Sponsor a Bovine

Sponsor a Bovine
Sponsor a Bovine
Long hunted by our ancestors, wild aurochs gave rise to domesticated cattle. Overexploited worldwide, they have paid a heavy price to the human species for perhaps being too docile and peaceful…
History
Cattle and Humans

Descendants of wild aurochs, domesticated cattle are believed to have appeared around 10,000 years ago, after being long hunted and playing a spiritual role in human communities.

With the advent of early farming, they gradually lost their sacred status (except in some religions) as their exploitation grew: beyond their meat, they were quickly used for their milk, leather, horns, dung, and labor for transport… Today, they are slaughtered by the billions worldwide without a second thought. A terrible tribute to these intelligent and highly sensitive animals who have accompanied our species since the dawn of time.

Teliah

Sponsoring Teliah means offering her the prospect of a serene future after years of suffering.

After being exploited by a circus performer, Teliah found herself abandoned in a field for almost three months. She had no stable to shelter in. Very docile, she climbed into the transport truck on her own when we rescued her. She was suffering from itching and hair loss.

Care
We transferred Teliah to a partner shelter in France, where we provide all her care. At this shelter, dedicated to caring for pets and livestock that have been abandoned, mistreated or almost sent to the slaughterhouse, she is surrounded by all the attention she needs.

Sponsoring Teliah means offering her the prospect of a serene future after years of suffering.

Jessica

By sponsoring Jessica, you will be giving her a taste of a life where she will be loved and pampered.

This shy Highland was frightened when we came to pick her up. After illegally keeping her, a circassian had simply abandoned her for weeks on end on private land, without a care in the world as to what would become of her. During the seizure, her friend Teliah, another cow we rescued the same day, finally gave her the confidence to climb aboard the truck that would take them both to a bright future.

Care
We transferred Jessica to a partner shelter in France where we provide all her care. In this shelter, dedicated to caring for pets and livestock that have been abandoned, mistreated or almost sent to the slaughterhouse, she is surrounded by all the attention she needs.

By sponsoring Jessica, you will be giving her a taste of a life where she will be loved and pampered.

Sponsor a Bear

Parrainer un ours EN

Parrainer un ours EN
Parrainer un ours
Extrêmement discrets, les ours lippus habitent dans les derniers lambeaux des forêts asiatiques. Leur mode de vie à l’état sauvage demeure relativement méconnu. Mais quand on a la chance de les rencontrer, on découvre des animaux affectueux et joueurs.
Histoire
Seule la terreur doit disparaître

Extrêmement discrets, les ours lippus habitent dans les derniers lambeaux des forêts asiatiques. Leur mode de vie à l’état sauvage demeure relativement méconnu. Mais quand on a la chance de les rencontrer, on découvre des animaux affectueux et joueurs.

Les ours lippus (Melursus ursinus) figurent parmi les six espèces d’ours sur huit menacées de disparition. Classée vulnérable sur la liste rouge de l’UICN, leur population était encore relativement stable il y a cinquante ans, mais ces plantigrades asiatiques sont confrontés depuis quelques décennies à la forte dégradation de leur habitat, les conflits avec les humains accaparant leur territoire, ainsi qu’au braconnage pour le commerce de certaines parties de leur corps utilisées en pharmacopée. Aujourd’hui, même s’il est difficile d’évaluer précisément les effectifs de ces animaux très discrets, on estime que seulement 20 000 individus survivraient encore dans les derniers lambeaux de forêt tropicale du sous-continent indien (de la chaîne himalayenne jusqu’au Sri Lanka). Ces ours de petite taille à la toison hirsute ont longtemps aussi été victimes des pires actes de cruauté. Après le meurtre des mères, des montreurs d’ours capturaient les petits pour leur transpercer le nez d’une corde, les battre et leur faire exécuter des numéros de danse. Devenue illégale en 1972, cette pratique abominable a pourtant perduré en Inde jusqu’en 2009. Après sept ans de lutte acharnée, One Voice et son partenaire Wildlife SOS sont parvenus à couper la corde du dernier ours dansant dans ce pays.

