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NGOs want to believe in the real progress of animal welfare

NGOs want to believe in the real progress of animal welfare

NGOs want to believe in the real progress of animal welfare
08.07.2019
France
NGOs want to believe in the real progress of animal welfare
Other campaign or multi-campaigns of One Voice

At the end of the consultation launched by the Minister of Ecological and Solidarity Transition on April 24th, animal welfare organizations presented their proposals on the four areas of work: wild animals in circuses, cetaceans in dolphinariums, breeding mink for fur and zoos. Faced with the absolute impossibility of satisfying the physiological and behavioural needs of wild animals in captivity, they are calling for a ban on the keeping of wild animals in circuses and dolphinariums, as well as the prohibition of mink breeding for fur.

Improving animal welfare requires ambitious measures

Improvement of an animals living conditions does not involve enlargement or enrichment of cages or ponds, promises to respect existing legislation, which no one is supposed to ignore, or anthropocentric interpretations of what could or should be animal welfare. No additional standard will make these practices acceptable and justifiable. Improvement of an animal’s condition requires ambitious measures and strong commitments, which take into account the specific needs and interests of each species, the reality of the situations, the existing alternatives and the expectations of civil society. The economic argument, taken into account by the organizations by proposing transitional measures, can in no way be a brake on the necessary progress towards a more just society towards animals.

Animal welfare: a strong societal demand

Animal welfare organizations do not base their arguments on a philosophical vision of animal welfare but on scientific data, which demonstrates, in addition to visible pathologies and injuries, the psychological suffering of wild animals kept in captivity. These requests take into account from their experience in the field, current regulatory failures they have witnessed, growing societal and political expectations, the negative pedagogical impact of wildlife shows and the protection of nature issues. In addition, these requests for prohibitions are supported by a growing number of French and elected officials1.

“To defend the animal cause is to serve human progress”

The concern for the animal cause is no longer the exclusive preserve of animal welfare organizations and is becoming an ethical and political issue. The Minister of State said in launching this dialogue: « to defend the animal cause is to serve human progress. (…) Today we can no longer claim humanism without fully taking into account animal welfare ». France must embark on this path of progress for a more just, respectful and responsible society. The government must give itself the means to act concretely, beyond incantatory speeches on the importance of the consideration of animal welfare.

Minister of State François de Rugy emphasized on 3rd July: « It is not because things have existed for a long time that they must be immutable. » Organizations are just waiting to believe it and are now waiting for concrete and strong action.

Signatory organizations:

AVES France – Campaign Against Canned Hunting (CACH) France et Green Cross France et Territoires CCFT – C’est assez ! – Code Animal – Confédération Nationale Défense de l’Animal – Convergence Animaux Politique – Fondation 30 Millions d’Amis – Fondation Assistance aux animaux – Fondation Brigitte Bardot – La Fondation Droit Animal, Ethique et Sciences (LFDA) – L214 – Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux (LPO) – One Voice – Paris Animaux Zoopolis – Les Pisteurs – Réseau-Cétacés – La Société Protectrice des Animaux

1 – Clear expectations of civil society and many elected officials:

  • 67% of French people want to ban the exploitation of wild animals in circuses (Ifop survey for the Fondation 30 Millions d’Amis – February 2018).
  • At the national level, in 2 years, 4 bills and 33 parliamentary written questions were sent to the Minister of the Ecological and Solidary Transition by deputies and senators concerning the presence of wild animals in circuses.
  • As of June 24th, 2019, 361 municipalities want a total ban on the use of wild animals in circuses
  • 7 out of 10 are opposed to the captivity of dolphins and orcas in water parks.
  • 86% of our fellow citizens believe that the government should rather encourage and accompany the creation of sanctuaries or marine refuges to accommodate these captive cetaceans and rehabilitate them back into the wild.
  • 8 out of 10 are strongly opposed to the presence of polar bears in zoos in Mediterranean regions. (Ifop survey for That’s enough! and the Brigitte Bardot foundations and 30 Millions d’Amis – November 2018)
  • 9 out of 10 consider that animal welfare is an important cause.
  • 65% of French people do not trust the current government to face up against the lobbies.
  • 60% are unhappy with the government’s animal welfare. (Ifop survey for Animal Policy – January 2019)

The agony of mink at a farm in Eure-et-Loir

The agony of mink at a farm in Eure-et-Loir

The agony of mink at a farm in Eure-et-Loir
02.07.2019
Eure-et-Loir
The agony of mink at a farm in Eure-et-Loir
Fashion

They have just been born, suffering and death surrounds them. Small minks’ utter cries of distress through their closed eyelids. Throughout this breeding process young and old are dying in the midst of this horror: the cages are strewn with corpses often torn apart, sometimes mummified… We constantly denounce these living conditions of the mink that are raised for their fur alone, but here we are beyond anything normal: this farm must close immediately! We are suing the breeder for acts of cruelty.

