Six bulls tortured to death: bullfighting resumes in France

Six bulls tortured to death: bullfighting resumes in France

Six bulls tortured to death: bullfighting resumes in France
27.07.2020
France
Six bulls tortured to death: bullfighting resumes in France
Exploitation for shows

Bullfighting is the torture, in front of an audience of all ages, of animals that have been rendered almost harmless, followed by their systematic slaughter. Yesterday, 26 July 2020, the first novillada since the end of lockdown took place in France. Our investigators went along and came back with images of horrendous violence. Fans were able to forget the coronavirus by taking pleasure in watching young men who had barely reached adulthood massacre six bulls.

First novillada of the year

A novillada is one of the first bullfights of a young torero straight out of a bullfighting school. Last year we had infiltrated the school at Nîmes and shown everyone how children are taught, sometimes forced, to kill terrified calves.

Bulls, horses, all are losers in the arena.

If the horses were to see the bull, the violence, the blood, they would rear up and try to escape. But they are trained in blind obedience to the orders of the picadors, who lead them into danger. Their eyes shielded, they have no choice but to obey or they will be punished. That’s how these people love animals: submissive and docile, utilitarian. Whether being attacked by bulls fighting for survival or being mistreated by their riders, the horses too are the victims of bullfighting.

Sometimes six to one, armed and organised, they humiliate and kill.

This year nothing has changed. Once again cruelty revealed itself in the full light of day, among the sound of cicadas. Six bulls died one after another among shouts of « hurray » and « bravo ». Mutilated, drained of much of their blood in terror and despair before their corpses are dragged all around the arena to satisfy the bloodlust of the spectators, thirsty for gratuitous violence.

Our investigator on the spot provides the following analysis: «The bulls refuse to fight. They try to flee from a confrontation. They merely react to the humans around them, who are goading them to fight. But they are motivated by fear alone: that’s the only choice they have. Defend themselves and respond to horrific pain.»

Of course it mustn’t be thought to be dirty!

One after the other they will try to escape, then, backed into a corner, goaded on all sides, they will be forced to enter the horrific trap set by these human primates and will die in unspeakable agony. Where is the Culture of which our ministers speak in this perverse ‘tradition’ of taking pleasure in watching a creature die a slow and painful death?

Paradoxically it is the puntilla, a sort of dagger with a short broad blade, that will be plunged between the horns and driven into the skulls of these poor condemned creatures to end their suffering. During the final circuit of the arena the droppings will be collected: the ground must not be dirty for the slaughter to come.

To show that you want to put an end to bullfighting in France and close down bullfighting schools so that children are no longer induced to kill, please share the images from our investigation and sign our petition!

Translated from the French by Patricia Fairey

Increase in the number of wolves in France slows: One Voice demands a stop to their slaughter

Increase in the number of wolves in France slows: One Voice demands a stop to their slaughter

Increase in the number of wolves in France slows: One Voice demands a stop to their slaughter
22.07.2020
France
Increase in the number of wolves in France slows: One Voice demands a stop to their slaughter
Wildlife

According to the latest figures issued by the wolf-lynx network of The French Office for Biodiversity based on the annual winter survey, the increase in the number of wolves in France is slowing down and their territories do not cover large geographical areas. On Monday 20 July 2020 One Voice wrote to Barbara Pompili to ask for the immediate suspension of the shooting of wolves. In addition the association, which works for the protection of animals, has complained to the Council of State about the experimental decrees of 26 July and 30 December 2019 allowing the number of derogations to their slaughter to be increased and easing the restrictions on the methods used.

Having considered for years that their return to France improves the balance of nature, not only is One Voice totally opposed to the shooting of wolves, which by their very presence enhance our mountain forests, but also strongly maintains that they must be protected at all costs. Wolves (canis lupus) are a protected species. Therefore in theory they should be protected.

However for years central and local governments have been granting ever more exceptions to this statute, which is supposed to protect them. Each year more and more wolves are slaughtered even though there is no evidence that the slowdown in the growth of their population correlates to a decrease in the number of attacks on livestock, which is the reason invoked by the public authorities. In 2019 our application was unsuccessful because it wasn’t ‘urgent’, according to the Council of State. However each year it is urgent for the wolves who die. On 6 February 2020 our application failed because of the low number of derogations granted at the time but by 15 July thirty wolves had died!

In 2018 our association had already contested the presidential decrees that transferred ministerial jurisdiction to the coordinating Prefect, making an already complex regulation threatening the protection of the species even more confusing. 2020 is no different. The increase in the number of wolves is now slowing down but the number being massacred is increasing.

There are several elements to take into account, the most important of which is the protection of the wolves that have returned to France of their own accord

On the one hand, the increase in the wolf population in our country. The fact that wolves have crossed the Alps back to France of their own accord proves that the territory is suitable for them to survive. One Voice therefore welcomes their return.

Our opinion is not shared by sheep-farmers, who are always quick to focus on their own interests, the profit they make from the livestock that they send to the abattoir and the compensation paid by the State for the so-called damage committed by the wolves. Unfortunately the public authorities do not systematically make the payment of damages conditional on measures to protect the flocks.

On the other hand, protecting the wolves implies not arranging for increasing numbers of them to be massacred

When the government decides on a quota of wolves to be killed each year out of the total population, even if it does not specifically use that term, preferring to talk about the ‘cull ceiling’, whereby the maximum number and the methods are fixed by decrees, it should involve both counting the exact number of wolves in France rather than estimating the number using a very complicated calculation and decreeing that the percentage will not increase from year to year. The numerical modelling applied is dangerous. One Voice is asking that the threshold of genetic viability of the species be taken into account and not the threshold of demographic viability.

