Mina and Kamala, still struggling within the circus

Mina and Kamala, still struggling within the circus
10.10.2019
Gard
Mina and Kamala, still struggling within the circus
Exploitation for shows

Criticized for its actions with wildlife, the Medrano circus has released their big game this summer. With a great deal of communication, he opened the doors of his business to the public to prove how happy « his » animals were. Many visitors were seduced by his polished speech. And the austere place of detention of the elephants Mina and Kamala has emerged as an idyllic vacation spot for some. Some clarification required here.

It is well known: « The bigger it is, the more it makes ». Propagandists of all kinds have understood this for a long time. Circassians exploiting wild animals in the worst conditions are no exception to the rule. Some do not hesitate to proclaim their love for their four-legged « teammates », their will to act for the protection of species and respect for other living beings! … Cirque Medrano is one of them. Behind this false façade are the charming smiles and beautiful speeches, he prides himself on being very caring for his « residents » and contributing to a better world.

In the paradise of the Camargue « jungle »

Thus, last summer, during its traditional annual break, the troop decided to open the doors of its business – located in Aimargues (30) – to the public and the media. « We had the idea of organizing some guided tours so that people would enjoy approaching the animals, but also that they would find that they were healthy and happy, » said the director of the establishment at one of the visits. And hey, it works! From May to September, young and old were able to access this « Jungle Park » and its « Ark » to admire llamas, dromedaries, yaks, cows or ponies « in near freedom » according to the referent of the site, quoted by Midi Libre. For an hour this was skilfully orchestrated, tourists also had the opportunity to be moved by the hugs of a tamer towards her “big babies” the tigers and to attend one of the “five daily showers” of elephants Mina and Kamala, the former co-detainees of Lechmee… The latter, also captured as a child within her free family in Asia, is finally retired after 40 years of slavery, thanks to the pressure that we exerted on this circus. But the establishment affirms today, without blushing, to have decided by itself to give respite to the old lady … Because at Medrano, « we love animals! »

Mina and Kamala are in danger

Unfortunately, Mina and Kamala are still subjected to forced labour and ridiculous acrobatics obtained by the use of pikes. Both in their 50s, they have sacrificed their lives enough to the whims of their captors. When will they taste a life of peace and tranquillity? For the moment, it is enough to observe them, to measure their immense distress. When they are at rest, not summoned to parade through the streets or hoist their bruised bodies upon stools, they sink into lethargy. Their muddy baths only show a slight change to an uninformed public. Their daily reality is quite different. In a paddock devoid of enrichment, without the slightest place to take refuge and privacy, watered with a garden hose that they suck like a rescue straw, they are exposed to the eyes, their own eyes empty of hope. Like metronomes they swing their trunks backwards and forwards to every second, they have nothing to do but follow the tempo of their continual boredom.

Outlaw Circus

By opening its menagerie to onlookers, the Medrano circus says it wants to be transparent, but in fact only sprinkles glitter on its business. Worse, it acts illegally and puts both humans and animals in danger. As we immediately informed the Prefecture of Gard, the operator has neither the necessary authorization nor the criteria required to meet the regulatory obligations of the facilities of zoological establishments presenting wild individuals to the public. Regarding Mina and Kamala, they are kept away from children by a simple low intensity electrical tape! What will happen if one or the other decides to escape one day?

Following our alerts, the Prefecture of Gard ended up revoking its circus permit to open before the start of the summer season. Alas, at the start of this fall, the itinerant spectacle resumed the road towards Brittany with, this time, the approval of the Prefect of the Côtes-d’Armor. We have just ordered him to report the operator’s offenses again. Will our call be followed up by an answer? If not, we will take them to court! Whatever happens, we will continue to fight so that Mina and Kamala get out of this hell hole as quickly as possible!

In battle for Boulie, the “circus” hippopotamus

In battle for Boulie, the « circus » hippopotamus

In battle for Boulie, the “circus” hippopotamus
08.10.2019
France
In battle for Boulie, the “circus” hippopotamus
Exploitation for shows

Boulie is along with Jumbo the other hippo who is currently being used by a French circus. If it benefits from a more sophisticated communication than that of the Muller circus, its existence is of course of the same order: solitary slavery. We file a complaint for Boulie.