The corpses pile up

We have decided as part of our participation along with the « Fur » commission of welfare’s mission, which is conducted by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and as the French representative of the international Fur Free Alliance coalition, to return to assess the situation three years after our initial investigation into French mink farms.

We had to interrupt this audit urgently at the visit of the first breeder, as the absolute horror was exposed cage by cage!

The worst breeder in France, possibly even in Europe

In more than 20 years on the ground, nowhere had our investigators ever seen such conditions of detention as on this mink farm. How can this be tolerated in France by the authorities responsible for the control of standards and regulations that are in force? Faced with the agony of these mink, this breeder was to be denounced as soon as possible. We could not continue the audit without taking immediate action.

The investigation « Respect for minks: the luxury side of mink » actually exceeded the worst!

For more than twenty years we have been denouncing the raising and killing of animals for their fur. Three years ago, our survey showed the situation of mink in these « fur farms » that are also on national territory.

This time, this breeding far exceeds all the revolting elements that we had already highlighted and reported at the time: the crammed conditions of these mink who are confined in such small spaces, they who are usually free and solitary creatures; the wire floors injuring their webbed feet made for swimming and the lack of access to water; food, the infamous porridge placed on the cage and excrement falling to the ground, polluting the  soil and waterways… Finally, the gassing or poisoning to avoid damaging the coat.

The collateral damage, the deleterious consequences of these American mink that escape from these farms on the local biodiversity. Leading in particular to the disappearance of European mink, justifying alone our requests for prohibition of such farms in France.

Nausea

What the minks experience in this breeding at Eure-et-Loir is appalling! The only prospect for these minks is death in excruciating suffering, to the point of being devoured by their own kind. Barely born, they are already dying, surrounded by corpses at different stages of decomposition, before becoming one themselves… And mothers cannot protect their young from the abominable fate that awaits them. Here the scandal of raising minks for their fur reaches its climax.

This farm must close urgently

We denounce this farm and call for its immediate closure! An expertise in welfare must be carried out with the adoption of emergency measures such as the taking in charge of all of these animals by the State, which has failed in its task by leaving them in such unworthy conditions!

We are lodging a criminal complaint against the breeder, SCEA « Les Aubépines », for acts of cruelty, maltreatment committed by a professional and for improper exploitation of an establishment that holds non domestic animals.

Sign our petition to close this breeder down as soon as possible. This horror must stop. Surviving mink need us!

Fur in Eure-et-Loir: the farm of horror

Fur in Eure-et-Loir: the farm of horror

Fur in Eure-et-Loir: the farm of horror
02.07.2019
Eure-et-Loir
Fur in Eure-et-Loir: the farm of horror
Fashion

While checking which fur farms were still operating in France in order to prepare the « animal welfare » mission at which the association participates with the Ministry of Ecology, the investigators of One Voice discovered the horrors lurking in a mink farm located in the area of Eure-et-Loir: mink barely born, dying, stuck under the corpses of their congeners. Everywhere on this breeding farm, young and old dying in the middle of faeces and decomposing bodies. The cages are littered with dead mink often torn apart, sometimes mummified, over which the survivors crawl.
The association decided to stop its investigation to launch the alert on this breeding farm and ask for its immediate closure. A complaint for acts of Cruelty is to be filed on July 1 against this breeder, SCEA des Aubépines.

Participating in the animal welfare meetings of mink reared for their fur, the association (also French representative of the international coalition Fur Free Alliance) decided to check which fur farms were still operating in France and had reported in the winter of 2016/2017.

MACABRE DISCOVERIES

Our investigators have made a macabre discovery in addition to the facts alleged by our association with fur farms that was already revealed back in 2017.