By definition, if a percentage is announced as soon as the population increases, the number of wolves ‘to be culled’ will be proportionally greater. Increasing this proportion amounts to seeking to reduce the wolf population, which is, let us remember, in theory protected. We had already objected to any ‘quota’ of wolves ‘to be culled’, whether numerical or proportional, and we are even more opposed to such an increase, which already exceeds the maximum initially decided.

Finally, the only effect of shooting more wolves is to massacre them!

But in addition to raising the percentage, these experimental decrees introduce a relaxation of the restrictions on the methods that can be used to cull them. ‘Damage’ is increasing despite the increase in the number of wolves targeted, which are often scapegoats for dogs (attacks by which do not give entitlement to compensation). It is essential to study the packs and not fire into the crowd, a number decided in offices, whether they be presidential, ministerial or prefectoral. Wolves are social and intelligent animals and, like all other animals, including humans, they need to eat in order to live. They are an essential part of the fauna of our country.

Thirty have already been killed this year; according to our rulers there are still sixty ‘to be culled’. On Monday 20 July 2020 our association wrote to the new Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, Barbara Pompili, to urge her to suspend the decree concerned immediately and complained to the Council of State about the two decrees of 26 July and 30 December 2019.

 

Translated from the French by Patricia Fairey

A child kills a fox cub: two victims

A child kills a fox cub: two victims

A child kills a fox cub: two victims
21.07.2020
France
A child kills a fox cub: two victims
Wildlife

Outraged by images of hunters forcing a child to kill a fox cub, psychologists, child protection professionals, philosophers, lawyers, scientists and artists denounce this brutality. Already more than 180 signatories…

An ordinary scene of digging out: hunters brutally pull fox cubs out of their burrows and hit them to death on the head with pliers in front of two children aged 5 and 12. The older boy is forced to beat a fox cub to death himself, amid laughter. The young boy can’t do it. On the ground, the little animal is dying, shaking their legs. These are the findings of an investigation by the One Voice association.

Teaching a child to kill an animal in this way also means killing something precious and fragile inside him: his sensibility to living things, his way of being in the world.

We cannot accept without a word such physical and psychological violence inflicted on the most vulnerable, whether human or non-human, particularly during hunting parties.

For these children, the trivialization of violence and the incitement to inflict suffering on a sentient being are recognized causes of trauma with serious after-effects. Animals have a special place in the development of young humans: when they talk about animals, their vocabulary is more extensive than on other subjects. Children whose pets are abused are traumatized, and those who have witnessed animal abuse are more likely to imitate it. They are also at greater risk of committing violence against humans. From witness to victim, from victim to perpetrator, this undeniable Link has been recognized and studied in many countries. The strength of this statistical Link has led several public agencies around the world (including the FBI in the U.S.) to turn their attention to how people treat animals in order to detect or analyze violence against people. We need to learn from them.

We demand:

1A ban on involving children in hunting. Violence is never an example, no matter who the victim is. Using a child as an instrument of violence must no longer be allowed.

2Recognition in French law of the sensibility of wild and free animals, to put an end to the suffering that wildlife is subjected to with impunity.

3The introduction of courses dedicated to animal sensibility and the teaching of empathy for animals in school curricula, because we are convinced that there are many other ways of looking at living things that we can pass on to our children. Empathy and benevolence are among them.

First signatories:

