The public prosecutor of denies the suffering of angora rabbits during their live hair removal: this is shameful!
One Voice leads a nonviolent fight to defend animal rights and respect all life forms. The organization operates independently and is thus free to speak and act freely.
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.
Editorial of June 27, 2019
The
State Council rejected our appeal to ban the depilation of angora
rabbits.
We
will file a complaint against France with the European institutions.
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!