Originally initiated by a couple, the zoo-refuge La Tanière has grown with now 90 employees and 700 animals cared for by the team. A huge surge of solidarity on social networks has saved this structure threatened since the health crisis.
“La Tanière is a hospital, a retirement home, a home solution for animals who don’t have one, who no longer have one”, explains Patrick Violas, founder of the structure, with his wife. For him, refuge is “a bit like the Restos du Coeur where food and lodging will always be offered for an animal”. Since its inception, the Lair has saved 3,500 animals.
“What matters to us is animal welfare”
To collect these animals in the best possible conditions, La Tanière has brought together many professionals. 90 employees are requisitioned to operate the park, starting with the keepers. “It takes three times as many keepers here as in a normal park”, explains Patrick Violas. Often removed from laboratories or the entertainment world, these animals above all need attention and care: “We can’t just hand out the food and walk away”.
To feed all his animals, three people are loaded into the central kitchen. Specific regimes, names of residents on the bowls, all the preparations are measured and appointed, with sometimes very specific requests for each one. “As we only have animals that have had problems, we only give very good food. We give a little bit of recovery from a few supermarkets which only represent 5 to 10% of the total”, says Patrick Violas. The food-related budget represents €4,000 to €5,000 per day, or just over one million euros per year. Finally, a dozen people are busy maintaining the park.
“This covid cost us 7 million euros”
With the health crisis, La Tanière encountered significant economic difficulties, in particular with the closure of the place for sixteen months. Because to finance this refuge, the structure opens its doors to the public as a zoo. “Together with donations, these two sources of income allow us to balance the budget. And then, when you turn the key here every morning, it costs €20,000, if nothing special happens. Unfortunately, there are many days when special things don’t happen.”, specifies Patrick Violas. Because care, interventions and operations are an important part of the expenses.
The crisis put the shelter in big trouble as half of the funding was on hold and the demand for animal placement was only increasing: “I remind you that there are 90 employees here, that we could not put people on technical unemployment because we need everyone to take care of our animals. This Covid cost us 7 million euros. And despite the million aids we had, it’s not enough, it only blocked 15%”.
The couple then appealed for the donation through a video posted on social networks. “We still had a hole to plug of 2.5 million euros. We recorded a video that we launched first on social networks. This video I will remember…”. In a fortnight, the couple manages to raise the expected sum to boost the economy of La Tanière. “It’s a very beautiful story, it’s an extraordinary chain of solidarity, it’s the strength of the public, it’s the good side of social networks”, confides Patrick Violas.