AJD (association Animal, Justice et Droit) – Anouk Aiméeactrice – Ariane Ambrosini, juriste à l’ASPAS (Association pour la protection des animaux sauvages) – Yaël Angel, docteur en droit, rédactrice du Petit Journal du Parti animaliste – Françoise Armengaud,  philosophe – Charlotte Arnal, journaliste – Muriel Arnal, présidente de One Voice  – Yann Arthus-Bertrand, président de la fondation GoodPlanet – Association Stéphane Lamart – Dominique Audoin, enseignante – Béatrice Babignan, avocat au Barreau de Paris, membre de l’association Avocats & Droits de l’Animal – Laetitia Barlerin, Dr vétérinaire et journaliste – Aurélien Barrau, astrophysicien – Delphine Batho, Députée des Deux-Sèvres – Michel Baussier, docteur-vétérinaire – Pr Laurent Bègue-Shankland, professeur de psychologie sociale, membre de l’Institut universitaire de France – Esther Benbassa, sénatrice EELV de Paris – Jean-Marc Benkemoun, psychiatre des hôpitaux honoraire, pédopsychiatre, médecin légiste – Stéphane Bern, animateur radio et télévision – Jean-Michel Bertrand, réalisateur – Yolaine de la Bigne, journaliste L’animal et l’homme, et Université d’été de l’animal et de la Journée mondiale des intelligences animales – Mya Bollaers, comédienne – Pascal Bouchezphilosophe, LLSETI, Université Savoie Mont-Blanc – Allain Bougrain Dubourg, journaliste, écrivain – Lorène Bourdin, avocat au Barreau de Paris, membre de l’association Avocats & Droits de l’Animal – Sabine Brels, juriste en droit international animalier – Martine Brousse,présidente La Voix de l’Enfant – Florence Burgat, philosophe – Valérie Cabanes, juriste internationale, auteure de Homo Natura, en harmonie avec le Vivant – Aurélie Cagnard, avocat au Barreau de Paris, membre de l’association Avocats & Droits de l’Animal – Béatrice Canel-Depitre, maître de conférences à l’université du Havre – Aude Carfantan-Rousse, enseignante – Evelyne Cash, médecin – Roland Cash, médecin, économiste de la santé – Samantha Cazebonne, députée LaREM, vice-présidente du groupe d’études condition animale et initiatrice d’une proposition de loi visant à protéger les mineurs de l’exposition à la violence exercée sur les animaux – Julie Céardavocat au Barreau d’Aix-en-Provence, Droit animalier, Droit de l’Enfant – Magali Celle, commandant de Police E.R – Georges Chapouthier, biologiste et philosophe – Marie-Christine Charmier, présidente-fondatrice d’Enfant, Animal, Nature – Prévention de la Violence – Gérard Charollois, vice-président honoraire du tribunal judiciaire de Périgueux – Marie Charpentier, directrice de Recherches CNRS – Anne Chicard, thérapeute, auteure, criminologue – Chantal Clady, enseignante CPC – Catherine Collet, ex attachée de presse Unité Jeunesse TF1 – émissions  éducatives – Jean-Yves Collet, réalisateur TV de films animaliers, docteur vétérinaire- Christophe Coret, président d’AVES France – Étienne Clément, éducateur spécialisé, Président LPO Champagne-Ardenne – Dominique Cottereaumaître de conférence associée à l’université de Tours – Réale Couchaux, ancienne enseignante second degré – Pr Jean-François Courreau, vétérinaire, président de Faune Alfort – Michel Cros, journaliste, écrivain – Jennifer Dalrymple, écrivaine-autrice-illustratrice – Émilie Dardenne, maîtresse de conférences en anglais et études animales Univ° Rennes 2 – Mylène Demongeot, comédienne – Pierre Déom, auteur et illustrateur de la revue La Hulotte – Marie-Bénédicte Desvallon, avocat au Barreau de Paris, Présidente de l’association Avocats & Droits de l’Animal et responsable de la section Droits de l’animal de la Société de Législation Comparée  – Philippe Devienne, docteur-vétérinaire et philosophe – Damien Deville, géographe et anthropologue – Mymi Doinet, auteure jeunesse – Sophie Dol, docteur vétérinaire – Loïc Dombreval, député LREM des Alpes-Maritimes, docteur vétérinaire, président du groupe d’étude parlementaire condition animale – Caroline Dramais-Boishardy, responsable AJAS-Savoie – Dominique Droz,psychologue clinicienne – Julien Dugnoille, professeur en anthropologie – Catherine Dumonteil-Kremer, autrice, formatrice, instauratrice de la journée de la non-violence éducative en France – Stéphane Durand, éditeur et cinéaste – Catherine Enjolet,fondatrice du Concept Les liens Du Sens-Human Links, Parrainage d’enfants –Pascale d’Erm, auteure, réalisatrice. Romain Espeisse, animateur nature – Muriel Falaise, Maître de conférences en droit privé, Université Lyon 3 – Marion Fargier, juriste à l’ASPAS – Adrien Favre, photographe et réalisateur animalier – Toni Ferri, philosophe et chercheur – Ange Fiorito, juge – Elisabeth de Fontenay, philosophe, essayiste – Cécile De France, actrice – Anne Frémaux  agrégée de philosophie et docteure en écologie politique – Florianne Frenaison, enseignante 1er degré – Céline Gagnepain, consultante en parentalité – Anne-Claire Gagnon,  docteur-vétérinaire, Présidente  de l’association contre la Maltraitance Animale et Humaine (AMAH) – Hélène Gateau, docteur-vétérinaire et journaliste – Camille Génissel, coach-comportementaliste – Pierre Georget, doctorant Paris 2 – Roland Gérard, éducateur à l’environnement et cofondateur du Réseau Ecole et Nature – Agnese Ghersi, avocat au Barreau de Paris, membre de l’association Avocats & Droits de l’Animal – Florence Giardi, professeure des écoles – Angelo Giavatto, maître de conférences en philosophie, Université de Nantes/membre de l’Institut Universitaire de France – Marc Giraud, écrivain et chroniqueur animalier – Brigitte Gothière, directrice de L214 et Dominic Hofbauer, éducateur en éthique animale, responsable de L214 Éducation – Blanche De Granvilliers, avocat au Barreau de Paris, membre de l’association Avocats & Droits de l’animal – Magali Greiner, avocat au Barreau de Paris, membre de l’association Avocats & Droits de l’Animal – Marie-Emmanuelle Grignon, journaliste – Kheira Guernan, psychologue clinicienne, protection de l’enfance – Astrid Guillaume, sémoticienne Sorbonne, présidente fondatrice de la Société française de zoosémiotique – Laurence Harang, professeur de philosophie, écrivain – Catherine Helayel, juriste, essayiste – Dr Serge Hefez, psychiatre, psychanalyste – Catherine Helayel, juriste, essayiste – Robert Hossein, réalisateur, acteur, metteur en scène – Dimitri Houbron, député LREM de la 17e circonscription du Nord – Cécile Huchard, enseignante-chercheuse en littérature – Julienne Hugy, psychologue clinicienne – Bénédicte Iturria-Ladurée, docteur vétérinaire, Secrétaire générale adjointe de l’OABA, l’Œuvre d’Assistance aux Bêtes d’Abattoir – Yannick Jadot, député européen EELV – Laetitia Jeangros, ancienne enfant placée, auteure – Sophie Joissains, sénatrice – Melvin Josse, directeur de Convergence Animaux Politique – Pierre Jouventin, éthologiste-écologue – Katia Kanas, co-fondatrice et ex présidente de Greenpeace France – Bastien Lachaud, député la France insoumise de la Seine-Saint-Denis – Annie Lahmer, conseillère régionale EELV – Luce Lapin, journaliste – Marie-Laure Laprade, enseignante, présidente Éducation Éthique Animale – Bruno Lassalle, docteur-vétérinaire – Manuel Leick-Jonard et Fiona Mille, Commission Condition animale EELV – Frédéric  Lenoir, écrivain, philosophe, Président d’Ensemble pour les animaux – Joël Lequesne, psychologue clinicien, ancien psychologue de l’Éducation nationale – Patrick LLored, chercheur en éthique animale, Université de Lyon – Thierry Lodé, biologiste, professeur en écologie évolutive  – Ninon Maillard, historienne du droit, Université Paris-Nanterre – Sophie Marceau, actrice – Fabien Marchadier, professeur de droit privé  – Jean-Pierre Marguénaud, agrégé de Droit privé et de sciences criminelles, directeur de la Revue Semestrielle de Droit Animalier – Marie-Claude Marsolier, chercheure en génétique – Gilles Martin, reporter-photographe, street artiste – Olivier Maurel, cofondateur de l’Observatoire de la Violence Éducative Ordinaire (OVEO) – Laurence Mermet, enseignante – Guillaume Meurice, humoriste et chroniqueur – Anne-Laure Meynckens, présidente de l’association Animal360, intervenante dans les écoles primaires – Raphaël Mezrahi, humoriste – Valérie Michon, maître de Conférences en Sciences de Gestion – ex-enseignante en clinique médico-pédagogique (Annexe du Lycée Lakanal – Sceaux) – Hubert Montagner, professeur des Universités retraité, ancien Directeur de Recherche à  l’INSERM – Arielle Moreau, avocate en droit des animaux – Alexandra Morette, présidente de Code Animal – Sébastien Moromédiateur scientifique en cognition et comportement animal – Vincent Munier, photographe animalier – Philippe Muyl, réalisateur – Nagui, animateur radio/télévision et producteur – Lucie Nayak, sociologue – Jean-Marc Neumann, juriste / consultant en protection animale chargé d’enseignement en droit de l’animal / Université de Strasbourg – Anne-Louise Nicolas-Laurent, avocat au Barreau de Rennes, membre de l’association Avocats & Droits de l’animal – Professeur Jean-Claude  Nouët – Rodolphe Oppenheimer, psychanalyste, psychothérapeute – Matthieu Orphelin, député groupe Écologie démocratie solidaritéde Maine-et-Loire – Jean-Marie Ouary, président association Mille Traces – Yves Paccalet, philosophe et naturaliste – Thierry Paquot, philosophe, Président de La Rue aux Enfants – Candice Patou, actrice – Hélène Patrolé, enseignante 1er degré – Corine Pelluchon, philosophe, professeure à l’université Gustave Eiffel – Julien Peron, Fondateur du Festival pour l’école de la vie et du congrès Innovation en Éducation, réalisateur et producteur de films – Valérie Perrin, auteure – Anne-Laurence Petel, députée LREM de la 14e circonscription des Bouches-du-Rhône – Maud Petit, députée MoDem du Val-de-Marne, coprésidente du groupe d’études droits des enfants et protection de la jeunesse – Christophe Pioch, psychologue social et du travail – Annabelle Pongratz, psychologue clinicienne – Estelle Prietz-Ducasse, docteur-vétérinaire – Aloïse Quesne, maître de conférences en droit privé à l’Université Paris-Saclay, Evry Val d’Essonne – Aurélien Raynaud, peintre sculpteur animalier – Philippe Reigné, agrégé des facultés de droit et professeur du CNAM – Magali Richaud, avocate au Barreau de Béziers – Dr Jean-Paul Richier, praticien hospitalier, psychiatre, coordinateur du collectif PROTEC – Sylvie Rocard, communicante – Muriel Rolland de Rengervé, écrivain  – Corinne Rolland, photographe naturaliste, cofondatrice du Collectif Renard Blaireau – Laurence Rossignol, sénatrice groupe socialiste, ancienne ministre des Familles, de l’Enfance et des Droits des femmes – François-Xavier Roux-Demare, doyen de la Faculté de Droit de l’Université de Brest – Madline Rubin, directrice de l’ASPAS (Association pour la protection des animaux sauvages) – Amandine Sanvisens, présidente de PAZ – Louis Schweitzer, président de la Fondation Droit Animal, Ethique & Sciences (LFDA) – Agnès Sinaï, journaliste, enseignante à Sciences Po – Pascal Sourdin, Animal Cross – Stop Violence France – Cédric Sueur, maître de conférences à l’Université de Strasbourg – Henry-Jean Servat, écrivain – Olivia Symniacos, avocate spécialiste des droits des animaux – Hélène Thouy, avocate, co-fondatrice du Parti animaliste – Catherine Le Troquier, maire de Valaire (41120) – Frédérique Tuffnell, députée de Charente-Maritime (2e circonscription) – Alexandre Varga, acteur – Élodie Vieille Blanchard, présidente, Association végétarienne de France – Cédric Villani, député groupe Écologie démocratie solidarité de l’Essonne – Christelle Waysbort, docteur vétérinaire, co-fondatrice de l’association de Protection Vétérinaire – Isabelle Yvos, co-présidente du Parti animaliste