We can’t deny that: William Kerwich, director of the Royal Kerwich circus, the general delegate of the Circus Collective, has understood how much our fight has been for the liberation of Jumbo, held by the Muller circus. More over for circuses in general to be without animals. So, he deploys “communication” as a smoke-screen around “his” hippo Boulie…

« What happiness! »

The images posted on his circus Facebook page should not be misleading: Boulie is shown there in a temperary pool and also in a muddy water hole at the edge of the field which must be her winter quarters. In fact, many Internet users congratulate the circus on the good care given to animals, one even going so far as to conclude: « Adorable! Animals love to play and show off! Reality! What happiness. » Objective achieved, finally with those who believe in it, and who want to believe in it at all costs.

Because the place of a hippopotamus will and must never be in the cages of an itinerant circus or under the crushing sun of the Côte d’Azur and where none of them should exist. Even when out of water and if watered from time to time, this fundamentally gregarious animal is found here, in the presence that is Boulie, the only representative of its species. Alone and kept captive in an environment that has nothing to do with her essential needs: swimming freely, which relieves her joints, free fodder, the calm of the nights in the thickets bordering the river, and a permanent communication, in and out of the water, with its congeners…

Abusive messages

So do not confuse good « communication » with reality, because between the two the gap is large. Boulie is thus present on certain recent posters of a circus with a totally misleading dialogue. One of them entitled: « Closer to the animals », and even boasts an intuitive educational and cultural show: « with animals from a breeding and preservation program for species monitored by state veterinarians », a program we would love to know all about! It sounds like social work, a humanitarian action, when it comes to a wild species which is over exhibited and lugged around from pillar to post. A true work of wildlife conservation, without a doubt! It goes without saying that the circus obviously does not have a permit to be a zoological park, any more than for it to be a « day care centre« . Furthermore, the newly opened winter quarters which are open to the public do not comply with the regulations of a zoological park.

In an article about this “really” Royal circus, we see a photo showing a trainer feeding Boulie and which is captioned: “Rodolphe Kerwich (eighth generation artist) and Boulie. They are both 21 years old and grew up together.” One would almost cry in front of so much love, but the first character here, the trainer, is free and the second, the hippo, is held and exhibited to the public, before and during a show, without any particular artistic interest what so ever (to climb upon a platform, oh such a beautiful affair!). The impact of such shows is totally counterproductive in terms of teaching, especially for children who should never be led to believe that an animal, wild by nature, can ever be happy in a circus.

A prisoner, that’s all she is, strolling along the roads then to be thrown into a pasture full of noisy and hilarious audiences, over and over again.

Boulie, Jumbo: the same fight

The fight for Jumbo will soon arrive on the judicial front: indeed, the trial for ill-treatment will finally take place. We are not fooled by the reality which is that of Boulie and we file a complaint for ill-treatment, ill-treatment committed by a professional. Placement or maintenance of a captive wild animal in a habitat, environment or installation that may be the cause of suffering and exploitation. Improper holding of non-domestic animals, violation of the conservation of non-domestic animal species… We hope that the judges will hear the argument that the life offered to such an animal, protected, can only be suffering , even in disguise… and of which we cannot laugh either, when Boulie escaped the circus in 2018 to go for a walk in the vegetable patch of a local person living near the marquees as in our video of this summer 2019. An unusual variety of facts revealing in fine detail all the lack of seriousness with which one considers the life of a living being and the way in which in reality only shows suffering and loneliness of this hippo.

Support the fight for Boulie by sending a message to the Prefect of Var:

via Twitter @ Prefet83

via the contact form on the Prefecture website

via postal mail, taking inspiration for example from the letter download it here, at: Préfecture du Var boulevard du 112ème Régiment d´Infanterie, 83070 Toulon, France

Please continue to sign and share our petition for #CirquesSansAnimaux.