Sanctuaire d’Agra

Après sept ans de combat, nous avons délivré le dernier ours dansant de sa corde en Inde ! Géré par notre partenaire Wildlife SOS, le sanctuaire d’Agra est aménagé pour le bonheur des ours que nous avons sauvés de l’esclavage ou du braconnage. Nous y avons financé une clinique devenue une référence. Les rescapés sont regroupés dans de vastes enclos en fonction de leur âge, de leur sexe (pour éviter toute reproduction) et par affinités. Ils disposent de tanières confortables où ils peuvent se cacher, de hamacs pour somnoler au soleil, de structures en bois et d’enrichissements pour se distraire. Partout, des arbres et des buissons assurent à ces rescapés de l’enfer des conditions de vie en semi-liberté proches de l’idéal. Seuls les ours les plus âgés et ayant besoin de soins vétérinaires réguliers sont visibles du public. Leur visage constellé de cicatrices témoigne de leurs souffrances passées et permet de sensibiliser les visiteurs à leur cause.

Mowgli

Parrainer Mowgli, c’est lui offrir un nouveau destin, celui que sa mère aurait voulu lui donner si elle n’avait pas été tuée. Grâce à vous, nous pouvons lui apporter les soins et la joie de vivre qui lui ont tant manqué.

Mowgli n’avait que dix semaines lorsqu’il a vu sa mère mourir, victime d’un piège par électrocution. Il l’a sentie s’affaisser brutalement alors qu’ils étaient en promenade, lui perché sur son dos. Quand ses sauveteurs ont trouvé l’ourson, il était en train de mourir de faim, recroquevillé au creux des pattes du corps gisant de celle qu’il aimait. Les soigneurs ont tout fait pour le sauver et le biberonner. Et le résultat est spectaculaire. Mowgli est non seulement devenu un ours trapu en parfaite santé, mais il a aussi gagné en assurance. Le petit être terrifié a laissé place à un jeune mâle qui se prend facilement pour le roi du centre. Le trublion, curieux de tout, comme monté sur ressorts, a beaucoup gardé de sa nature sauvage. Ce qui ne l’empêche pas de nouer des liens forts avec ses soigneurs et ses congénères. Mali, un ours plus âgé, est d’ailleurs devenu une sorte de père spirituel et protecteur pour lui. Ils sont toujours ensemble à se lancer des défis.

Rose

Parrainer Rose, c’est l’encourager dans sa volonté de se reconstruire et de vivre, en compagnie de ses amis ours et d’humains bienveillants. Par votre aide, vous lui donnez la chance d’être heureuse, même sur trois pattes.

Alors qu’elle n’avait pas un an, Rose a perdu sa patte dans un piège mécanique. Il a fallu l’amputer de son membre déchiqueté pour la sauver. La douleur indicible qu’elle a éprouvée à l’époque a été très difficile à dépasser, tant sur le plan physique que psychique. Et pourtant… Le temps et l’amour qu’elle a reçus de ses soigneurs sont parvenus à faire leur œuvre. Désormais, la brave ourse ne souffre plus et se montre ouverte au monde. Elvis et Bintha, deux congénères avec qui elle partage son enclos, ont aussi joué un rôle majeur dans sa guérison. Ils s’entendent tous trois à merveille ! Endurante et inventive, Rose a su trouver toutes les parades nécessaires pour dépasser son handicap et suivre ses amis dans leurs parties de jeu. À tel point que quand on la cherche, c’est souvent au sommet d’un arbre qu’on la trouve ! Devenue excellente grimpeuse, sachant se déplacer presque aussi vite que ses compagnons, elle est un modèle de résilience et fait l’admiration de tous.

Kamli

Parrainer Kamli, c’est lui permettre de mener en semi-liberté une vie d’ours à l’abri des tortures et de l’esclavage. Avec votre soutien, nous lui offrons la sécurité et tous les soins dont elle a besoin.

