Document type : Podcast of Interception, broadcast on April 11 on France Inter (46 min)
Authors: Géraldine Hallot, Juliette Médevielle, Martine Meyssonnier
Preview: There will be no wild animals in French circuses in future. Within 5 to 8 years the lions, elephants and tigers will have disappeared as the consequence of a law against animal abuse. Some professionals were already prepared for this change to reflect our times. Others were absolutely not and have no wish to part with their exotic animals. […]
France, which has long been a laggard on this issue, is in the process of joining the twenty or so European countries that have already banned wild animals in circuses.
Within five to eight years, owners will have to say goodbye to their exotic animals. A substantial proportion of the profession is up in arms, like William Kerwich, who is the director of the circus of the same name and feels "attacked. We are having to deal with two crises at the moment, Covid-19 and the ecologists". "There are rotten apples in all professions, but circus people love animals," protests this professional whose family circus has been in existence for six generations.
When the Act to combat animal abuse is finally passed - probably by the end of the year - circus professionals will receive support. A budget of 8 million euros has been allocated.
For the animals, the rest of their new life will have to be spent in animal shelters. There are currently three in existence that cater for wild animal species. France has around a thousand non-domestic animals, including some 500 wild animals, although t is difficult to establish a precise record.
There is, however, one obvious fact of the matter: these animals cannot be reintroduced into the wild. "These animals were born in captivity, have often been in captivity for generations. They don't have the codes, their parents didn't have the codes either", explains Sophie Fernandes, a member of the management team of La Tanière, a refuge located in Chartres. She goes on: "These animals have never learned to build their own shelter, they have always been housed by humans. They have never learned to hunt for food. "All these facts go to show that reintroducing them into the wild is not possible.
This ban on wild animals only applies to travelling circuses, not static circuses such as the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris or zoos and animal parks.