From primary forests to the urban jungle: Manu clothing label

From primary forests to the urban jungle: Manu clothing label
07.10.2019
World
From primary forests to the urban jungle: Manu clothing label
Fashion

The last brand labelled FFR by One Voice from Lacoste does not get overlooked! On the contrary, it is adorned with its finest attire and parades on the podiums. Currently in a showroom, the Manu collection by Manu Ithier is the launching pad for this line of streetwear with Southern accents and feline eyes. Guaranteed fur-free sneakers and sweatshirts: the high-end of tomorrow’s urban fashion… sorry: today’s!

The young 32-year-old designer has just formalized the commitment of his brand, both contemporary and with ethnic accents, not to use fur at all, and to go even further in the years to come with the use of vegetable leather.

Double commitment for animals!

Our partnership allows part of the benefits of the fall-winter range of the « Manu » collection (on sale soon on his website), currently in a showroom at Milan Fashion Week, to go directly to animals and the wild universe which Manu Ithier was inspired for the next season. Because he wants to assert loudly his commitment to the planet and to animals. Foxes, minks, chinchillas … all these poor beings must stop being held in cages and then killed in excruciating pain for the vanity of the few.

Youth and know-how

To dress the feet and to clothe his contemporaries flows through the veins of Manu Ithier. Born into the world of fashion within a family that often travelled, he made this travels the foundation of his inspiration.

The modernity of its line seems to come out of the most modern Asian conceptions, this is no wonder for someone who visits Hong Kong on regular basis. His sneakers are high, designed as futuristic objects and of absolute comfort, as we imagine that can be lynx or puma pads. After growing up in France, Brazil and Spain, we also find Manu’s Latin origins in his name, as well as in his materials, many of which come from Italy (including know-how), where he currently stays for part of the year.

A partnership with One Voice, it’s obvious…

Manu Ithier is an urban designer, who incorporates leopard spots and cats’ eyes in his prints. All this could only be in accordance with the philosophy of One Voice, whose logo is a tiger and which is so open to the world!

What could be better to counterbalance the start of the school year, when the stores are going to fill up again with pieces tainted with cruelty, than labelling the Fur Free Retailer program with a young and urban collection like « Manu »? Quality streetwear, the « jungle » against the use of fur? We can only applaud this and we advise you to run and do the same!

A lion cub on the dancefloor

A lion cub on the dancefloor
02.10.2019
Calvados
A lion cub on the dancefloor
Exploitation for shows

Getting close to a lion cub in a disco… For those who dreamed of it, the Deauville « Le Chic » nightclub has done it. We are filing a complaint against the Prefecture of Calvados who has overlooked this scandalous act when it is up to them to enforce the law!

Having fun with a wild baby lion in a nightclub is so chic, isn’t it? For those who lack original ideas, the disco “Le Chic” in Deauville turns a corner (Since November 2018, the management of the disco has thankfully changed. The new owners have contacted us: their work and investment does not involve animals). On March 24th 2018, the previous owners proposed to their nightclubbers to come dance and sip cocktails with a lion cub. Named as the star of the evening against its will, the little feline was “fittingly” welcomed: delirious fans crowd around it, multi-coloured spot lights full of plums, loud music in its ears… There is no doubt that a small lion sets the atmosphere for sure!

Obvious abuse

The problem is that a baby lion has nothing to do with a night club whatsoever… Is it necessary to remember that its place is near its mother and that being exposed to unknown hands, deafening din and blinding neon lights represent so many extremely traumatic sources of stress? Well yes. Once again, we had to mobilize to remind them that to exhibit a lion in such a place constituted an act of mistreatment affecting, moreover, the conservation of its endangered species. Furthermore, the « Le Chic* » nightclub did not hold any authorization for the presentation of wild animals to the public. It was a circus that was in the region, they were the holders for the lion cub and who had « illegally » obtained it for club.

Who is incriminating?