Kamli pesait seulement 2,5 kilos quand elle est arrivée au sanctuaire d’Agra, en Inde. Elle a eu la chance d’être sauvée avant de subir les tortures infligées aux ours par les Qalandars pour les faire danser. Grâce aux bons soins de sa mère de substitution, c’est aujourd’hui une belle ourse de plus de cent kilos particulièrement facétieuse… et très attachée aux humains qui l’ont sauvée. Choyée par tous, elle a trouvé la paix et l’équilibre. Elle a aussi tissé des liens très tendres avec les autres ours du refuge, même si sa gourmandise la pousse souvent à leur dérober des friandises lorsqu’ils ont le dos tourné. Parmi ses délices favorites : les bûches de miel et les pastèques ! Mais ses compagnons lui pardonnent facilement ses larcins tant elle sait se montrer charmante et amicale. C’est souvent blottie contre eux qu’elle partage ses longues siestes au soleil. Plus elle avance en âge, plus elle apprécie ces moments calmes et paisibles. Kamli est heureuse et ça se voit.

Jasmine

Parrainer Jasmine, c’est lui donner la chance d’une vie heureuse et entourée d’affection. Avec votre soutien, nous lui offrons tout ce dont elle a besoin, y compris les gourmandises dont elle raffole !

La petite Jasmine est arrivée à seulement deux mois au sanctuaire indien d’Agra dans un état déchirant. Elle avait connu l’enfer dès sa naissance entre les mains des Qalandars. Séparée très tôt de sa mère, négligée, affamée, il a fallu beaucoup de patience et de persévérance pour la rassurer et lui redonner goût à la vie après son sauvetage. Aujourd’hui, elle déborde d’énergie et répand sa bonne humeur dans tout le sanctuaire ! Exemple de résilience, elle a su trouver la force de grandir et de s’épanouir malgré ses traumatismes. De nature pourtant timide, elle a noué des relations complices avec ses soigneurs à qui elle doit tant. La compagnie et le réconfort des autres ours sont aussi essentiels à son équilibre. C’est un bonheur de les voir se donner rendez-vous pour jouer, se poursuivre, partager une friandise, creuser le même puits profond dans la terre et s’endormir ensemble. Souvent, elle se laisse aller à des rêveries, contemplant le soleil d’hiver. Mais quand sonne l’heure des repas, la gourmande est toujours la première debout !

Sponsor a Lion

Sponsor a Lion
Sponsor a Lion
Gifted with physical strength as well as exceptional cognitive abilities, lions have long ruled the wild. After depriving them of their territory and enslaving them, humans must mobilize to protect these majestic felines.
History
Roar to Prolong Their Reign

Gifted with physical strength as well as exceptional cognitive abilities, lions have long ruled the wild. After depriving them of their territory and enslaving them, humans must mobilize to protect these majestic felines.

These great felines are the only social cats. With powerful bodies, highly developed senses, remarkable intelligence, and extremely rich emotional lives (see sentience sheet), they have not inherited their title of “kings of the animals” by chance. They have long reigned over the wild world, in India, West and Central Africa, as well as East and Southern Africa. Unfortunately, these majestic beings have lost their throne. To the extent that their species (Panthera leo) is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The West African population is even “critically endangered.” Lions are indeed victims of many plagues: habitat reduction (related or not to climate change), dwindling prey, human predation (poisonings, trapping, shootings, trophy hunting, trafficking of their bones, limbs, and skin). Persecuted in the wild, they are also in captivity. They are raised on farms in South Africa to satisfy wealthy tourists who enjoy canned hunting. Elsewhere, circuses exploit them by training them to perform degrading acts and imprisoning them in cages where they can no longer move or socialize with their peers.

Semproniano Sanctuary

We have transferred the lionesses we rescued from a circus to the Semproniano sanctuary in Italy. Nestled in the hills and woods of Tuscany, it is a haven of peace for the big cats who have suffered abuse and can no longer adapt to wild life. Here, we continue to take care of them. A qualified team, specialized veterinarians, a spacious, green environment adapted to their ethological needs surround them!

Céleste

Sponsoring Céleste means giving her the immense joy of finally experiencing life in the open air and satisfying her insatiable curiosity. Your support will help her try to forget her long years of slavery in a circus.

Playful by nature, Céleste enjoys playing with everything since she discovered what life outside prison and away from blows looks like. However, when we rescued her, she was in terrible shape. She suffered from a severe tail injury that could be operated on. But despite her past traumas, physical scars, and front paws permanently declawed by circus trainers, she still manages to find reasons to smile at life!