Silver-blue, black and white minks exhibiting stereotypical behaviour: constantly turning in circles, signs recognized by the experts as the manifestation of abnormal characteristics, in installations of utter filth; wire cages on which minks have difficulty walking from where excrement and waste are dripping; mink (young and old) wounded, mutilated, dead, mummified; dead mink corpses around the farm without any precautions for the environment (fur farms are classified installations because they pose a significant risk to nature). During the breeding season, the young had mostly a few weeks of life.

Here the scandal of raising minks for their fur reaches a climax.

ONE VOICE REQUESTS IMMEDIATE CLOSURE OF THIS FARM of HORROR!

he association lodges a criminal complaint against the breeder for acts of cruelty, maltreatment committed by a professional and for improper exploitation of an establishment that holds non domestic animals. In addition, we are requesting an expert analysis on these animals’ welfare. How can the authorities endorse such practices? Survivors must be taken care of as soon as possible by the State, which has failed in its task by leaving them in such unworthy conditions.

This Wednesday, July 3 at 3.00 pm, the Minister of the Ecological and Solidarity Transition François de Rugy will receive all the protagonists of the animal welfare mission of captive wildlife for which the mink farms are concerned. Beyond the penal sanctions, this extremely cruel exploitation must be prohibited. This is the request we will make to the minister, of whom we expect to take strong action.

APPENDIX

The whale prison, it’s over!

The whale prison, it’s over!

The whale prison, it’s over!
25.06.2019
Russia
The whale prison, it’s over!
Exploitation for shows

The whale prison, it’s over! Or at least, it is coming to an end because the repatriation of orcas and belugas confined for a year in the Srednyaya bay has just started. There will also be no further animals caught in Russian waters, according to a court ruling. One Voice is delighted with this good news but remains vigilant as to the continuation of these operations.

Crédits photo © Yuri Smityuk/TASS

Two orcas and six belugas have already set off for the Okhotsk Sea in clunky old trucks, from which you can hear their anguished calls under the tarpaulin that hides them. The trip is at high risk, for them as for those who will follow them in small groups until all the pens are empty. In addition, their rehabilitation will be reduced to ten days before they are released off the coast of Shantar Island in the Okhotsk Sea, some 1,770 kilometres from the place of their abduction. Some are very affected by their stay with humans. Last April, we participated in sending a group of experts composed of Jean-Michel Cousteau and members of the Whale Sanctuary Project, including a distinguished collaborator of One Voice, the biologist Ingrid Visser. They had been invited to assess the state of health of these captives on the spot and to propose a rehabilitation plan. According to their report, most of the animals presented severe skin lesions (the skin of the orcas was burned by ice, they have been partially skinned alive), but all seemed well fed and able to be released.

In a televised debate, Vladimir Putin commented on this transfer.

« You should know that a single orca is already worth almost $ 10 million » he said, « And when there is so much money at stake, problems are always difficult to solve. Thank goodness things have started to move« . Let us salute here the obstinacy of the President of the Russian Federation to impose his will on the governors of these distant provinces, who are reluctant to let go of the goose that lays the golden eggs so easily. It was also for him to restore the image of Russia. It is indeed the only country to still carry out this kind of capture, at a time when marine sanctuaries are opening in Iceland and Greece and when Canada now prohibits any detention of cetaceans on its territory.

Heavy fines

Better yet, on May 31st, the Sakhalin court declared illegal all orca and beluga catch quotas issued in 2018 by the Federal Fisheries Agency. As a result, two of the four companies involved in these catches were subsequently given very heavy fines. Trials against the other companies are still ongoing, but there will already be no catches of large cetaceans in Russia until further notice. Deputy Prime Minister Gordeyev also confirmed that the government would soon amend the law which still authorizes the abduction of these marine mammals for « educational and cultural purposes » today.

Hope

All is certainly not resolved for the prisoners of the Srednyaya bay because their release will take at least four months and all will probably not survive. But we can only applaud this unexpected liberation, which marks a turning point in the history of Russia and does it proud. One Voice also hopes that it will give food for thought to countries like China and France, which still exploit dolphins and orcas in their aquatic circuses. The road will be long, but we want to believe it: Cetaceans in slavery, it’s almost over!

