One Voice files a complaint after spotting Samba, the last circus elephant, in Eure-et-Loir

The animal rights association, One Voice, announced on its X feed (formerly Twitter) that Wednesday June 26, 2024 his intention to file a complaint against a circus which was passing through Illiers-Combray (Eure-et-Loir) in mid-June.

One Voice says it wants to fight for Sambaaged 39, “ the last circus elephant in France » and whose association denounces the conditions of detention “ in a miniature enclosure“. She wants her to be taken out of this circus and into a shelter.

For the first time images of Samba seen from the sky

“For the first time, Samba is shown from the sky, and the smallness of her enclosure with it. We are filing a new complaint on the basis of these images and asking that she be placed in a sanctuary,” the animal association indicates in the preamble on its website.

For the first time shooting in this way because, for One Voice it is a long-term fight against the owner of the circus and his trainer.

Met in November 2023 by our colleagues from Parisian the latter for his part mentioned “harassment” on the part of the association refuting any accusation of mistreatment.

“A tiny, makeshift enclosure… and solitude”

One Voice, for its part, evokes “a makeshift enclosure, tiny, empty of any occupation, and solitude”.

Total boredom for this intelligent and sociable animal, which, in the wild, travels several tens of kilometers per day with its family. A sedentary lifestyle is the leading cause of arthritic disorders and pain in captive elephants, as confirmed by the numerous scientists who have examined our images of Samba. Her left rear leg is hurting, there’s no doubt about that. On several occasions, she lifts it to relieve the pressure caused by lack of activity and her excess weight.

“Forced to perform ridiculous numbers”

The association also denounces the shows presented in this circus, “guided by a stick and under the threat of a hook, Samba is forced to perform ridiculous “numbers””.

One Voice also notices the now presence of headbands on the ankles. “Could this be to hide injuries from public view? »

With the words of an expert contacted by her: “the exercises carried out during the show can also be a factor contributing to lameness. »

And the association assures that “everything is ready to welcome him. A place awaits him in a sanctuary, the transporters are operational. We have the capacity to organize his transfer and we are committed to taking care of everything. All that is needed is the agreement of the authorities.”

So she just filed a complaint again. “We continue to fight for Samba, so that she is not sent to a zoo-dying like Babynor ends his life prisoner of a circus.

One Voice, in support of its approach, invites animal rights activists to sign its petition requesting its placement in a sanctuary.

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