But filing a complaint against the circus is not easy. In this case, as in so many others, formally identifying the person in charge involves painstaking investigations in the heart of the jungle of itinerant establishments and numerous approaches to the authorities supposed to supervise them. On March 28^th 2018, we sent a letter to the Calvados prefecture to ask them to take up the file and obtain the withdrawal of the certificate of competence from the « owner » of the lion cub and his mother. It was a wasted effort. While it was their duty and, in their power to intervene, the institution did not feel it was necessary and did not care to answer us… It is therefore against them that we are launching a legal proceeding today. Decidedly unconcerned by the animal cause, they have already declined their presence at the hearing that will be held at the administrative court of Caen on October 3^rd at 9:30 am. But of course, we will be there to defend the rights of this little cub!

Breeding for hunting, reasons to say stop

Breeding for hunting, reasons to say stop
28.09.2019
Hunting
Breeding for hunting, reasons to say stop
Other campaign or multi-campaigns of One Voice

It is estimated that in France over 50 years 1 billion animals have been raised and released for hunting. Each year, 30 million « game birds » are bred in France (1/3 are exported), including 14 million pheasants and 5 million partridges and 1 million mallards for French hunters. Added to this are deer, hares and rabbits, and hybridized boars…

An omerta (code of silence) on the business?

All of this is unfortunately thanks to public funds (subsidies paid to hunters for their « public services ») that this system continues, maintaining a sector exceeding 150 million euros annual C.A. But except for the thrill of some hunters, nothing justifies this suffering, organized on a chain of industrialized farms, who’s environmental and health impact remains hidden. Because in France there are as few administrative constraints and controls on the release of animals for hunting as studies conducted to verify the consequences. This weak supervision visibly questions the citizens concern over the use of their taxes more than the State itself.

Attacks on the biodiversity

The official discourse of the hunters, which evokes releasing for restocking, does not hold water: most of the released birds do not see the following spring. They are more often quickly killed, where they die before they have even crossed a gun, facing predators, diseases and feeding difficulties to which they have not been prepared for.

While these releases make population counts more complex, overall, wild bird numbers remain low or are even in decline, especially with the venerated pheasant. So, the infernal cycle continues in order to feed the hunting clubs, livestock birds are then released on mass in France: in fact, the same number as wild animals that actually exist throughout Europe!

They declare many animals as a nuisance because of the damage inflicted on the crops, and so for hunting, millions of birds are released like pheasants, who adore young plants, berries or seeds and who frequent mainly cultivated areas!

A sanitary nonsense

Practiced at a quasi-industrial level, this breeding includes a whole arsenal of chemicals (antioxidants, deworming, vaccines, virucides, fungicides, bactericides and antibiotics) distributed into the food and water. Diseases and parasites are nonetheless common in farms, and no scientific study has really studied the risk of contamination to wildlife.

The effect from these multiple releases has seen: genetic alterations of wild populations, a massive impact on natural prey (insects, snails) and therefore epidemic risks on already fragile populations (especially if the released animals are combined with the indigenous populations to densify their numbers). Rather than conducting these studies, the State prefers to be complacent with hunters by helping, through its specialized institutes, to genetically improve breeding lines to “produce” animals suitable for hunting: attractive, but not too mobile.

The images reported by One Voice of these farms, who are so discreet, are appalling. Life in such concentrated environments, crammed in together is totally incompatible with the biological needs of these animals. And would the suffering they endure be legitimate since, in any case, they were born to eventually die? Disgusting cynicism… The so-called well-being on these farms, it would be necessary to start with the worst ones first.

#LaChasseUnProblemeMortel: Please sign our petition, come and say “No” to hunting with us at the big anti-hunting event organized by One Voice and its partners in Paris on October 5^th.

Sources: National Wildlife and Hunting Agency, National Union of Game Game Producers (SNPGC), ASPAS Inquiry, “From the Cage to the Gore”, November 2018.