Hannah

Sponsoring Hannah means supporting her in her determination to always remain courageous. By being by her side, you strengthen her resolve to forget her past in a circus and show her that life can be sweet.

Hannah was the first to venture out of the transport crate during her rescue. Yet, the poor lioness had enormous difficulty walking due to the instability of her hindquarters caused by the many blows she had received. Ravaged by captivity and hunger, she was in a state of absolute distress. But she found the courage to lead the way to freedom for her unfortunate companions who dared not come out. Now taken care of in a comfortable environment, she has gradually regained strength and transforms day by day.

Patty

Sponsoring Patty means encouraging her with every step she takes. Despite being severely marked by circus trainers’ blows, she resolutely moves forward. By providing your support, you pave the way for her resilience.

Patty is the most severely handicapped of the three lionesses. When we rescued her, she frequently fell due to a deformation of her left hip. Moreover, huge cavities caused her excruciating pain. Today, she is doing better. Well-fed, she has regained muscle mass, and her hindquarters sag less. We also treated her dental infections, relieving her of her suffering. Most importantly, she shows great resilience and has retained her capacity for wonder. When she first discovered a play ball upon her liberation, she clutched it like an invaluable treasure.

Sponsor an Elephant

Parrainer un éléphant EN

Parrainer un éléphant EN
Parrainer un éléphant
Les trois dernières espèces d’éléphants s’illustrent toutes par leur haut degré de sentience. À la fois sensibles et intelligents, ces animaux sont capables de tisser des liens sociaux admirables. Sachons les respecter plutôt que de les décimer.
Histoire
Un animal sans défense

Les trois dernières espèces d’éléphants s’illustrent toutes par leur haut degré de sentience. À la fois sensibles et intelligents, ces animaux sont capables de tisser des liens sociaux admirables. Sachons les respecter plutôt que de les décimer.

L’extinction des mammouths, ces proches parents des éléphants contemporains, est due à un ensemble de facteurs, notamment environnementaux. Mais c’est probablement les humains qui ont donné le coup de grâce à ces grands mammifères, tant ils les ont pourchassés au cours de la préhistoire. Aujourd’hui, les éléphants de savane d’Afrique (Loxodonta africana africana), ceux de forêt d’Afrique (Loxodonta africana cyclotis) et ceux d’Asie (Elephas maximus) sont les derniers survivants de la famille des Éléphantidés (Elephantidae), apparue au Miocène. Pour combien de temps ? Les trois espèces sont menacées en raison de la perte et de la fragmentation de leur habitat ainsi que du braconnage. Avec des effectifs en chute libre depuis le XIXe siècle, ces êtres aux capacités cognitives exceptionnelles (voir fiche sentience) risquent de disparaître à cause de la folie des hommes qui s’acharnent contre eux, notamment pour leur ivoire ou lorsqu’ils traversent des champs cultivés. Quant aux individus qui survivent en captivité, ils sont victimes des pires atrocités : exploités pour le port de lourdes charges, la mendicité, le tourisme, les processions, comme en Inde, ou dressés dans la violence pour accomplir des acrobaties dans les cirques.

Centre de conservation et de soins de Mathura

Nous nous battons pour protéger la population de pachydermes sauvages en Inde, mettre fin au trafic illégal et sauver les individus captifs. En 2010, sous l’impulsion de One Voice, notre partenaire Wildlife SOS a créé un centre de conservation et de soin des éléphants dans le district de Mathura, dans l’Uttar Pradesh, en collaboration avec le Département des forêts de la circonscription. Longé par la rivière Yamuna, entouré de champs verdoyants, le lieu abrite plus de vingt individus sauvés d’une détresse extrême après des années de maltraitance. Enfin libérés des lourdes charges, de l’obligation de marcher sur des trottoirs chauds, les rescapés peuvent se promener quotidiennement, se gratter contre les arbres, se baigner et jouer dans l’eau à volonté. Ils bénéficient également d’une alimentation de qualité ainsi que de soins vétérinaires.

