What will become of the wild animals belonging to the circuses? The question applies as much for the next seven years, seven years during which circuses will be able to continue to hold them without presenting them to the public, as for the following ones. And it will be asked frontally tomorrow, during a meeting between professionals in the sector and the government. Because the law on animal abuse, adopted this Thursday in the Senate, puts, according to William Kerwich, president of the union of the capacity of circus and show animals, the owners of circus to the wall.
If the fate of the thousand wild animals of the 120 current traveling circuses has been the subject of a compromise [il sera interdit de les présenter au public d’ici à deux ans, et de les détenir d’ici à sept ans], William Kerwich denounces, him, an “arbitrary law because there is no animal abuse in our circuses”. “And we were not offered any solution,” he explains to 20 minutes, thus promising a “mobilization” of the profession from Monday.
No less than 800 animals, including 450 wild animals concerned
The challenge is big. According to the national identification file for animals of wild species held in captivity, no less than 800 animals, including 450 wild animals, are distributed among the 120 traveling circuses in France. In turn, the text strikes however “more than 5,000 animals” by integrating domestic species (horses, etc.), specifies William Kerwich.
In September 2020, the Minister for Ecological Transition announced the “progressive end” of wild animals in circuses during a press conference devoted to the “well-being of captive wildlife”. At that time, the minister assured her that she was aware that these decisions were “hard for the professionals concerned”. “For traveling circuses, we are talking more about retraining. We want traveling circuses to persist but to reinvent themselves around what is called the circus arts “, specified the minister, indicating that” an envelope of about eight million euros was planned “to help these conversions” .
A text “sometimes dogmatic to be media”
At the same time, Cyrille Emery, general delegate of the Association for the Defense of Family Circuses, assured him that the end of the presentation of wild animals in circuses would face “technical, economic and regulatory obstacles. And that will never be possible without agreements with French circuses ”. A Cyrille Emery joined today by Sophie Primas, president of the Committee on Economic Affairs in the Senate. The latter echoed this Thursday the anger of professionals towards a text drawn up “without and sometimes against” them. A text “sometimes dogmatic to be media”, she tackled.
Above all, according to William Kerwich, the eight million euros promised by the Pompili team are only provided in the event of “separation of the animal from its circus”. But for the next seven years, seven years during which circuses will still be able to keep animals without using them in their shows. [donc sans en tirer de revenus], what’s going to happen ? “How are we going to feed our animals for seven years and at the same time initiate a retraining, it is impossible”, loose William Kerwich.
Especially since economically, the last few months have already been difficult. Many municipalities have “taken orders to refuse to accommodate circuses with animals, even domestic ones”, since the law is under discussion, underlines the president of the union of the capacity of circus and show animals. “And all the Christmas shows were canceled yesterday, supposedly because of the fifth wave of coronavirus,” he regrets, pointing to a “defamatory title”. According to Peta, the animal rights association, more than 400 municipalities, including large cities such as Strasbourg, are opposed to the installation of circuses featuring trained animals. This without counting that since the first confinement, the circuses have been accompanied “only for sixty days, up to two euros per animal”, still assures the circus man.
“French veterinarians oppose euthanasia”
So what to do? Choose the option of zoos, refuges? The problem with these animals is that they were all born in captivity, from supervised breeding lines. Vaccinated, healthy carriers of certain diseases, they are not allowed to join their wild congeners in freedom, at the risk of permanently extinguishing the species. And a tiger in captivity with a life expectancy of twenty-five years, the question of the future seriously arises beyond the seven-year period, knowing that “French veterinarians are opposed to euthanasia”, explains William Kerwich.
The latter also estimates that the envelope of eight million euros is “a premium for abandonment”. And to cite the example of dolphins from the Asterix park “sent to the United Arab Emirates in smaller basins”. “Nothing has been planned for the fate of these animals. No doubt we will have to bring 500 wild beasts to the yard of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and leave them to them? Will it be necessary to euthanize them which would be a shame? Should we keep them without being able to make them participate in shows? And with what financial means? “Asks Cyrille Emery for his part.
TO 20 minutes, the general delegate of the Association for the defense of family circuses assured that the law on animal abuse did not concern circuses “since they do not abuse animals”. “Our circuses will continue for the next seven years to present non-domestic animals to the public. And afterwards, they will continue to present domestic animals [chevaux, chiens, dromadaires, etc.] », Loose Cyrille Emery, stressing that traditional circuses (with animals) gather 13 million spectators each year against a million for contemporary circuses.