submitted a complaint about this on 31 July this year, because luring wolves with a view to killing them violates the ban on destroying animals belonging to protected species and constitutes an offence under the environment code. Destroying an animal belonging to a protected species is punishable by two years’ imprisonment and a fine of 150,000 Euros, which is doubled if the offences are committed in the heart of a National Park; and if there has been conspiracy to commit the offence (i.e. if it was planned by several people) the punishment is seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of 750,000 Euros. The environment code states that attempting to commit such a crime is subject to the same penalties. In fact it is deemed to be a serious offence.

Illegal and totally illogical persecution

Each year more and more wolves are moving into and settling in France, with no attack on a human ever being recorded. Yet each year the State authorizes an increasing number of them to be killed despite the fact that in theory they are protected. This year the size of their territory has remained the same and their numbers have not increased. We have written to the Minister of Ecology to request that the shooting of wolves be suspended.

Until wolves are properly protected in our country we will fight every step of the way to ensure that there can be no doubt that such crimes will not go unpunished. The wolves and all the animals in the Alps must be able to benefit from vast territories in order to live free, and humans from being happy about it! Our complaint relating to conspiracy to destroy animals of a protected species in the heart of a national park or a natural reserve was submitted on 31 July 2020.

Translated from the French by Patricia Fairey

Hunting dogs in the Dordogne: the fight continues!

Hunting dogs in the Dordogne: the fight continues!
06.08.2020
Dordogne
Hunting dogs in the Dordogne: the fight continues!
Domestic animals

Despite the gross mistreatment of these dogs, the Prefect of the Dordogne implicitly refuses to order their seizure as a matter of urgency. One Voice is taking the matter to the highest level of government and filing a new complaint relating to the dogs and two donkeys.

We are still committed to bringing Richard Mandral, an abusive breeder in Périgord, to justice.

He has got away with it for far too long!

Since our initial findings in Spring 2019, and despite the release of sixteen dogs in February this year, the fate of the animals kept by Mr Mandral has not improved. Hunting dogs do not seem to benefit from the same protection in the Dordogne as in the rest of France. Or is it the hunters who are benefiting – from the privilege of mistreating them with impunity? However mistreatment isn’t a strong enough word, because Mr Mandral’s dogs continue to suffer in appalling conditions. And they’re not the only ones! In fact two donkeys are also now suffering neglect at the hands of this man, who is not at all interested in looking after the animals in his care nor concerned about the current court procedure.

The investigation continues

The new images that our investigators have brought back clearly show that the dogs’ situation has not changed but also that, despite the notice served again him to reduce the number of dogs kept, Mr Mandral is continuing to allow them to breed!

As for the donkeys, their hooves have not been trimmed for several months, which causes them a lot of pain and could even kill them. One of them is already unable to walk.

One Voice denounces the Prefect’s failure to act

Therefore One Voice has submitted a fresh complaint, this time to the Public Prosecutor in Périgueux requesting that the dogs and donkeys be seized as a matter of urgency in view of this imminent danger and the Prefect’s failure to act.

And in view of this intolerable lack of action, of which dogs exploited for hunting are the primary victims, we have also submitted an application for a judicial review against the Prefect of the Dordogne and alerted the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Agriculture and Food to the situation.

What is unfolding before our very eyes is a scandal and we shall fight to the end to ensure that justice is done and that no more dogs suffer at the hands of this huntsman!

No liming in 2020-2021? If the hunters attack they will once again find us blocking their path

No liming in 2020-2021? If the hunters attack they will once again find us blocking their path
29.07.2020
Europe
No liming in 2020-2021? If the hunters attack they will once again find us blocking their path.
Wildlife

The Court of Justice of the European Union was challenged once again by the Council of State on the ‘Birds’ directive following our complaint. And Barbara Pompili is now very seriously considering banning liming for the 2020-2021 season. It’s no great surprise that the hunters are up in arms. But if they attack the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy we shall once again be there to defend the birds and show our support for this paradigm shift, which we have been calling for for years.

A cruel ‘game’ finally reaching its end

Hunters in five departments in the south-east of France insist on continuing their cruel tradition, which consists in killing birds by trapping them using glue smeared on branches, a practice known as liming. Terrified, all the poor birds that become stuck struggle, are injured and sometimes die in these traps, which, moreover, are not selective. These specialist hunters can repeat until they’re blue in the face that they release the small birds belonging to species they are not targeting, but by then the harm has already been done: many die from their injuries or from stress, or are used as decoys to attract other birds and are held captive for months. Poaching isn’t mentioned but everyone knows that it exists.

Last year, following our request to the Council of State relating to the 2018 decrees , the European Union had clearly called France to order on the ‘Birds’ directive.

Was the message of the European Court of Justice heard?

At the end of April 2020 the European Court of Justice once again responded favourably to our request for a ban on liming in France, submitted as part of our complaint about the decrees of 2019 on these traditional ways of hunting birds (by liming but also using cage traps, stone-traps, claps nets and other types of net). On that occasion the Council of State once again asked Europe to take it up with the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.

Whereas her predecessors had scarcely been appointed when they rushed to sign the decrees concerned, Barbara Pompili recently spoke out in favour of reducing the quota of birds trapped using lime to zero for the 2020-2021 season. And for a good reason! This decision is the culmination of the years of fighting the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, which wouldn’t budge. We are therefore delighted about the announcement by the new Minister of this long-awaited change.

The hunters are in ‘complete disagreement’ – and who could have thought that they would react otherwise when their sadistic pastime could be taken away from them? – and are expected to take legal steps to protect liming. We have already faced down the elected representatives supporting this lobby at the European level. We shall not hesitate to go into the attack once again if it proves necessary. Meanwhile, to urge that traditional hunting be banned, please sign our petition!

Translated from the French by Patricia Fairey