Birds bred for hunting, a French scandal

Birds bred for hunting, a French scandal
27.09.2019
France
Birds bred for hunting, a French scandal
Other campaign or multi-campaigns of One Voice

And to say that it is our taxes that are donated to hunting federations, that in turn finance the raising of pheasants and partridges just for « Sunday hunters ». An inept and cruel system on every level. One Voice lifts the veil on this with pictures…

Condemning images

Nature lovers will be able to tell you about the beauty of a roaming pheasant on the plains, the happy troops of little partridges running behind their mother in a fallow field. Nothing of this freedom is seen in breeding these birds for hunting, where the only logic is an industrial one: artificial insemination and automated sorting chains for chicks born in incubators, far from their parents. At a prime age, birds will live in blackness for weeks (darkness limits aggression in large concentrations of animals that grow on the ground, up to 50 animals per m²). In the juvenile stage, it will be necessary to tie up their beak with plastic, this is against physical attacks, in these farms where animals are tightly packed together. Pain from the perforation of the nasal septum’s, problems in swallowing which is sometimes fatal.

Prison before death

After weeks in buildings, the birds are stored outdoors. Our images reveal cages of cages and aviaries as far as the eye can see, where there is a strong mixed smell of the putrefaction of dead animals and the faeces of the survivors. There are pairs of partridge’s who are in poor condition, kept in narrow metal boxes where they suffocate in the summer, mutilate each other or permanently trying to escape. Plumages that are groomed in the wild, are dull here, stripped from the pecking between imprisoned birds. These convicts carry the sadness of their destiny.

The human presence is weak, the birds are left to themselves in a world without enrichment at automated feeding, shielded chemistry. The grass has long since disappeared under the incessant round trips of pheasants rendered mad by captivity. The earth is bare, surrounded by fences lined with protective nets. Throwing yourself against the fence is useless, but it is their main activity. The worst is for breeding males, who will not leave their hutch or aviary until after 2 or 3 years of service, first and last flight…

Animal suffering, a cruel business

Since the end of the 1950s, animals have been raised in France only for hunting. Species among the most killed in France are pheasants and partridges they are the main victims. Around 19 million a year are released without need of authorization and with hardly any legal controls.

But these birds, whose genetic profile has made them clumsy and easy to kill, and which will be released after at least 15 weeks of industrial farming, are unable to survive in the wild! Faced with predators, cars, food difficulties, diseases and of course rifles that are lying in wait for them. Their life expectancy is very limited. So, to feed the sport of hunting, we start again each year with this immense and cruel waste.

Everything to do with this business goes against the biological needs of these birds, made to live in compact conditions on a vast scale. Here, deprived of social interactions about learning a « normal » life, enduring the distraught look in their eyes, this long and terrible event from « birth to maturity », which will end in a violence once caught and crammed into boxes for transportation. They are delivered to the hunting societies, once there (literally or figuratively) they spend long hours until they let go to death. What can justify this suffering organized as a supply chain for millions of susceptible birds? The thrill of a few sadistic hunters?

A scandal at home, which does not honour hunters or authorities who look elsewhere…
#LaChasseUnProblèmeMortel: Please sign our petition, come and say No to hunting at the big anti-hunting event organized by One Voice and its partners in Paris, the 5^thOctober.

Sources: National Wildlife and Hunting Agency, National Union of Game Game Producers (SNPGC), ASPAS Inquiry, « From the Cage to the Gore », November 2018.

Carnage among the common frogs

Carnage among the common frogs
24.09.2019
Beaumont-en-Argonne
Carnage among the common frogs
Wildlife

On September 25th, we will defend the red frogs at the Charleville-Mézières TGI. We are filing a complaint against a poacher who slaughtered thousands of them in defiance of the regulations protecting their species and multiple acts of cruelty.

How many frogs does it take to satisfy this guzzler? In Beaumont-en-Argonne (08), on March 16^th 2018, a single search of a poacher’s home was enough to discover nearly 5,000 common frogs (Rana temporaria), dead or alive, about to be devoured, frozen and/or sold under the counter. The inventory made by the environmental inspectors is shocking: 19 traps, 2 large pairs of scissors, 35 pots containing 70 pairs of legs, 32 kilos of amphibian eggs (officially intended to be returned to their natural environment ), 19 green frogs (Rana esculenta, officially caught in error) and 1679 live red frogs (“to be consumed much later”), as well as… 2954 others already amputated from their hind legs but who were still breathing!