Bhola

Parrainer Bhola, c’est nous permettre de lui offrir les cent à deux cents kilos de nourriture dont il a besoin par jour, ainsi que des soins vétérinaires adaptés. Avec votre soutien, il goûtera à une retraite paisible et à la joie de vivre, loin, très loin de la tyrannie !

Bhola était contraint de marcher sur le bitume brûlant des routes indiennes pour transporter des touristes ou des matériaux. Renversé par un camion, la gravité de ses blessures a convaincu son « propriétaire » — peu enclin à le soigner — de nous le confier. Au sanctuaire des éléphants, il s’épanouit, désormais libéré de toute entrave. Bhola doit cependant endurer des traitements quotidiens car il souffre toujours d’abcès chroniques, de cicatrices et de lésions physiques hérités de son passé tragique. Les séances de soins sont difficiles pour le vieux pachyderme. Mais l’équipe du centre de Mathura déploie des trésors de patience et de dévouement pour l’aider à trouver le courage de les supporter. Bhola se montre d’autant plus coopérant et motivé qu’il est toujours récompensé par des friandises ! Surtout, il sait combien ceux qui l’entourent tiennent à lui et font tout pour le soulager…

Sponsor a Chimpanzee

SPONSOR A CHIMPANZEE
SPONSOR A CHIMPANZEE
These great apes are our closest cousins. They know how to use tools and communicate in sophisticated ways. The connections they have managed to maintain with nature should inspire us.
History
NO DISPUTES WITH OUR FELLOWS

These great apes are our closest cousins. They know how to use tools and communicate in sophisticated ways. The connections they have managed to maintain with nature should inspire us.

The origin of the history of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) is intertwined with that of humans since we share a common ancestor. Although our lineages split about seven million years ago, we share 98% identical genes. As a result, our cousins resemble us greatly in their social, intellectual, and psychological behaviors (see sentience file). This high degree of kinship and our similarities could have led us to come closer and understand each other. Unfortunately, Homo sapiens is not known for being considerate towards beings it deems inferior, even when they are great apes like us. Consequently, with numbers estimated today at 500,000 individuals, chimpanzees are now endangered. This dire situation has led to their international protection as a threatened species. However, they continue to fall victim to habitat destruction, poaching, and trafficking. When parents are killed, their babies are sold as pets or for zoos and circuses, illegally. The unfortunate prisoners not only endure the hell of captivity and solitude away from their kind, but they are also regularly mistreated and ridiculed by those who exploit them.

Mona Foundation Sanctuary

Primates who have been mistreated by private individuals or come from the entertainment world can get a second chance. In Girona, Spain, our partner, the Mona Foundation, takes in chimpanzees and macaques that have been rescued. With psychological and physical care, they manage to recover from their past traumas. All of them were separated from their mothers at a very young age and did not understand who they really were: wild animals or humans. Through rehabilitation, the monkeys learn, step by step, to discover their identity and interact with their peers. It is a long journey to bring them out of the isolation in which they had been confined for so long and lead them towards belonging to a group, which is key to their balance and recovery.

Victor
Sponsoring Victor means providing him with a well-deserved retirement, with dignity and respect, surrounded by a family of chimpanzees. With your support, we offer him a suitable living environment, with infrastructures designed for his physical and psychological comfort, as well as, of course, the food and care he needs.

Probably born in captivity, Victor was taken from his mother to serve as a surrogate baby for unscrupulous humans. He then spent many solitary years at the Pépinière Zoo in Nancy before being freed by One Voice. It took eight years of campaigning and pressure before his custody was entrusted to us, allowing us to transfer him to the Mona sanctuary in Spain. Today, almost forty years old, he is finally enjoying the real life of a chimpanzee, in semi-freedom. He is thriving and has overcome his shyness to find his place within a group of peers. Always attentive to others, kind, and playful, he even ensures the social cohesion of his community. His abilities are all the more admirable considering he spent a long time isolated in a cage in the past. Besides bonding moments, like the grooming sessions he shares with his companions, Victor loves to play with the various enrichment activities in the enclosure. These activities stimulate his intellect to access treats, and our friend is as intelligent as he is fond of food!

Sponsoring Victor means providing him with a well-deserved retirement, with dignity and respect, surrounded by a family of chimpanzees. With your support, we offer him a suitable living environment, with infrastructures designed for his physical and psychological comfort, as well as, of course, the food and care he needs.

