Document type : article published on the Quatre Pattes website
Author : Quatre Pattes
Preview: A number of provisions relating to wild animals in captivity that are outcomes of the French law against animal abuse (November 30, 2021), come into force on December 1, 2023. Although the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food has published all the regulatory texts required to enforce the law, the laws operation is being held back by Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion. Animal protection NGOs view this delay as the manifestion of a lack of political will to implement the law.
On December 1, the following will come into force:
- a ban on the reproduction, acquisition or sale of wild animals in traveling circuses,
- a ban on bear and wolf shows,
- a ban on the presence of wild animals in television studios.
On the first matter, there is still no information from the Ministry on what measures are to be taken to ensure its effectiveness. With no sanctions or means of control and monitoring set out in the regulations, the Ministry is leaving the door wide open to the potential trafficking of wild animals, particularly big cats. As for the ban on bear and wolf shows, the Ministry has allocated no support to encourage trainers to entrust their animals to suitable facilities, nor has it even engaged with the the organisations that volunteered to take in animals as soon as the law was passed. In their report on the implementation of the law, the French parliamentary representatives Anne-Laurence Petel and Danielle Simonnet took the view that a circular should be "sent to mayors, particularly those who organize medieval pageants, to inform them of changes in the legislation". This has not been done. It should be remembered that the law also prohibits shows using wolves cross-bred with dogs, and that a mayor will not necessarily be able to tell the difference between a wolf, a dog or a crossbreed between these two species. Last, as far as TV shows are concerned, controls need to be tightened. There should be a policy of zero tolerance.
