sanctions relatively little applied

“Abuse is everywhere” says Anne-Claire Chauvancy, president of the Action Protection Animale (APA) association, which has just launched an awareness campaign. Neighbors, family… the perpetrators of violence against animals “voluntary or not” can be “anybody”. This is why the president of APA invites all those who notice abnormal behavior to “report”. She adds : “If no one speaks, the animals cannot speak for themselves and it is essential that the information is brought to the attention of the authorities so that there can be possible care for the animal in danger.”.

“We can never really know what is happening behind the closed doors of our homes”

Last year, the government recorded “around ten thousand cases of mistreatment recorded following procedure by gendarmes and police stations” in France, explains Anne-Claire Chauvancy. “These figures are completely below reality because in reality, there are a huge number of cases which are not the subject of a procedure and which, as a result, are not taken into consideration in these statistics” specifies the president of APA.

Last year, progress was noted, “On paper” only, indicates Anne-Claire Chauvancy. The government voted to increase the sanctions incurred in the event of mistreatment. It also put in place “animal representatives in police stations and gendarmes”. But in reality, sanctions are relatively rarely applied. “Perhaps magistrates are lacking awareness of this scourge” comments Anne-Claire Chauvancy. She also regrets that the animal references are “not sufficiently trained, do not know the procedures and do not necessarily know how to apply them”. To conclude, the president of APA recalls the importance of reporting to a police station or gendarmerie when there is suspicion of a case of animal abuse.