La Piste aux Étoiles, is always in the crosshairs

La Piste aux Étoiles, is always in the crosshairs

La Piste aux Étoiles, is always in the crosshairs
24.06.2019
France
La Piste aux Étoiles, is always in the crosshairs
Exploitation for shows

La Piste aux Étoiles always shines as much with its shortcomings. This circus, which we forced to let Maya go, continues to mistreat other captives and present them to the public while flouting safety rules. We are filing a new complaint against this establishment and requesting that the animals be entrusted to us.

Since our alert last December, our investigators have maintained, in the shadows, their rigorous surveillance of La Piste aux Étoiles. Because within this sparkly glitzy named circus, many animals live day by day under awful conditions.

A show of desolation

After obtaining the transfer of Maya the elephant a year ago, we are fighting today to save its former companions who are also suffering in misfortune like Nelly and Brigit, the lion Sirius and 18 other big cats, as well as all the monkeys detained by this establishment. These unfortunates vegetate most of their time in tiny, rusty cages or rickety transportation facilities, devoid of any enrichment to distract them from this misery and they lack hiding places to get away from prying eyes. Their most basic needs are disregarded: it is impossible to claw anything for the tigers or even simply to drink at will for most prisoners! Not to mention the ubiquitous unhealthiness, with straw mattresses dripping in excrement. In this miserable atmosphere, these prisoners are reduced to taking two steps forward and two steps backwards throughout the day. And when despair takes over, they injure themselves, like Sirius, by bumping into the bars of its cage.

Recreation and punishment

While some prisoners never get out of their confinement, others like Nelly and Brigit have this rare « privilege » to leave their pen for a few minutes a day. Why? To relax, move and breathe? No, of course not. They are led under the tent to do the show. And what a spectacle: the pain of forcing their elderly bodies to sit upon stools, the pain of forcing their feet to play with large balls and the pain of riding on each other or trying to stand and balance on tubes with their front legs.

We will save them all!

This hell must end! Our hard and relentless investigations, the images, the expert reports that we have patiently collected so far demonstrate the obvious distress of these animals and the numerous violations of this establishment vis-à-vis the regulations in force. We not only have evidence of mistreatment, but also serious safety deficiencies which are endangering the general public! We are therefore once again filing a complaint against La Piste aux Étoiles. As for Maya, we urgently also request the seizure of Nelly, Brigit, and the other wild animals, the primates and zebras so that they can be entrusted to us while awaiting the hearing. For them all this period of injustice must end! We will not forget anyone!

Ivy, praise for an outsider

Ivy, praise for an outsider

Ivy, praise for an outsider
23.06.2019
France
Ivy, praise for an outsider
Natural habitat

Common ivy (Hedera Helix) does nothing like the others. Green space managers often see this this plant that spreads in abundance with a negative eye, it nevertheless appears to be particularly gifted in many areas and excels in preserving the biodiversity. Trust it, have some faith in it… and it will take care of the rest!

Eccentric, a bit provocative, the ivy (Hedera), one of the Araliaceae family, does as it pleases. Immediately germinated, its young shoots eager to discover the world spread everywhere cheerfully in most climates and on all types of soil, even the least fertile. The plant is available in different species and varieties, wild or cultivated, across the globe. In our temperate regions, it is Hedera Helix (common ivy) that we meet most frequently, crawling in the darkness of the undergrowth, lining the thickets, sliding under the hedges, hoisting itself upon the walls, climbing tree trunks, rising towards the summits! With its multiple lignified stems, the liana moves quickly and redecorates the landscape in its own way. But its moving work, sometimes spreads over kilometres long and up to 30 meters high, is not to everyone’s taste… And this misunderstood artist has fewer fans than critiques.

A gentle rebel

Armed with pruning shears, or even chainsaws, gardeners perceive ivy as an unruly rascal, too robust to be honest, capable of ransacking architecture, or even killing trees! However, even if the gardener sees it as the original skin head in the garden, it’s not really all that bad! With its shaggy cut and overflowing vigour, it certainly embraces fiercely all in its path, but does not destroy. Equipped with small crampons allowing it to hang on, it’s just looking for supports, if possible vertical, to grow towards the light and in favour of hatching its yellow flowers… Far from it is the desire to parasitize, to suffocate or collapse its supports… On the contrary, and it is even very useful to its host: a natural thermal insulator, it also knows how to protect from humidity, drought, erosion or even animal markings… When it is removed, the surfaces it has covered are often better preserved than those where it was not. Of course, it sometimes happens that old, already cracked stones or an end-of-life tree wobbles under its weight, but this good companion is not responsible for their demise! It only slightly accelerates the normal course of things and the regeneration process.