Endless agony

Indeed, the owner of the premises, looking like a « peaceful pensioner », did not even bother to kill his victims before butchering them. To the investigators, he presented his technique as follows: “I take the frog. I knock them out and then use scissors to cut them up. Then, I hold them in a cloth and with a fork I prick them in the crotch to be able to remove their skin. Then I tie it up and cut the flaps of skin off with the scissors. » A master in this dreadful operation, often assisted by his wife, he thus managed to » prepare « 100 frogs per hour… And at the same time fill buckets and bags with the « waste », in this case mutilated animals, which often took several days before their last breath, after an abominable period of suffering.

Such a nice grandfather

If during his hearing on May 19^th, 2018, the man denied any commercial inclinations (when he had already admitted selling the frogs legs during the investigation), he confirmed his attachment to this « family » traditions. Besides, this is not the first time he has been fined for amphibian captures and it is therefore with full knowledge of the facts that he has continued his misdeeds so far. After learning to fish for common frogs with his father, he has poached them all his life, making fun of regulated hunting periods and favouring spawning periods when they run down streams to reach breeding areas. To capture them more reliably, he uses callers: « I catch 5 or 6 males, I place them in the traps, and the others catch themselves ». Once the animals are trapped, make way for the big knives and crazy gustatory festivities for those who consider themselves as « nature lovers »! Regular guests, his sons refused to participate in the massacre but admitted that they sometimes accompanied their father during his hunts and that they regularly took from the refrigerator their catch to treat their wives and children. Ironically, one of them added that his father took care to do what was necessary for the preservation of the species by ensuring that the eggs were always put back in the water!

One Voice civil party

Immediately informed of this sinister affair, we have brought forward a civil action to defend the frogs, their vulnerability and their extreme sensitivity. We will be representing them this Wednesday September 25^th at the high court of Charleville-Mézières, during the trial of the poacher and his sons who have also been summoned. All three knowingly violated animal welfare rules, as well as those relating to the keeping of non-domestic species. We will fight to ensure that they will receive exemplary punishments and that they are unable to continue their slaughter any longer!

Fur: a french nightmare

Fur: a french nightmare
23.09.2019
France
Fur: a french nightmare
Fashion

After our latest revelations about the living hell experienced by mink on a farm in Eure-et-Loir, and as Paris Fashion Week opens, we are revealing images from three other French farms. Everywhere horrific scenes, everywhere the suffering of beings. There are still five establishments still active in our country. Let us mobilize together to demand their closure. France cannot be complicit in such cruelty any longer!

Last July, we denounced the appalling conditions of mink detained on a farm in Eure-et-Loir. However, the particularly unbearable and revolting images that we have published give only a partial idea of the ordeal inflicted on these victims of the fur trade… This week, we are revealing images filmed in the different mink farms in our country, which testify to a generalized drama, hollow reflection of a Parisian Fashion Week which takes its first eco-responsible steps but continues to deny, year after year, the plight of animals bred for their coats. In 2016, we revealed the conditions of detention and killing of minks on French farms. We hoped for an improvement, alas there is no improvement.

An omnipresent horror

Whatever their place of sequestration in Spincourt (Meuse), Montarlot-lès-Rioz (Haute-Saône), La Chapelle-d’Andaine (Orne) and Champrond-en-Gâtine (Eure-et-Loir), these mink–who by nature are solitary, eager for space and exercise-are condemned to living in crowded and confined conditions. Crammed into often filthy cages, they suffocate in a squalid atmosphere where stench and despair reign supreme.

While the porridge type meals are distributed over their heads and directly onto the wire cages in a row, the droppings drip under the cages and spread on the ground. Driven crazy with distress and exhaustion, these poor prisoners spend their lives biting each other, shearing their legs and tearing their teeth against the bars. Their injuries, often extremely serious, remain untreated. They bleed and get infected.

