News Archive - Page 93 of 148

Eleven members of Bosnian parliament submitted request for assessment of constitutionality

Eleven members of Bosnian parliament submitted request for assessment of constitutionality
23.12.2019
Bosnia
Eleven members of Bosnian parliament submitted request for assessment of constitutionality
Fashion

Enforcement of the fur farming ban has been unconstitutionally prolonged to additional ten years, just fourty days after the ban took effect on 1st January 2018. For this reason, and with the initiative of “Anti-Fur Coalition Bosnia and Herzegovina” and “EVA” organization for animal rights and environment protection, partner of One Voice in the Fur Free Alliance, a Request for an Assessment of Constitutionality has been submitted to the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina by eleven parliamentary members of the House of Representatives.

Even in their previous mandates, the parliament members Saša Magazinović, Jasmin Emrić, Nada Mladina, Zukan Helez, Nermin Nikšić, Edita Đapo, Mirsad Kukić, Predrag Kojović, Mirjana Marinković-Lepić, Aida Baručija and especially Mr. Damir Arnaut, actively opposed to violating the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina by prolonging the official deadline of enforcing the fur ban, and this time they have officially acted as well, by submitting the mentioned Request to the Constitutional Court.

In 2017, during ongoing parliament discussions and an effort to protect the constitutional integrity of the ban, our Anti-Fur Coalition had, with the great help of PETA Germany and Fur Free Alliance – an international alliance of 50 organisations worldwide, united in their battle against the cruel industry of fur production from which One Voice is the French representative – constantly drawn public attention to negative effects of fur farming in the world, as well as providing valid arguments for why the ban should be enforced in Bosnia, as established by law.

At the same time, an Eko-BiH network had sent an open letter to PSBiH, stating their opposition to prolonging the enforcement of the fur ban, due to the negative effects the fur farming has on the environment.

The exhibition-conference “Make Fur History” in Bosnia and Herzegovina

In April 2019, an exhibition conference “Make Fur History” was held in Parliamentary Assembly of B&H, organized by Fur Free Alliance. The conference enumerated the well established facts regarding animal welfare, environment protection and preservation of biodiversity, as well as a necessary European trend toward banning the natural fur production.

Marianne Thieme, Member of Dutch Parliament, on behalf of Party for the Animals, has also taken participation at the conference. During the conference, the open letter by Eko-BiH was displayed in the form of exhibition panel.
In addition, the attendees could also hear the video messages from European Parliament, as well as the Center for Environment Preservation from Banja Luka (Centar za životnu sredinu, Banja Luka).

«On behalf of Anti-Fur Coalition and EVA organizations, we would like to thank our parliament members for giving their vote against Bosnia and Herzegovina to be viewed as a backward country in the eyes of the rest of Europe.
It is important to mention that, until 2018, Bosnia and Herzegovina was the fourth country in the world that banned fur farming, setting a positive example for Europe and the rest of the world.»

For Mina and Kamala, Christmas will just have to wait …

For Mina and Kamala, Christmas will just have to wait …
23.12.2019
France
For Mina and Kamala, Christmas will just have to wait …
Exploitation for shows

Loud noises, screams, the crowds and the endless exploitation… This year again, under the big top, over Christmas and New Year’s Day there will be nothing festive for Mina, Kamala and all the other captive animals of the Medrano circus.

Pet Shops I refuse them, stray Cats emergency

Pet Shops I refuse them, stray Cats emergency
21.12.2019
France
Pet Shops I refuse them, stray Cats emergency
Domestic animals

Christmas is here with its gift of animals bought from pet shops, while the shelters are overflowing with « thrown out » animals like vulgar unwanted toys which we get rid of after their use, when all they are asking for is to be loved! Let us turn our backs on this deadly trade and give a second chance to all the lonely hearts of these animal survivors!

December 22nd in Antibes, inter-association gathering to save our orcas!

December 22nd in Antibes, inter-association gathering to save our orcas!
18.12.2019
Antibes
December 22nd in Antibes, inter-association gathering to save our orcas!
Exploitation for shows

Following revelations from One Voice, an animal rights association, about the transfer of four orcas held in captivity from Marineland in Antibes to China, scheduled for January 2020. The Anti-Captivity Group (GAC) called for an Inter-association and gathering of citizens on Sunday December 22nd at 2 p.m. in front of the dolphinarium.