Other strings to its creepers

Among other qualities, ivy is also recognized as a purifier of air polluted by certain poisons. It is also a valuable aid in biological control, as it harbours aphid predator bugs. And not only! Its evergreen and abundant foliage is visited by a multitude of animals. Bats, for example, like to hang there and many birds nest there. In addition, with a development cycle completely offset from most plants, this outsider begins flowering when autumn arrives and the rest of the vegetation is thinning around. It is therefore a delight for browsers whose basket is less loaded at this time of the year. As a good caretaker, it then offers its fleshy berries (not edible for humans) early on, throughout the winter, with frugivorous avifauna and certain mammals, such as garden door mice or foxes, which love them! Under its troublemaking appearance, ivy therefore has wise dimensions and proves to be an ardent protector of the biodiversity. Take with it its steps by joining in with the Arches of Nature, by letting it become attached to you, it will be able to conquer your heart!

A new brand labeled Fur Free Retailer (FFR): Evelyne Prélonge

A new brand labeled Fur Free Retailer (FFR): Evelyne Prélonge

A new brand labeled Fur Free Retailer (FFR): Evelyne Prélonge
19.06.2019
France
A new brand labeled Fur Free Retailer (FFR): Evelyne Prélonge
Fashion

Designer Evelyne Prélonge offers decorative items and accessories in faux fur. Their appearance and touch are comparable to real, minus the cruelty. Under the FFR label, her brand is committed to One Voice for ethical fashion.

After working for nearly 20 years with Haute Couture houses in textile research and innovation, designer Evelyne Prélonge launched in 2008 her own brand dedicated to the world of high-end faux fur. She thus wishes “to offer a quality alternative to real fur and to show that textile innovations can quite find luxury substitutes for animal fur. The weaving as well as the materials used are of high quality, as well as the quality of the work of the material and the finishes testify to a real know-how for a stunning result”. The collections are available for your home (plaids, cushions, rugs etc.), as well as accessories (bags, gloves, collars, etc.). All items are made in France with the greatest care.

For fashion and decor without cruelty

Today, the company goes further by committing to our cause under the label FFR (Fur Free Retailer). We are developing this international program in our country, initiated by the Fur Free Alliance, a European coalition of which One Voice is the French representative. It is aimed at all clothing and decoration professionals who decide to turn their backs on the deadly trade in animal fur. Many brands have already joined this avant-garde approach. They are the leaders of a responsible and ethical fashion in which beauty is celebrated without suffering. You can find them on our dedicated site which also presents the Animal free label (for clothing and accessories without animal material), as well as our One Voice label guaranteeing products not tested on animals.

The life of a “circus beast” is over for Elyo!

The life of a « circus beast » is over for Elyo!

The life of a “circus beast” is over for Elyo!
17.06.2019
Mayenne
The life of a “circus beast” is over for Elyo!
Exploitation for shows

His name the « circus beast » is Nal (or Nale). We had chosen to give him a free lion name, a solar name: Elyo. On this month of June, he has just been placed in a « zoo-refuge »: La Tanière. It’s still a great victory. The fact that the authorities pretend that nothing happened is not going to change anything: the darkness of the empty truck, for Elyo, is over!

The eyes of Elyo prostrate, one of the few times the truck has been opened. No matter how well he came out of this, the trainers will have to answer for their actions before the courts.

Outrageous living conditions and authorities turning a blind eye

For Elyo, we had filed a complaint for acts of cruelty in April 2018. A veterinarian was then mandated by the Public Prosecutor of Dunkirk. His report left no doubt about Elyo’s ill-being and suffering. Despite this irrefutable evidence, our complaint was dismissed! Faced with this incomprehensible decision, we then proposed to the circus to entrust the lion to us so that we would take him to live on the African savanna in exchange for which we would have helped them to set up a show without animals. The refusal was categorical.

