30.12.2019

Veterinarian Florence Ollivet-Courtois responds to extremists in the animal cause

• Description

  On the sidelines of the last International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo, chaired by HSH Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, veterinary doctor Florence Ollivet-Courtois wanted to respond to the agitators who, from the top of their ignorance, believe they can judge professionals. Needless to say here, Doctor Ollivet-Courtois is one of the rare French veterinarians, not to say the only one, to devote his activity exclusively to wildlife.
  Here is his message:
  “Many ethical subjects occupy the front of the animal scene in the media: bullfighting, circuses, dolphinarium, hunting with hounds….
  We can only welcome the democratic debates which aim to raise awareness of the sensitivity of animal species and to generalize good practices. But people who have indiscriminate arguments, insults, death threats and stolen images as their only arguments actually serve the animal cause.
  Pet shelters are not always nice places to film. If we filmed with a hidden camera in some of them, we would see howling animals, prostrate dogs, cats sick with coryza or stinky, dirt, stress diarrhea, upturned bowls, licking wounds, degraded and tinkered premises for lack of means. However, it would never occur to anyone to treat the people who work for these shelters, who could be accused of taking advantage of animal misery, of being torturers or criminals.
  They do their job, they can be improved as we all are, but above all, there is no alternative to these shelters except euthanasia.
  Fighting to improve animal conditions is legitimate and healthy, but before destroying the establishments that house animals by harassing them on social networks, do violent vigilantes for the animal cause have an alternative to offer other than euthanasia ? How do you decide that death is better than the circus? Have we scientifically established the notion of "psychological misery" to the point of diagnosing it and preferring death to it?
  What makes it possible to affirm that an animal is happier in nature?
  We know that the natural environment is a fable, not an issue for most captive animals. Circus wild beasts have never known this promised land, or even the 10 generations that precede it. Their immune system, their behavior, their genetics know nothing about their country of origin.
  And then, what makes it possible to affirm that an animal is happier in nature?
  Captivity (zoo or circus) leads to an erosion of the top of the Maslow pyramid which is the system of assessment of well-being: the last two floors which include what is related to autonomy, the possibility of making choices and to evolve in stimulating environments to adopt natural behaviors are limited.
  On the other hand, in captivity, care is taken to care for the base of the pyramid: ensuring physiological needs, ensuring security. The intermediate stage on social relations is significantly altered, however. It is this stage that must be improved in some by enriching the environment, conditioning operating by positive reinforcement.
  However, nature is not as respectful of animal welfare as you might think. Indeed, if animals have a chance to assume their choices, and to evolve in stimulating environments, they rarely do so for a long time because physiological and security needs are no longer fulfilled: predators desertification due to intensive farming, lack of water, food, destruction of territories to make roads, crops, poaching, traffic, victims of wars and natural disasters (floods, fires ...) there we have all the combined causes of the disappearance of endangered species.
  In an ideal world animals live their life in nature and this is their place even if its savagery seems cruel.
  But in our world, threats to the natural environment mean that reserves must be closed to protect animals, and therefore control the food chain by introducing methods of managing captivity. Nature is no longer free and intact nature.
  But then, where to put these circus animals? Can zoos accommodate them? No of course, they are saturated and no longer accept to host hybrids or animals from establishments without sanitary approval. And then the associations are also against zoos anyway.
  In this context, should circuses be the priority of associations when redoubled by violence the barbaric practices of hunting with hounds, bullfighting, trafficking in animals to finance terrorism, poaching to supply some with decorative ivory , the others in animal by-products with imaginary medicinal properties?

  In captivity and in the circus in particular, animal protection action should go through the pragmatic and non-dogmatic analysis of practices to change them if necessary and educate them accordingly. But nothing excuses the violence of words and gestures.
  This scorched earth policy: destroying everything for the cause, has already demonstrated its ineffectiveness in improving animal conditions. Recently, associations have been very active in denouncing elephant rides in Asia and calling for a boycott of this type of leisure because they mistreat elephants. Now the observation is as follows: the mistreatment persists since no education / prevention has been put in place and, moreover, the animals are now starving to death for lack of work! We destroyed without creating an alternative, and led the animals to a tragic and deadly dead end, just like the people who took care of it. Reverse all, we must win back the tourists to ride on the back of elephants by asking them to choose now the camps that have good practices!
  But the damage is done, we do not know how to erase slanderous messages and images on the internet.
  The associations realized too late that the problem was not the elephant ride but in only some, the improper care and training of animals.
  Stop destroying everything, educate instead when knowledge is lacking.
  Do not put everyone in the same basket: as in all socio-professional categories, there are good students and some not so good.
  In doing so, the benefits for the animals will be immediate and lasting because the animals will be housed by trained, experienced, sensitive people and the economic model of the establishments that welcome them will be stable. "
  "Learn to love and protect better"
  Florence Ollivet Courtois