Sponsor a Horse

Sponsor a Horse
Sponsor a Horse
Horses have evolved alongside us for millennia. Intelligent and sensitive animals, they have always fascinated humans. Born to gallop unrestrained, they show us the path to freedom
History
BORN TO GALLOP

Horses have evolved alongside us for millennia. Intelligent and sensitive animals, they have always fascinated humans. Born to gallop unrestrained, they show us the path to freedom.

Horses (Equus caballus) are still in search of their ancestor. While it is known that the earliest representatives of the equid family roamed the earth more than fifty million years ago and that the genus Equus (which also includes zebras and donkeys) emerged around five million years ago, scientists are still struggling to identify which wild species gave rise to the horses we know today. Researchers long believed it was the Botai horse in Kazakhstan, but genetic analyses in 2018 proved them wrong. The mystery remains unsolved. One thing is certain: horses have accompanied human history and survival since the dawn of time. Our prehistoric ancestors hunted them extensively for their meat. They also used their skin for clothing, their bones for making tools, and their hair for crafting ropes. Horses also served as models for representation, as evidenced by cave art.
Later, with their domestication, horses continued to serve humans in numerous ways: pulling plows in fields, facilitating transportation and communication, and taking the blows in battles. Today, these animals, with their extremely high emotional intelligence (see sentience file), are still subjected to numerous forms of abuse: exploited and pushed beyond their limits in horse racing, trained and degraded in circuses, blinded and pierced in bullfighting arenas, abandoned or sent to slaughter when they are no longer profitable. Our species shows terrible ingratitude towards those to whom it owes so much.

Friendicoes sanctuary for retired equines in Gurgaon

We support the Friendicoes Lifetime Sanctuary in Gurgaon, India. Managed by our partner Wildlife SOS, this sanctuary rescues horses exploited by riding centers in Delhi. Due to neglect, overwork, and poor levels of care, the equines develop health problems prematurely. When their « owners » have pushed them to the brink of collapse and can no longer profit from them, they do not hesitate to sell or abandon them on the side of the roads. Thus, broken, stressed, and underweight animals are welcomed into the sanctuary. But, thanks to the dedication of the team, they find the support they need to enjoy a happy and dignified retirement.

Totem

Sponsoring Totem means giving him all the support he needs to finally find respite after years of abuse.

After struggling to survive in a circus, then in a field where his owner had abandoned him for long weeks in the dead of winter, Totem was a shadow of his former self when we took him in. He was very nervous throughout the rescue operation. However, with a great deal of silence, patience and gentleness, he agreed to let us put a halter on him and guide him safely onto the truck.

Care
We transferred Totem to a partner shelter in France where we provide all his care. In this shelter, dedicated to the care of domestic and livestock animals that have been abandoned, mistreated or almost sent to the slaughterhouse, he is surrounded by all the attention he needs.

Sponsoring Totem means giving him all the support he needs to finally find respite after years of abuse.

ORION

Sponsoring Orion means restoring his trust in the human race by comforting him and meeting his every need.

The circus owner who exploited Orion had seen fit to let him roam for many weeks, without care or food, in a field that didn’t belong to him. After a call for help from the village mayor, we were able to seize him and other animals abandoned to their fate. Despite being very nervous during the intervention, he eventually regained his composure on board the truck.

Care
We transferred Orion to a partner shelter in France, where we provide all his care. In this shelter, dedicated to caring for pets and livestock that have been abandoned, mistreated or almost sent to the slaughterhouse, he is surrounded by all the attention he needs.

Sponsoring Orion means restoring his trust in the human race by comforting him and meeting his every need.

Heera
Sponsoring Heera means providing her with the water, food, and care she so desperately lacked. With your support, she can finally gallop freely without any hindrance!