This event will be the fifteenth edition of the « Stand Up for Freedom » event and aims to be unitary. Among the thirty groups participating will be One Voice, the GAC, the Animalist Party, Cetacean Network, Sea Shepherd.

For Corinne Bouvot, co-organizer of the rally and administrator of the GAC: «The anti-captivity group (GAC) has been mobilizing monthly for almost 3 years now. When this terrible news was announced, it seemed obvious to us to support the One Voice initiative by joining them. If Moana, Wikie, Keijo and Inouk leave for China tomorrow then we will not be able to do anything for them. If there is the slightest hope that this transfer will not happen, we cannot miss out on this opportunity…»

For Muriel Arnal, president and founder of One Voice: «These orcas, our orcas, must be for a sanctuary, not a dolphinarium in China. There are no laws or regulations protecting animals in China. Parques Reunidos has the means to invest in the creation of a sanctuary, instead of paying for the condemnation of Wikie, his sons Moana and Keijo and his brother Inouk, to a life in hell. And Marineland would come out on top.»

We will not let this happen without intervening! The One Voice petition has already reached more than 48,000 signatures in ten days.

Date, place and time of the gathering
1715 Route de Nice, 06600 Antibes, France
December 22^nd, 2019 at 2 p.m

Rwanda: wildlife and its many facets

Rwanda: wildlife and its many facets
14.12.2019
Rwanda
Rwanda: wildlife and its many facets
Wildlife

Nestled in the heart of Africa, between the Congo, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, areas well known because of the terrible genocide that occurred in 1994, when nearly a million members of the Tutsi ethnic group were massacred over a few months. What is largely forgotten is the richness of the wildlife of this small country in Central Africa, in particular its mountain gorillas clinging to the slopes of the Virunga mountains. These gorillas were highlighted by the primatologist Dian Fossey, but also its lions, giraffes, rhinoceros, elephants, wild dogs, antelopes … So many of these animals have suffered from the madness of men.

A revival, in pictures

Mathieu Courdesses, a young photographer whose work we support on wildlife and in particular his Photogr’Afrique project, completed whilst in Rwanda. He is indeed always in search of wild places to go where he will witness by the use of his images the conditions of life. He has even witnessed survival and fatalities, he is a committed actor, working towards the preservation of the environment.

From his last trip to Rwanda (Akagera Park, Volcanoes Park, Nyungwe Forest, Ahazaza School), Mathieu brought back a report which is full of promise. He saw zoological parks equip themselves with personnel (rangers, trackers or veterinarians), armed to restore viable and healthy ecosystems. There are wildlife sanctuaries that are recreated to include African animals and open to eco-responsible tourism, carried with ambition by a new local political class, especially women and which benefits local communities.

A New Logic

« Today, they are bodyguards for the gorillas and the government offers them at a fixed salary, offering the possibility of staying legal and also preserving their environmental heritage, » says Mathieu. He talks about former poachers, who understand that ecological tourism redistributes more sustainable income here than the mere price of bushmeat. This help revitalizes the attractiveness and strengths of an entire ecosystem. Here and this is rare, it is a question of dialogue between actors, the understanding of the issues, real animal knowledge…

Threatened yesterday by extensive tea plantations munching on the Nyungwe forest, the chimpanzees and colobus monkeys now seem to coexist as equals with local farmers, eco-friendly lodges allowing them to come and mix with them, to develop a new wealth, which is no longer plundered, even if it remains rare.

Then there is education: in Ahazaza, in one of the schools in the country of a thousand hills, Mathieu shared his images and his emotions with the children: he felt the powerful bond of love and pride that unites these young locals to the wildlife around them, this is the same bond which made Patience who he is, one of Mathieu’s field guides who expressed this very touching confession: « Gorillas are our brothers. »

Proud to do something…

The promotion of tourism to this battered Central African country must take different paths and this is currently the case. This is how the use of unprecedented means will allow its wildlife to flourish again tomorrow, in islands of rediscovered peace. We give everyone the opportunity to see the images brought back by Mathieu from his reports (stories on Instagram), which also contribute to the preservation of wild life, by testifying to its beauty, its rarity, its fragility… Please support these Steps!