To join the signatories, send your full name, title (optional) to: stopviolencesenfantanimal@gmail.com 

 

“Museaux & Sacs à Dos” – two athletes taking action for animals

« Museaux & Sacs à Dos » – two athletes taking action for animals

“Museaux & Sacs à Dos” – two athletes taking action for animals
17.07.2020
France
“Museaux & Sacs à Dos” – two athletes taking action for animals
Wildlife

Manuel and Joris are preparing to cover 1,300 kilometres along the GR5 trail, from Wissembourg in the Grand Est to Menton on the Côte d’Azur, their sole means of transport being their feet. They aim to raise awareness about animal rights and fundraise for those we defend. They have named their energetic and engaging endeavour « Museaux & Sacs à Dos » (« Snouts & Rucksacks »), and we will be following it from start to finish.

With less than 50 years between them, the two friends form an attractive combination of muscle, intelligence and kindness. Manuel has been a sports coach for two years, a job which is in keeping with his degree in sports science.  He has always boxed, and has recently discovered a passion for triathlons. Joris meanwhile has a dual degree, in sports engineering in particular. His two passions, nature and sport, marry perfectly, especially as he prefers outdoor sports such as tennis.

A common love of the great outdoors and surpassing oneself

Joris typically spends his summers on travel camps abroad, through which he meets other people, pushes his limits and discovers remote and magical places. However, due to the exceptional circumstances this year, these camps have been cancelled. As he has dreamt of hiking the GR5 trail for a long time and he has a real passion for mountains, Joris invited Manuel to join him in this endeavour.

As a lover of nature and all that forms it, especially its animal inhabitants who have fascinated him since childhood, Manuel wanted to support a cause. Vegetarian for many years, his lifestyle is constantly evolving, moving towards veganism. It wasn’t difficult for him to convince Joris, who had also begun to reduce his consumption of animal products, that animals should be the beneficiaries of their joint project.

From awareness to action for animals

And so « Museaux & Sacs à Dos » came into being. It is not a simple hike that awaits them, but a high-level athletic challenge. They will set off from their home region, cross the Vosges, the Jura and then the Alpes, Joris’ adopted home, carrying their food, shelter and all their belongings on their backs. Once they reach the Mediterranean Sea, they will have covered 1,300 kilometres on foot and raised awareness of the plight of birds, badgers, foxes, wolves, deer, rabbits and the many other animals we fight for. During their preparations, choosing to raise funds for us was a straightforward decision for them, given the values we have in common, namely protecting the environment and wildlife, and our love of nature.

For Manuel and Joris: «One Voice is an extraordinary organisation when it comes to showing, sharing and (especially) acting! That’s why we hold One Voice dear. It has run tons of campaigns and comes closest to the image and values we wish to convey: passion, determination and action. It is an honour to be representing them.»

During this expedition, they hope to connect with nature and living beings. The plan is to produce videos summing up the legs of their expedition, shedding light on moments of happiness and personal achievements, and allowing us to admire the breathtaking countryside they will have passed through and, of course, the non-human beings they will have been lucky to come across.

«We hope this adventure will open the eyes of those who are not aware of this cause. And it’s also a great way to show how not eating animal products and being (very) fit is absolutely possible!»

We are organising a Facebook Live event on 21st July 2020 at 7pm (France time) so that you can meet Manu and Joris and put your questions to them. Send us your questions in advance to info@one-voice.fr  with the subject « Museaux & Sacs à Dos » by midday (France time) on 21st July.

The expedition starts on 9th August 2020! Follow them on their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages!

Naelys Provence: A brand bearing two One Voice logos

Naelys Provence: A brand bearing two One Voice logos

Naelys Provence: A brand bearing two One Voice logos
17.07.2020
Naelys Provence: A brand bearing two One Voice logos
Animal testing

Naelys Provence produces eco-friendly soaps and body care products, and has become involved with One Voice by obtaining two logos for its brand, guaranteeing no animal suffering.

Naelys Provence produces its soaps and cosmetic products in the Provence region of France. Ethics are key for the brand, which selects the raw materials itself, sourced as a priority from organic agriculture and locally. Its soaps are handmade using the low-energy cold saponification process, ensuring products of high quality. Colours are obtained using natural pigments, plants and clays.

Naelys Provence refuses to use palm oil, even organic palm oil, since it is difficult, if not impossible, to find ethically-produced palm oil in the quantities needed. Every year, hectares of forest are cleared. And with them, orangutans and other wild animals, which may be threatened with extinction, disappear. All this to make way for oil palm plantations, mainly for the agri-food sector.

Reflecting the values of One Voice

The One Voice logo guarantees ethical consumption free of animal testing. By adhering to it, a brand certifies that neither the end product nor its ingredients have been tested on animals and that they are not sold in China where animal testing is still likely to be carried out on any product placed on the market. Naelys Provence in particular has two logos since its products, like those of Ratchaprao, do not involve forced labour by monkeys for coconut harvesting. That version of the logo has a small « c » underneath the tiger. This highly economical method of harvesting is widespread among plantations in Southeast Asia, the heart of global production.