Heera – which means « diamond » in Hindi – was living her last moments when she was rescued in December 2013. Abandoned for nearly a year by her « owner » on an Indian farm, this mare lay among the corpses of ten deceased peers and writhed in pain. Taken in at our care center in Gurgaon, it took her months to regain the ability to eat normally and recover from her suffering. With all the patience and affection necessary, the caregivers managed to reassure and comfort her. The beautiful horse understood that she was now surrounded by humans who only wanted the best for her. Thanks to them and her own resilience, she was able to heal her physical and psychological wounds. She now displays an optimistic temperament and robust health. She is often seen playing with other animals in the shelter, galloping and neighing happily in the field. Her strength and determination are a model for all.

Sponsoring Heera means providing her with the water, food, and care she so desperately lacked. With your support, she can finally gallop freely without any hindrance!

Sponsor a cat

Sponsor a cat Sponsor a cat
Despite their wild origins, cats have forged strong bonds with humans throughout their evolution. After accompanying the first explorers around the globe, they have earned a true place at the heart of our homes.
History
A FELINE THAT EVERYONE LOVES

Despite their wild origins, cats have forged strong bonds with humans throughout their evolution. After accompanying the first explorers around the globe, they have earned a true place at the heart of our homes.

Contrary to what one might believe, domestic cats (Felis catus) are not descendants of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris). Their common ancestor is actually the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica), also known as the sand cat. A paleogenetic investigation revealed that this species, adapted to the steppes, savannas, and deserts of the Middle East, likely approached humans around 10,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, with the beginnings of agriculture and settlement. Grain stocks attracted rodents, and these small felines quickly became valuable allies of the early villagers to protect their harvests. Over time and through domestication, cats saw some of their genes evolve, primarily those related to behavior, making them less skittish.
Gradually, these now-domesticated cats began to spread across the world, initially via Phoenician and Egyptian merchant ships where they were taken on board to hunt mice and rats in the holds. They enjoyed great success wherever they went, from ancient Greece and Rome to China and India, and later to Japan. Finally, they reached America with the European settlers. Today, those with whom we share our homes have become true companions, even though they have retained their hunting instinct and love of independence (see sentience file). However, many of them are abandoned and mistreated by their “owners” or by neighbors who cannot tolerate their presence in the vicinity. Homeless, they often die from hunger, thirst, or cold. Many are also poisoned, euthanized, and frequently subjected to the worst acts of cruelty.

Darjeeling Refuge

In 2002, One Voice opened the Darjeeling Animal Center in West Bengal to address the problem of stray dogs. Before our intervention, many dogs were left to fend for themselves on the streets of Darjeeling. Out of fear of rabies, people mistreated them with kicks and thrown stones. Large-scale eradication campaigns were also regularly conducted against them, cruelly poisoning them with strychnine. We negotiated with the municipality to stop these massacres in exchange for creating a new veterinary center. One Voice funded the purchase of the land and the construction of the clinic and shelter. Since its opening, our center has welcomed, treated, and sterilized thousands of dogs. We also care for cats that have been persecuted. Some of them are released, others adopted, and still others remain in the shelter for life. Additionally, a mobile veterinary clinic visits surrounding villages to vaccinate and treat animals while raising local awareness about their protection. Thanks to our efforts, rabies has been eradicated and attitudes are changing. Making these victories permanent is a constant battle!

Luna
Sponsoring Luna means giving her a life of a happy cat, surrounded by loving humans. With your support, we provide her with appropriate meals, veterinary care, and a welcoming home, so that the street is just a distant bad memory.

Born on an Indian street, Luna first lost her mother, who was poisoned, then her brother and sister, with whom she lived near a pile of garbage. Lonely, hungry, and frightened, she was letting herself die. Dropped off in front of the shelter in a sealed bag by a garbage collector, she was in a catastrophic state when the caregivers discovered her. Fortunately, in Darjeeling, the blue-eyed beauty was welcomed like a princess. Surrounded by affection and attention, she gradually recovered from her traumas and learned to trust humans. Today, Luna has grown up and flourishes far from the memories of her past. An exceptional climber, she loves spending time at the tops of trees. But that doesn’t make her wild. She also enjoys playing with other cats or purring for cuddles. Both tender and playful, she has found her place in this world and amazes everyone who meets her.

Sponsoring Luna means giving her a life of a happy cat, surrounded by loving humans. With your support, we provide her with appropriate meals, veterinary care, and a welcoming home, so that the street is just a distant bad memory.

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