A young mink seen here in a French farm in 2019

A young mink seen here in a French farm in 2019
14.12.2019
France
A young mink seen here in a French farm in 2019
Fashion

If he survives the conditions of detention, this young mink has only one way out: to be gassed or poisoned (so that his coat remains undamaged). In the meantime, he lives with the mummified body of one of his own. Here, the horror of fur farms reaches its climax. It is in France, in 2019. Images from our investigation last spring, our complaint for acts of cruelty is pending.

Read our article

Sign the petition

The wolves are doing well? Let’s kill them!

The wolves are doing well? Let’s kill them!
11.12.2019
France
The wolves are doing well? Let’s kill them!
Wildlife

On the one hand the French state claims to protect wolves and on the other hand, they fight against them, just as their population is trying to recover. Join with us and participate in a public consultation regarding a new massacre of these animals in 2020!

In principle, there is always the law, the one that sets the public rules. Sometimes, it allows for « exceptions » … it being understood that these are exceptions. But in France, when it comes to saving wolves, the world is upside down.

Derogations become the law

The texts are however clear: Canis lupus are legally protected in our country. This implies that it is forbidden to kill a wolf. But in reality, derogation after derogation and the state eventually allows more slaughter and the defence of this species ends up looking like a one off! The massacre is such that it is more and more like a policy of systematic shooting. The State however has a numerical limit in place in order to vaguely give the illusion of « responsible management ».

A limit? Did you say a limit?

Since 2018, the French lupine population has crossed the threshold of 500 individuals. Something to the delight of nature lovers who know how much these wonderful animals deserve to find their place with us, after enduring centuries of hatred and ignorance. But now, instead of encouraging the viability of the species – still fragile according to various experts – our leaders are always looking to take their policies of slaughter to a further level. Thus, the maximum number of wolves that can be eliminated continues to increase, according to a singular interpretation of the concept of « ceiling » and above all a perfect submission to the wishes of breeders and hunters. Persecuted from all sides, these unhappy animals have nowhere to take refuge, families find themselves orphans, youngsters in search of packs are hunted down to their last breath.

New murderous order in sight

By the end of 2019, 95 wolves have already been exterminated in France in a « legal » manner, not counting the 19 others found dead. This staggering quantity of corpses does not move the authorities at all, it’s quite the contrary. Hand in hand, the Ministries of Agriculture and the Ecological and Inclusive Transition have just concocted a new decree « relating to the testing of various provisions relating to derogations from the prohibitions on destruction which may be granted by the Prefects concerning the wolf (Canis lupus )”. Renewing this for 2020 that which has already been taken in 2019 on an experimental basis”. It’s only worse.

Say « No » to the next killings!

If the « project » is adopted, the number of wild canines that can be killed will correspond to 17%, even 19% of their estimated number in France, thus condemning more than 100 individuals! In addition, hunters who are authorized to shoot wolves (several thousand) will have the right to use nocturnal detection equipment (thermal cameras, etc.), in the absence of an ONCFS agent or even a wildlife official, thus opening the door to further abuses.

Let us take action to prevent this carnage by responding to the public consultation on: http://www.consultations-publi…

Please note, we only have until December 25th to make our voices heard. The future of wolves in France depends on us!

Advice:

No copy-pasted texts: they are not taken into account.

No abusive messages.

No overly generalized messages calling for the outright abolition of wolf slaughter.

Help to argue (attention: copy-pasted banned, use your own words only):

Protected species

The wolf is a threatened species and protected by European regulations.

Biology and sentience

The social life of wolves is extremely complex. Couples form for life. When an individual is killed, the whole pack is put at risk. More info can be found in our sentience file.

The uselessness of this measure

Like all large predators, the lupine population is self-regulating.

Protection measures for herds exist and are even subsidized by the State.

Scapegoats

Natural predators and regulators of the wildlife, wolves are seen as thieves of game animals by hunters.

In the event of an attack on a herd, some breeders prefer to incriminate wolves rather than stray dogs in order to receive compensation.

For orcas, the Parques Reunidos must make the right decision

For orcas, the Parques Reunidos must make the right decision
09.12.2019
International
For orcas, the Parques Reunidos must make the right decision
Exploitation for shows

Following our alert that the Parques Reunidos (Reunidos Park), a group that owns Marineland and many dolphinariums plans to transfer four French orcas Inouk, Wikie, Moana and Keijo to pools in China. In China dolphinariums are known for their extreme cruelty to animals and where animal welfare organizations are gagged, Marineland wrote three lines of denial on Facebook.

