The lion of Belfort, emblem of Place Denfert-Rochereau, could soon have a new sidekick. Or rather a sidekick. On November 24, 2017, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, the tigress Mévy, one and a half years old, escaped from the Bormann circus. After a few dozen minutes of freedom, she was shot with several 12-gauge bullets by her trainer.
A dangerous 200 kg feline for some, the black-striped red tigress has become a symbol of freedom and resistance for others. “This tragic event had an impact on the history of the city of Paris,” comments Amandine Sanvisens, co-founder of the Paris Animaux Zoopolis (PAZ) association.
“An act of resistance”
Because it was an “act of resistance” that the association saw in Mévy’s escape. A rebellion against “the imprisonment of all circus animals” which must be brought to light today. Or engraved in the rock for the PAZ, which is demanding a strong act from Paris City Hall for Mévy. She has returned to the charge in recent days regarding this issue.
For this, the association proposed several solutions to the Town Hall: Rename the square in front of the Garigliano bridge, the pedestrian path which runs along the road rue Ravaud, or simply place a plaque at the corner of rue René-Ravaud and the boulevard Général-Martial-Valin.
Ban on wild animals in circuses in Paris
“The story of Mévy must not be forgotten. All the animals imprisoned to entertain us resist and try to escape,” explains the association, which launched a petition to obtain the memorial site. To date, it has more than 13,500 signatures.
It must be said that Mévy is undoubtedly not for nothing in the initiative of the mayor of Paris who, in 2019, announced that she would no longer issue installation authorization to circuses with wild animals. In 2023, the municipality also decided to end pony rides in municipal parks by 2025.
The favorable municipality
This place of memory for Mévy, the PAZ is hopeful of seeing it appear one day. In May 2023, elected officials Laurence Patrice, Anne Hidalgo’s deputy in charge of memory, and Christophe Najdovski, in charge of animal welfare, declared themselves in favor of a place of homage to the tigress, without following up since.
They still underlined the difficulty of finding a suitable place due to “the scarcity of places to name”. Contacted by 20 minutesthe municipality confirmed again this week “to study the possibility of affixing a commemorative plaque to pay tribute to the tigress Mévy”.