Naelys Provence has joined thousands of French and foreign companies that have products, or their entire brand, bearing the One Voice logo.

Translated from the French by Mahersh Shah

The torture has ended for Hannah, Céleste, Patty and Marli

The torture has ended for Hannah, Céleste, Patty and Marli

The torture has ended for Hannah, Céleste, Patty and Marli
15.07.2020
France
The torture has ended for Hannah, Céleste, Patty and Marli
Exploitation for shows

They are about fifteen years old. Like Jon, they were born in a wagon and have never known anything but the metal floor and bars of their cages, with no protection from the cold of winter nor the heat of summer. Hannah, Céleste, Patty and Marli, the four lionesses that we have saved, bear the physical and psychological stigmata of the hell that was their life in the circus.

Their distress is pitiful to witness. Their long ordeal has left deep scars on Hannah, Céleste, Patty and Marli. Their poor bruised bodies bear witness to the suffering that the four lionesses have endured since they came into the world: captivity, hunger, injuries, repeated pregnancies for the lucrative trade in cubs and, of course, training. Our investigators have visited and filmed many circus performances and menageries but were struck by the extreme violence of the act that the lionesses had to perform before they were seized. Under the threat of the whip, terrorised, they found it difficult to move, even just to stand up.

A heart-wrenching rescue

And for a good reason: only when we saved them on 7 July and got as close as possible to them were we able to see just what a deplorable state they were in. We had charged our partner Natuurhulpcentrum with transferring them from the circus to the refuge of Tonga Terre d’Accueil, to whom we have entrusted their day-to-day care whilst we have overall responsibility for them until the circus appears in court.  When they arrived at the refuge the four lionesses were gaunt, haggard and covered in injuries caused by beatings. Their teeth had been removed and they were so weak that they staggered. Hannah was the first to leave the travel crate, calmly, watching us with her large eyes. We immediately noticed that she had difficulty walking because her hindquarters were unstable. Then Céleste, Patty and Marli followed in turn, not all at the same rate but commensurate with their level of anxiety. It became obvious that Marli was particularly stressed. It was an hour and a half before she had plucked up enough courage to enter the den, trembling all over, traumatised both physically and psychologically.

Discovering a taste for life

The lionesses seemed delighted to discover their new living quarters. It was wonderful to see them trying to sharpen their claws on big tree-trunks, enjoying the comfort of clean, soft ground under their paws, lounging on their backs without a care, eating their fill… It was a very emotional experience to watch Patty – the thinnest of the four, with her deformed left hip, her very weak hind-quarters often causing her to fall – grab the big ball with which Jon also likes playing so much. As soon as she saw it she didn’t want to let go of it. It was amazing to see an animal, after fifteen years of privations, clinging to this toy as if it were a priceless treasure. But we were also angry that these elderly lionesses had known nothing up to now but an empty cage on the cold and dirty floor of the trainer’s wagon.

Healing the wounds

It will be a long time before Hannah, Céleste, Patty and Marli recover from their unimaginable suffering. The report the vet drew up on 9 July, based for the moment on visual observations alone, is already extremely worrying. What will be revealed when these big cats are examined more thoroughly once they can withstand being anaesthetised? We fear the worst. They are old and worn out from their lifelong ordeal. For now we are pleased to be able to offer them a period during which they can convalesce and recuperate in the hope that it may save them. For now they are going to be looked after, build up their strength and put on weight. The day after they arrived at the refuge they were already able to leave their dens to explore the outside area. Walking on the grass, lying in the sun and snuggling up to one another are all extremely beneficial to them. Being together reassures them and helps them to remain confident about the future. Soon, when they have been given a full health check, they will be reunited with Jon, who can already see them and communicate with them at a distance. Let’s hope they will soon recover from their ordeal and bounce back to health.

Translated from the French by Patricia Fairey

Open letter for the attention of Barbara Pompili

Open letter for the attention of Barbara Pompili

Open letter for the attention of Barbara Pompili
08.07.2020
France
Open letter for the attention of Barbara Pompili
Other campaign or multi-campaigns of One Voice

We are publishing this open letter to Barbara Pompili, our new Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. The long-awaited announcements on animal welfare have still not been made. The hearing in the Council of State on the dolphinarium decree, initially expected to take place tomorrow, 9 July 2020, has just been postponed because the Ministry is making more promises of progress for animals. Meanwhile cetaceans in dolphinariums and individuals held captive in circuses are dying. Urgent steps must be taken.

Mrs Barbara Pompili
Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy

Hôtel de Roquelaure
244 boulevard Saint-Germain
75007 Paris

Vannes, 8 July 2020

Please accept our heartfelt congratulations on your appointment to the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.

We hope that your Ministry will finally be able to set a definitive timetable for the measures announced by your two predecessors on wild animals held in captivity and in particular on dolphinariums, the breeding of animals for their fur and non-domestic animals performing in travelling shows, given that our association was the rapporteur of the group on ‘breeding animals for their fur’ and took an active part in the group on ‘wild animals in travelling shows’ and in the one on ‘dolphinariums’.

We note your letter of 6 July 2020 to the Council of State relating to the action for failure to fulfil obligations brought against your Ministry on the question of the banning of keeping cetaceans, which is the reason the hearing initially expected to take place on 9 July 2020 was postponed.