A brief denial…

Faced with such news and supported by the renowned biologist Ingrid Visser, many associative partners and thousands of concerned citizens, the face of Marineland is pale in reaction to this response. On the one hand, these orcas do not belong to them, it is up to Parques Reunidos to answer; on the other hand, it is more than likely that they have all signed « nondisclosure agreements ». The leaders of the group do not necessarily warn the small branches of their global strategic actions!

A dolphinarium decree which mainly concerns dolphins

The courageous “Dolphinarium” order of Ségolène Royal prohibited captive breeding and transfers of cetaceans between parks. Since its cancellation for a technical detail, we ask that it be rewritten identically. Even before the May 2017 decree, Marineland had announced that it would stop the orca breeding program. In the West, Tilikum and the documentary Blackfish rocked things for the orcas, who then left the European plan. The questions surrounding the decree therefore relate mainly to dolphins. They were and will be at the centre of the new measures, whose announcement, is expected at the start of the 2019 school year, continues to be postponed month after month … We hope that Elisabeth Borne will take an order at the same level as the one back in 2017 for dolphins.

Orcas, beyond the reach of the ministry: we appeal to the President of the Republic!

In other words, these four orcas do not belong to Marineland and are – alas – outside the jurisdiction of the department. This is why we appeal to Emmanuel Macron to intervene on their behalf, as Vladimir Putin recently did for orcas in Russia.

We invite you to participate in the 15th edition of the unitary rally on December 22nd « Stand up for Freedom » to save our orcas and obtain a sanctuary for them, not China! Please continue to sign the petition!

Save our orcas! A sanctuary, not China!

Save our orcas! A sanctuary, not China!
07.12.2019
Antibes
Save our orcas! A sanctuary, not China!
Exploitation for shows

Inouk, Wikie, Moana and Keijo, four orcas born into captivity at Marineland of Antibes couldbe transferred very soon to China. But once there, they would be exploited without mercyuntil their last breath because there is no law that protects animals. We will not give up thefight! We are asking the President of the Republic to act, we are calling for a mobilizationand gathering of our allies, experts and NGOs in the fight towards the closure ofDolphinariums. Save our orcas, they need to be transferred to a sanctuary and certainly notto China!

In the far east, the construction of ponds and breeding parks are multiplying visibly and in monumental proportions. The manufacturers at the head of these companies are ready for anything, not hesitating to provide « even at the source » to fill these pools, as in Russia…

The captive industry: ready for anything

But Western countries are in the midst of changes towards the captivity of wild animals. Thus, Vladimir Putin, after consulting with orca specialists accompanied by NGOs including One Voice, has courageously ordered the ban on the sale of orcas and belugas captured in Russian waters. All were released. A dead loss for the Russian billionaires at the head of this business: each living orca selling for a million dollars. And a lack of animals to exploit for this booming captive industry in China. The publicity campaigns and the disaffection of the public for these « shows » today has pushed Marineland to get rid of its orcas while still reaping the benefits.

The group Parque Reunidos which owns, among others, Marineland, is one of those structures that are developing in this part of the world. We have just learned that it should make a transfer of orcas from France next January.

Hell is a dolphinarium pool in China

What awaits them in China is constant reproduction, the separation of Wikie and her sons Moana and Keijo, who is only 6 years old. Remember that in the wild, orcas live together in family groups all their lives… To this we can add exposure to diseases consistent with the decline of the immune system due to living in captivity, insanity resulting in self-harming behaviour, and death from exhaustion. In China, many captive cetaceans disappear without a trace, in total impunity…

Save our orcas!

But Inouk, Wikie, Moana and Keijo are orcas born in France. Marineland are responsible for them, if only on a moral plane. These are « our » orcas! We ask the President of the Republic to intervene, as his Russian counterpart did. We wrote to him, as well as the orca specialist, Dr. Ingrid Visser.

A sanctuary, not China!