This tenfold suffering of these abandoned souls only adds to their stereotypical movements… to the point of exhaustion. We have called this place « the farm of horrors » and of which our complaint is for (among other things) acts of cruelty takes its course, the corpses piled up on one another. Their confinement has also led to cannibalism, non-existent in the wild. On these farms, we see « premature » deaths which are considered as « waste » by those who exploit these minks. Among the thousands of poor souls doomed to a certain death, these few losses do not affect profits.

Following the reception of a letter from the Prefecture, which was expected but disappointing, we filed an appeal against this graceful refusal of July 25^th, 2019 to suspend the activity or to close the Eure-et-Loir farm.

Labelled cruelty

We cannot tolerate such monstrous acts of cruelty from continuing! They are also causing a major ecological disaster, especially due to the tons of excrement from animals that end up in waterways and pollute them! Getting five farms closed is far from an insurmountable economic challenge: other countries, such as Norway and the Netherlands, have already embarked on this process where their fur production is much higher. Paris Fashion Week, which opens its doors this Monday September 23rd, is trying to make itself greener but still refuses any progress on the use of fur in the creations presented.

Some major players in the fashion industry, however, committed to the last G7 in Biarritz in August 2019 around a « Fashion Pact »: commitments in favour of the climate, biodiversity and the oceans. Our government must have the courage to imitate its neighbours and definitively ban this activity on our territory.

Cruel irony, the five national farms have all inherited the « animal welfare » label approved by the European Union. We are going to ask him for their accounts… Who are we kidding?! With us, express your opposition to this organized, authorized, legitimized violence by public authorities and politicians.

In 2019, let’s put an end to the sacrifice of animals for fur on the altar of a bloody and archaic « fashion ». Please continue to sign and share our petition!

Micha, Glasha and Bony: the vets are shocked!

Micha, Glasha and Bony: the vets are shocked!
19.09.2019
Loir-et-Cher
Micha, Glasha and Bony: the vets are shocked!
Exploitation for shows

We sought advice from veterinary bear specialists on the health status of Micha, Glasha and Bony. By watching the videos that we aired last week, they all sounded the alarm. Their dramatic reports confirm that the three bears require immediate care, far from the claws of Poliakov’s. Do not wait until it’s too late!

These bears have been kept under conditions of almost continual stress and are deprived of positive mental stimulation. Dr. John A. Knight

Following the pictures that we unveiled last week, Micha was placed in emergency care this weekend in the zoo-sanctuary of La Tanière (28) and we are delighted. Here he is finally out of the hands of Poliakov’s and being cared for! But this poor bear is in a disastrous state and so is his former co-detainees, Glasha and Bony, they still remain under the control of trainers… A major irregularity given their appalling detention conditions and risks to their health.

« This type of abnormal behaviour is considered to be synonymous with chronic mental distress and in the case of the black bear (Ed. Micha), it is very obvious that the animal sucks on the wires of the cage creating desperate whimpers ending with a « cough ». These sounds are similar to sounds naturally heard by this species, but totally out of context, a mix of communication and warning sounds. » Dr. John A. Knight

Bony and Glasha in danger

We showed the videos of their hell to the veterinary bear specialists and all agree that they are in critical danger! They denounce the lack of drinking water in their cells, an inappropriate and mediocre diet, when it is not mouldy… And of course, they are shocked by the lack of structures adapted to the basic needs of the bears, as well as the clinical signs and symptoms of serious illness.

Dr. Ilayaraja of the Wildlife SOS Association and veterinarian of the Bear Sanctuary notably observed the presence of black dots on one of Bony’s canines. According to him, they « indicate that a broken tooth has exposed the fragile pulp cavity and caused an infection. This can be fatal to a bear if it is not treated urgently by a veterinary dentist ». In addition, the expert is concerned with the vision of the animal. He notes eye damage that is « obviously the result of long-term neglect and lack of medical care« .

As for Glasha, his fate is comparable. Worse: the alarming presence of black spots on the canine, localized peeling of the fur, « a purulent eye discharge, suggesting that it is malnourished and infested with worms, » and « an abnormal growth under the left eye, likely to be cancerous« . The doctor insists on the importance of examining it as soon as possible to see if it is malignant and to administer appropriate treatment to prevent complications in vision.