We note, under the terms of this additional statement:

  • that at the request of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet and following the interministerial meeting of 13 February 2020 you submitted various scenarios relating to measures to be adopted to improve animal welfare,
  • that this process was suspended because of the health emergency,
  • that in the case of cetaceans, however, you still wish to adopt measures to improve their welfare.

Nevertheless we should like certain measures to be adopted as a matter of urgency in order to avoid unnecessary suffering.

1. As regards non-domestic animals exhibited in travelling shows

The recent seizure of the lion renamed Jon and of four lionesses kept by the Cirque de Paris and hand-over to our association revealed the mistreatment to which these animals had been subjected. This case echoes that of the bears Micha, Glasha and Bony, but also that of the lion Elyo/Nal and of the elephant Baby, and before her Maya.This list is by no means exhaustive since many others are suffering from being kept in conditions that are totally unsuitable for their basic needs.

We have sent reports to your Ministry written by scientists who are experts in animal welfare (Prof. Harris, Prof. Broom) arguing for an end to such activities, which do not fulfil the physiological and behavioural needs of these animals. We can provide you with these reports along with the scientific and legal files relating to the individuals that we are defending in judicial or administrative courts.

That is why, pending legislation banning these activities once and for all, we are calling on you to take a decision as a matter of urgency confirming the ban on breeding non-domestic mammals and arranging for them to be seized immediately from establishments that keep them.

2. As regards dolphinariums

Since the decree of 3 May 2017 was revoked by the Council of State owing to a procedural irregularity, the breeding of dolphins has once again been authorized in these establishments.

The situation is extremely worrying.

In fact since January 2020 three dolphins have died in French dolphinariums. Lotty’s calf died at Marineland only a few hours after he was born. On 16 June 2020 a dolphin calf died at Planète Sauvage eight days after he was born.

Captive breeding and exchanges of individuals between establishments cause great suffering to these extremely sensitive animals, which are socially complex and have extraordinary cognitive abilities.

It is because of these social and cognitive abilities that in the Declaration of Vancouver of 2012 scientists stated that cetaceans must be deemed to be people and therefore be protected by a number of rights.

In addition, at the 11th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, the UN recognised that « a certain number of socially complex mammal species, such as several species of cetacean, great ape and elephant, show that they have a non-human culture ».

In the light of all these elements we call on you to adopt, as a matter of urgency, a fresh decree banning the breeding, exchange and importing of any new cetacean in French dolphinariums.

Thank you for your attention to this correspondence.

Yours sincerely,

Muriel Arnal
Chair of One Voice

Translated from the French by Patricia Fairey

Unprecedented in France: the action of One Voice results in four lionesses being seized from a circus because of ill-treatment

Unprecedented in France: the action of One Voice results in four lionesses being seized from a circus because of ill-treatment

Unprecedented in France: the action of One Voice results in four lionesses being seized from a circus because of ill-treatment
07.07.2020
France
Unprecedented in France: the action of One Voice results in four lionesses being seized from a circus because of ill-treatment
Exploitation for shows

This morning, 7 July 2020, Hannah, Patty, Céleste and Marli, the companions of Jon, were saved from the circus and should reach the refuge Tonga Terre d’Accueil by the end of the day. The prefecture ordered their seizure and entrusted them to One Voice, now the legal guardian of the four lionesses.

The circus that was holding them was intercepted near the Belgian border a few days after an inspection ordered by the prefecture on the condition of the animals had come to irrefutable conclusions. One Voice has arranged for its partner Natuurhulpcentrum to transfer the lionesses from the circus to the refuge Tonga Terre d’Accueil, to which it is entrusting their day-to-day care until they can be reunited with Jon.

It is the very first time that animals have been seized from a circus at the request of an association because of ill-treatment.

Saving animals from circuses means saving them from death

Muriel Arnal, Founder and Chair of One Voice, states: «When One Voice launched its campaign twenty years ago (1) nobody imagined what the reality of circus life was for the animals. Today the fate of Jon and his companions shows that circuses not only make animals suffer, they also make them die.»

If a circus wants to make savings or no longer needs its animals, it will starve them to death. However the Ministry of Ecology has no register of these animals even though they belong to threatened species, and as big cats are frequently trafficked between circuses they are immediately replaced.

Between unwillingness to break the code of silence and inability to follow the regulations

The trainer told the vets and the authorities that he didn’t even know the names of the animals shut up in its wagons! The report of the Departmental Office for the Protection of the Public (which includes veterinary services) for the month to 22 June 2020 mentions the register of arrivals and departures and the register of the care given to the animals but it is impossible to consult them because they are alleged to have been stolen from the trainer’s brother, a trainer in another circus, after he had unfortunately taken them off to the South of France. As for transparency, we’ll come back to that. The animals’ papers, where they exist, are sent by e-mail in the form of scans, and often the identifications do not correspond or even are impossible to verify. According to Jon’s chip he belongs to another circus belonging to another member of the family.

A vet’s report that cannot be refuted: the lionesses are in bad health

Limping, injuries, muscle wasting, loss of posterior motor function – the lionesses have a body condition score of 2/5, at best 2.5 out of 5! It is likely that they too have had their front paws declawed, which is illegal, and their fangs (canines) broken.

Muriel Arnal adds: «We are dealing with wild animals that are disappearing in nature and on which the worst cruelty is being inflicted totally illegally. Every time we have sounded the alarm bell the suggestion has been to have a meeting. But why is no action being taken? Sitting round a table talking about it is all well and good but in the meantime the animals are still in the wagons! Will the minister, Barbara Pompili, be brave enough to waste no time in issuing the long-awaited decree, as most of our neighbours have already done? We hope so. Meanwhile, if we have to rescue these animals from circuses one by one, that’s what we shall do.»

