Defenders of the animal cause protested Thursday in Paris against the Paris Aquarium and its New Year’s Eve party, which they believe could harm animal welfare and break the law, something the manager denies.
Gathered Thursday in front of the aquarium, members of the Paris Animaux Zoopolis association denounced the “exceptional New Year’s Eve” organized on Sunday by the Aquarium.
Some 1,500 “privileged” people are preparing to dance “in front of the largest pond in France, with thousands of fish and the prettiest specimens from around the world,” promises a communication on the event.
The Paris Aquarium, one of the oldest in the world and now managed by a private company, has been transformed into a nightclub since 2006. An activity which represents almost a quarter of its turnover.
But the Paris Animaux Zoopolis (PAZ) association believes that these evenings are illegal, a 2021 French law prohibiting “presenting animals […] in a disco.”
“Fish are not attractions or decorations,” PAZ co-founder Amandine Sanvisens told AFP. “Not only are the animals trapped in aquariums, but they are also disturbed at night by sound and light,” she laments.
What the president of the aquarium Alexis Powilewicz denies. “Nothing happens. The walls of the methacrylate pools are 35 to 40 cm, it’s more than triple glazing,” he explains.
“Veterinary reports have never shown a single stereotypical behavior in animals,” continues Mr. Powilewicz. According to him, the nocturnal activity of the place has no impact on the fish, which is confirmed by an inspection in 2019 by the departmental population protection directorate.
Alexis Powilewicz believes that he is not violating the 2021 law either: “We do not exhibit the animals, they remain quietly in their pool. »