In January 2019: new complaint

The authorities knew, they were aware of the mistreatment of which Elyo was the victim: they had in their hands the certificate from a veterinary expert for justice, the numerous reports of our investigators, the expertise of the world-renowned specialists whom we had called. For months, we kept alerting them.

The circus was still announcing performances until May 26th

In May 2019, Elyo was still plunged into the darkness of the truck, we decided to summon his two trainers to appear before the Laval Criminal Court (by paying, we made sure he had the hearing which he should have had the right to). The « direct order » was given by a bailiff to the trainers of the Buffalo Circus. It was at this very moment that the authorities suddenly had a desire to deal with Elyo. He had to be quickly re-homed, taken out of the circus. So, and while the consignment hearing is taking place, hearing during which we were asked to pay 3000 € so that justice could do its job… Elyo arrived at this zoo.

The end of trailer life. But what of Africa?

As for Maya, the authorities refused all our proposals, pretending not to see the appalling living conditions in which Elyo found himself. But, and as for Maya once again, a place has been found. Elyo will not have the pleasure of setting foot on the African savannah, where a park of more than one hectare in sanctuary awaited him. It is the choice of the authorities, but let them be aware, we will watch over Elyo!

The authorities may try to act as if nothing had happened, as if our fight had nothing to do with it, it will not stand up in court! What would have happened to Elyo if at the dismissal of our first complaint in 2018, we had given up? What would have happened if we had not followed him tirelessly, alerting the State services, if you had not mobilized, you, the militants, the sympathizers? Elyo would probably have ended up dying from constantly banging his head against the sides of the truck.

A great victory all the same

This placement remains a great victory, let’s not sulk or ignore our happiness of seeing him far from this miserable life: the incessant homelessness, alone, locked in a truck, usually in total darkness.

At the Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition, where we asked at meeting after meeting, for an immediate ministerial decree that would put an end to the plight of animals in circuses, we were told: « But what to do with captive animals? We have no solution. » The more the weeks passed, the more it looked like a false pretext. If there was no solution, how to explain that in less than a year Maya, Lechmee and Elyo-to name a few-had found a place outside the circuses?

Should we be filing a complaint and obtain direct orders for each detained individual? And so that they all find themselves, secretly, placed outside the marquees? If this is the solution, then we shall tackle it! Next meeting at the Marseille administrative court on June 27th for Samba!

Our complaint for acts of cruelty on Maya is under investigation, and on October 18th we will be at the Laval court to obtain the conviction of Elyo’s trainers for acts of cruelty. They will have to answer for their actions! The time for impunity is over!

You can support our fight with a donation!

Romania: quiet, we are killing!

Romania: quiet, we are killing!

Romania: quiet, we are killing!
12.06.2019
Romania
Romania: quiet, we are killing!
Domestic animals

The Ceausescu years turned pets out of their homes and on to the streets, many citizens turned into potential dictators of these streets. Stray dogs are tracked down like vermin, they are murdered in the eyes of children… while at the same time violating their human dignity! Let’s put an end to this hellish escalation of violence!

A large-scale massacre is taking place in Romania. Tens of thousands of stray dogs are persecuted and killed every year with the government’s consent. It encourages the entire country through its “law of slaughter”, to get rid of animals that have been left to their own devices. These unfortunates have become the scapegoats for structured violence for those in search of an outlet.

A bottomless pit

In Bucharest alone there are at least 2000 homeless dogs. Their numbers have been fluctuating ever since the 1980s, when the Ceausescu regime banned pets from entering, apartment blocks forcing families to feed them on the streets or to abandon them. Since then, these dogs have reproduced, multiplied, and are now the “the black beasts” for the majority of local residents. Pursued from everywhere, some cause damage, biting, thus fuelling the hatred against them. But rather than contain the problem by implementing a policy of sterilization, the authorities preferred to resort to the expeditious (and ineffective) solution of euthanasia. This has been officially practiced after 14 days on captured individuals who have not been reclaimed. But the truth is that most dogs are executed immediately after capture, or even at the very moment of their “pick-up”.