« Night quarters consist of bare concrete floors. There is little or no litter, except for a bit of hay provided for the black bears. This is totally inadequate for these very intelligent animals. In the wild, black bears spend a lot of time in the trees, seeking shelter and most often find themselves in heavily forested areas. They avoid humans and brown bears whenever possible. They also like digging and searching dead branches, pebbles and sheltering insects, and so on. There is no suggestion that any real attempt has been made to provide for the psychological needs of these animals, whether in daytime or at night. Nowadays, this shows a shocking disregard for the welfare of these animals. » Dr. John A. Knight

Sanitary emergency

Every minute counts to save Bony and Glasha! Especially since the absolute lack of hygiene in their prison and their moral distress only diminish their hopes of survival. Dr. Amélie Nicolau from Refuge de l’Arche is worried about them nibbling or licking the bars of the cage doors, constantly turning on themselves and nodding their heads. She points out that these stereotypical behaviours are observed in bears in captivity, « especially in stressed individuals, placed in an unsuitable or insufficiently stimulated environment« .

Thus, all the bear specialists we interviewed say that only their placement in a shelter with appropriate care will give them the chance to escape this fatal destiny. We are coming together so that Bony and Glasha are both permanently safe from their persecutors, like Micha!

We sent the expert reports to the Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition and the Prefect to support our complaints against the Poliakov’s. And we count more than ever on you to support our campaign and to please sign our petition.

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Aïcko: dignity for an animal

Aïcko: dignity for an animal
16.09.2019
Loire-Atlantiques
Aïcko: dignity for an animal
Exploitation for shows

Oh no, we have not forgotten Aïcko, a young dolphin who died in excruciating pain at Planète Sauvage (44), in November 2016. We are continuing the fight for him so that the truth is not stifled to how he was and how he died… One Voice takes up the torch to do justice for this young dolphin who left us far too early… After a botched autopsy, an expert opinion with confusing conclusions, many questions remain unanswered today. So, we return to ask them before other jurisdictions.

Choking in regulations

It is a sad pun to describe the treatment of this case because, remember, Aïcko was force-fed, with whole fish, when his state of weakness required liquidated food for intubation. He was vomiting from his air hole, but he was put back in the water and, feeling himself sinking, he threw himself violently against a wall. An ugly death from suffocation, broken larynx, at the end of a life full of suffering and stress. So? There is no sanction related to this huge error, nor to the causes of this drama: a prolonged anaemia, about which we had raised the alarm. We also reported on the repeated violence that this puny dolphin had suffered, as he was preyed upon by the other dolphins in the pool and to also be included in the « shows » is none other than sick!

The law of silence?

The time has passed since we had reinforced our convictions: the rules for keeping captive wildlife have not been respected in this set of circumstances. And if at the time of this case we had obtained an expert report to shed light on this death (brutal, and yet predictable), this long fight had only added grey areas to the case. The veterinarians and specialist biologists who have accompanied us in the defence of captive cetaceans have all been disgusted by the park’s postures. The conclusions (and deficiencies) made by an « expert » who was able to suggest that captivity avoids the stresses related to the quest for food in the wild: a very personal vision of an animal being.

For a protection association like ours, it is terrible to see the suffering of “a little love” (the Japanese name for Aïcko) and its similar detainees that are not recognized. But this pain becomes prejudice when the captive animal dies in opaque circumstances and the horror persists, unchanged, in the closed doors of the pools and the unworthiness of these unnatural shows. We will not stop submitting these problems to both judges and politicians. For them, thank you for supporting our fight and the actions and petitions underway.

While Elisabeth Borne, the Minister of Ecological and Inclusive Transition, announces an upcoming action plan on captive wildlife, remember that the suffering of animals in these pools is not a show that should be offered to children, but a scourge to fight against and stop. Orcas and dolphins lead a miserable life in these dolphinariums. It is time to release them into marine sanctuaries. Please join with us at Place Royale in Nantes on September 17^th at 12pm.