The French Office for Biodiversity and the prefecture have answered our call

A big thank you to all the officials of the French Office for Biodiversity for their unfailing support in this case, along with the Public Prosecutor’s Department of Evreux. We must also give very warm thanks to Jérôme Filippini, the new Prefect of the Eure, who realized the importance of this case and made it possible to organize the seizure of Jon, then of Hannah, Patty, Céleste and Marli. The prefecture is filing a complaint against the circus for ill-treatment of Hannah, Patty, Céleste and Marli and is also to revoke the certificate of competence (which allows the trainer to exploit animals).

And we shall see the trainers in court, where all the evidence will be presented and they will have to answer for the ill-treatment inflicted on these five lions.

(1) https://cirques-sans-animaux.fr

Translated from the French by Patricia Fairey

In the kennels of the ‘barking dogs’, the punishment is electric

In the kennels of the ‘barking dogs’, the punishment is electric

In the kennels of the ‘barking dogs’, the punishment is electric
03.07.2020
France
In the kennels of the ‘barking dogs’, the punishment is electric
Domestic animals

After a report from one of our whistleblowers, One Voice has carried out a new investigation in hunting circles, this time in Hérault.

In the kennels of the ‘barking dogs’, silence is the order of the day. The enclosures are neat and tidy, the animals almost timid. Our investigators have brought back numerous images, which have enabled us to understand why.

There are thirteen dogs, including pregnant bitches and a mother with her litter of pups. However it is not called a breeding establishment despite the regulations that, once again, do not apply when the dogs they are supposed to protect are bred for hunting. A scandal that must cease!

Cleanliness is not enough

The ground is fairly clean but unsuitable. The concrete paving slabs are rough and do not allow urine and other effluent to run off. Yet the dogs have to sleep on the ground.
All the individual kennels are different. Some do not comply with the regulations, not even being waterproof! Plastic barrels, sheets of metal – that’s all most of the dogs have for shelter, and in some enclosures there aren’t even enough for the number of dogs.

Summer and winter alike, nothing for protection

There is no bedding in the kennels either, not even in winter, and they do not face south. However it snows in this region! Heat in summer, cold and damp in winter, and enclosures that are too small. That is what these dogs suffer, unprotected from the elements. In addition, one of them has serious skin problems on its paws, which seem not to have been treated.

Silence

But the main impression from looking at the photos taken by our investigators is the near-silence that prevails here. A stranger entering kennels should give rise to a cacophony of barking. Here, on the other hand, the dogs watch, fearful, without a sound. Here, barking means suffering. Eleven dogs wear a veritable instrument of torture around their necks: a box fitted with two electrodes, which gives them an electric shock if they vocalize! Even worse, they have been tampered with by Mr J. A metal thread has been added to make the pain even worse. So they keep quiet.

The use of electric collars is dangerous

Electric collars are already prohibited in many countries: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Wales, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Slovenia, Scotland and England.
One Voice is fighting for these cruel and dangerous devices to be banned in France since they may cause:

  • contraction of the muscles;
  • burns;
  • contraction of the respiratory muscles, which may lead to death by asphyxiation;
  • ventricular fibrillation.

For the dogs in these kennels, any vocalization is permanently suppressed. That means that they cannot not even communicate normally among themselves. Being a hunting dog is definitely not a good life. This is a long way from the image of dogs frolicking in the forest that some hunters would have us believe! One Voice has made a complaint and applied for them to be seized and safely rehoused as soon as possible. This lack of protection for dogs exploited for hunting must stop. They are no different from those we keep as pets and should benefit from the same protection.

Translated from the French by Patricia Fairey

Ode to Orcas: young people speak out for the release of captive orcas

Ode to Orcas: young people speak out for the release of captive orcas

Ode to Orcas: young people speak out for the release of captive orcas
01.07.2020
France
Ode to Orcas: young people speak out for the release of captive orcas
Exploitation for shows

During the lockdown one class of scientific sixth-formers worked with their teacher on captivity, and on orcas in particular. After an on-line meeting that we organised with former orca trainer at SeaWorld and Marineland Antibes, John Hargrove, here is their collection of poems, Ode to Orcas.

Having been strongly affected by the sad fate of Inouk and of the orcas held in Marineland in Antibes at the time of our action with John Hargrove in the dolphinarium and outside the prefecture, Mrs Wilson, an English teacher at Lycée Le Rebours, a private school in Paris, had contacted us a few months ago to ask us to organise a video meeting with her class.

This meeting between the young people, confined at home during the pandemic, and John Hargrove, also confined to his home in New York, was supervised and organised by our team and took place in somewhat unusual conditions. But during this strange period everyone found out for themselves how difficult it was to be deprived of freedom of movement and contact with loved ones. The sharpness of their perception was shown by the questions that the young people asked, in English, about the mistreatment that captivity means for cetaceans.

As well as doing a lot of research on the subject and taking part in the private meeting, the class produced a collection of poems in English, an Ode to Orcas, which they presented to us and to John.

Well done to them, and to their teacher, for the part they played in this project!

There are several things you can do to help us to get dolphinariums shut down, including signing our petition!

Translated from the French by Patricia Fairey