A river hearing this Tuesday at the Castres court. A hearing that was dismissed for the first time in May 2016. And after six dismissals, it was the officials of the Trois Vallées zoo who were judged for a long time. A zoo opened in early 2012 and which at the time had more than 1000 animals. In 2014, this zoo located in Montredon-Labessonnié, welcomed more than 200,000 visitors.
At the helm of the Castres court, the manager and owner of the Tarn zoo but also three “capacitaires” (that is to say responsible for the care of the animals). All are judged for irregular operation of establishments keeping non-domestic animals. And during this hearing dozens of breaches of animal welfare and public safety were pointed out between 2013 and 2018.
Since then, the zoological park has been closed by the Tarn prefecture in December 2021 on the occasion of the escape of a dozen wolves. (Facts which are not concerned by this first procedure). But this hearing showed that from the opening, problems were felt in this Tarn zoo.
“Animal Concentration Camp”
The first inspection that reveals breaches date from February 2013. Then, they will not cease to be linked. And we enter a sad bestiary, a llama sprinkled with icy water, pelicans dying of cold, emus and fennec foxes locked up in prefabs, coatis left without a protective wall, macaques in tiny enclosures or the giraffe who strangles himself in his fence.
Of the letters from former employees read in court are particularly poignant. That of a young woman in particular who compares the zoo “to an animal concentration camp” where it “give sausages and merguez to the duck”.And the numbers speak for themselves: mortality is in this zoo 38%, much higher than in all other establishments. It is even 100% for some species. There are incidents with ostriches, a fallow deer, eagle owls. All this without mentioning the enclosures that are not cleaned, the carcasses of animals that perish on the spot, the food that is not suitable for the animals.
Several crashes
And then there were the accidents during this period. A camel rushing at a healer. A caracal attacking a little girl. And a motorist who narrowly avoids a walibi escaped from his enclosure. During the hearing, we realize above all that the child psychiatrist who is also the owner of the zoo has from the beginning is totally overwhelmed by the management of the establishment. An amateurism patiently pointed out by the president of the court ranging from “hidden work” at “soil pollution” Passing by “lack of care and food for animals”. And faced with questions from the court, the owner repeats tirelessly that he has delegated to the wrong people.
The prosecution has requested a six-month suspended prison sentence of 10,000 euros in fines against the owner of the zoo.
In October 2020, the zoo was closed by order of the Minister for Ecological Transition, Barbara Pompili. Authorities noticed “serious breaches” which endanger “animals, but also staff and visitors” . The administrative court overturned this decision, a few days later, allowing the zoo to keep its animals. Justice had considered that the transfer of the animals carried a serious infringement of property rights