We saw Valentin die during the storm of 2015 and rallied together for Inouk. The park is not in compliance with current regulations. Year after year, we are present alongside the orcas. We also demand relentlessly that the Ministry of Ecology rewrite the 2017 decree in the same manner and urgently so exchanges between parks can be stopped and also reproduction in captivity! Meanwhile, for more than two years, breeding has been in full swing for dolphins in French dolphinariums and orcas may see their conditions of their hellish detention worsen. They need to be transferred to a marine sanctuary! Parque Reunidos, listed on the stock exchange, has ample means to invest in the establishment of a space where they can live far from the public gaze, in semi-freedom and together. Please sign the petition!

Shouka, Inouk’s beloved big sister, sent to the United States in 2002 and kept alone for more than ten years in an empty pool, is currently circling the pools of Seaworld in California. After years of isolation that led to her madness, she has had her misery slightly lifted thanks to an older captive orca like herself. Shouka would also be involved in the transfer to China. She will certainly be forced to reproduce in addition to being indecently enslaved to amuse the crowd like the others. So, it is the five “French” orcas that will disappear forever if we allow the captivity industry to continue to operate.

Letter from Ingrid Visser to Emmanuel Macron

Letter from Ingrid Visser to Emmanuel Macron
07.12.2019
International
Letter from Ingrid Visser to Emmanuel Macron
Exploitation for shows

Subject: Orca at Marineland Antibes, headed for China

Mr. President of the Republic,

It has recently come to my attention that Parques Reunidos (a Spanish based company who owns more than 60 amusement parks around the world, including Marineland Antibes), is in the process of trying to move their orca (Orcinus orca) from France to a facility in China. It is unclear at this stage which facility in China, but given that Parques Reunidos also owns parks in China, it is likely that it would be an internal company transfer.

I have visited Marineland Antibes and seen the poor state of the orca, in particular Inouk the adult male. Based on my observations, I have filed a report with the NGO One Voice, the animal welfare advocate group based in France. I have also visited a number of facilities who hold cetaceans (whales, dolphins & porpoises) captive in China and I found the conditions there to be worse than those at Marineland Antibes. For example, I attach to this letter series of photographs illustrating just some of the issues. One shows a number of dead fish stuck on the top of the grill in the floor of the orca tank, indicative of either poor hygiene, poor feeding, or abnormal behaviours of the orca (or a combination of all of these). Regurgitation, which may be the source of these dead fish, has documented by SeaWorld to be a sign of stress in captive cetaceans. In the same Chinese facility I have documented orca with red eyes from the poor water quality and orca with scars that they have inflicted on themselves against some aspect of the tanks that has been poorly designed. I have seen bruising on the chins of some of the orca, from consistently banging their heads on the concrete.

It is also worth noting that there are no animal welfare laws in China that provide even the smallest level of protection for any cetaceans held captive in that country. At the moment, although the conditions are not good for the orca at Marineland Antibes, at least they can be monitored by NGO groups and they have some level of protection with French and EU laws.

Once in China the animals can (and likely will) be bred – for trade between facilities in the country. There are now more than 70 facilities which have been built for the keeping of cetaceans – that is to have them on public display and in circus-like shows. You may be aware of the recent situation in Russia where 10 orca and 90 beluga, which were captured for the Chinese aquarium market from the Sea of Okhotsk, have now been released at the demand of the public and a ruling by President Putin. I was one of the few scientists granted access to that facility and saw how poor the conditions were for the orca who had been pre-purchased by the Chinese facilities. Together with my colleagues we reported on the situation there and recommended that the animals be returned to the ocean. This was completed just a few weeks ago, but now that this source has been closed off, the Chinese are actively seeking orca from facilities which already hold them captive.

It is clear that the moving of any cetacean from France into China will circumvent any oversight and also help any company owning these animals from scrutiny by advocate groups and the Government. I recommend that you read the reports by the China Cetacean Alliance¹ about the situations and the abysmal conditions that cetaceans face there.

I respectfully request, as a cetacean biologist, scientist and as someone who has seen the poor welfare conditions that abound in China’s aquariums to impose a ban on the export of any orca held in France, in order to ensure that they continue to receive the protections afforded them by your laws and the EU laws. Naturally, I would be happy to discuss the situation further with you, if you have any questions,

Respectfully

Dr Ingrid N. Visser (PhD).

1- http://chinacetaceanalliance.org/ for individual park details and http://chinacetaceanalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/19-CCA-Report-English-FINAL.pdfwp-content/uploads/2019/06/19-CCA-Report-English-FINAL.pdf for an overview report.