Horror at every street corner

It must be said that the dog pounds have quickly understood the profitability of these actions… Why do we have live animals, feed them on time, and then preform expensive lethal injections, if only, they could get the premiums up front before catching them? without any form or need of trial? Council employees began torturing and exterminating the “undesirables” automatically, not hesitating to commit the worst acts of cruelty in the streets. As an example, the citizens were not only accustomed to shows of butchery, they even reproduced these acts themselves. Today, it has become commonplace, even in a good way to assert their superiority and/or to pass their stoic nerve by cracking open a few skulls of dogs on their way. Even adopted, vaccinated and “regular” dogs often end up in this bloodbath.

What kind of example for children?

The Romanians are the collateral victims of these unsustainable public scenes: 86% of them have already been witnesses, according to the European Link Coalition. This international NGO, of which One Voice is a member, has undertaken to shed light on the link now established between animal abuse and violence against humans. With them, we urge you to challenge the European Commission and write to the Romanian Embassy in France on this serious problem within a country of the Union. By tolerating such practices that violate the Lisbon Treaty and its values, we are promoting executioners and/or their next victim!

Edit: Article modified on July 11th 2019

The public prosecutor of denies the suffering of angora rabbits!

The public prosecutor of denies the suffering of angora rabbits!

The public prosecutor of denies the suffering of angora rabbits!
11.06.2019
France
The public prosecutor of denies the suffering of angora rabbits!
Fashion

If the State Council follows the argument of the public prosecutor at the hearing on June 7th regarding our request for angora rabbits, all of our arguments will be rejected. It is clear that the State refuses to advance on the question of the dignity of these animals, their rights or their respect. Because even the incorporation of a suggestion to introduce « virtuous practices » concerning the living conditions of rabbits has been rejected by the public prosecutor.

After a quarter of an hour of reading by the public reporter, we could hear all the means available to refuse any regulatory progress on the « depilation » of angora rabbits… If we understand well, the way to recover the hairs from Angora rabbits will remain unchanged, as will the living conditions; as for a ban, there is no counting on this!

This time, the public reporter is basing his remarks on an article by two researchers from the INRA (Institut national de la recherche agronomique) Coat, Fleece and Fur Laboratory, published in 1985, after tests on rabbits. So, nothing would have changed in the knowledge of animal sensitivity in 35 years?

Virtuous practices swept aside by the prosecution

Whether it is to make rabbits ingest Leucodendron which helps their hair to fallout, or to position hot water bottles under their mattresses to guarantee that they will not be too cold once the hair is exposed, it will be left at the judgment of the breeders to decide whether or not to put in place these « common sense measures » mentioned in the article by INRA researchers written in 1985, establishing that their plucking is not « in itself « abuse. As everyone now knows, letting the breeders be judges and parties always gives good results.

Our investigation in six farms considered as special cases!

Our investigation may have shown the positions imposed on rabbits during hair removal in six different farms and has made their cries and shrills in pain be heard, but nothing has helped. Given that the law imposes rules for the upkeep and maintenance of places of detention, and a system of control and sanction, the public reporter considers that this is enough. Our images would show, « at most, isolated cases ».

During our undercover investigation, we suspected that « special cases » would be one of the arguments put forward to counter our demonstration. This is precisely why we did not stop at just one, but went to six angora farms in France. And there is little more…

The suffering of individuals denied

Once again, we are told of the absence of risks for biodiversity or human health, without showing any compassion for the individuals concerned. Their suffering is skilfully ignored, even denied. We would even have had to demonstrate that shearing would be less painful than this « depilation ». Let us ask any human if they find it equal in its method to have their haircut with scissors or have it ripped out by the handful…

The public prosecutor goes so far as to argue, based on this article, that it is not certain that rabbits all have the same intolerance to the cold, According to him, this justifies the lack of need to generalize the fact of putting straw into the hutches or putting a hot water bottle under their litter once the skin is bare in winter!

On the language of animals…

How can an animal express its pain and suffering? How can it call for help if not by screaming? How can it show that it is in pain if not by struggling while its hair is being pulled out and sometimes bleeding? Wasn’t the phrase « twist in pain » created? What is the universal movement for any mammal in case of cold and fear, if not the generally trembling? Do rabbits have to learn to speak a human language to tell us? That they estimate their pain on a scale of 1 to 10 as we’re being asked at the hospital? From what wavelength of tremors does a rabbit feel cold according to the public rapporteur?

We will continue to fight for the angora rabbits, we put a lot of hope in this advert. In the meantime, please keep signing and sharing our petition for them!