Moorea is, after Bora Bora, a preffered touristic station. There are two veterinarians on Moorea. Its hotels density is not as strong as on Bora, which contribute to preserve, a few and for now, the natural aspect of the Island. The human population, however, put this Island at the second position for Polynesia. Obvious consequency, on Moorea the Pet number, as directly proportionnal to the humans one, is also at the second place for Polynesia.
Given the current and prohibitive price for sterilizations, the number of abandoned Pets is shocking, thus the number of ferrals is important.
Nature detesting void, any space used by man, hotels included, is visited by Pets wandering for food, even if not always without owner.
Here starts the story of Motu Tiahura's cats, story which may still happen in any hotel in Polynesia, with cats or dogs.
This motu (= islet) is in the resort of the famous and prestigious Club Méditerrannée hotel of Moorea. The reaction of its responsibles is similar to the one of its challengers: Such a misery have no place, can't be shown in a such high-standing area because, according to the moral of this environment, it damages its image for its customers. This moral comes partly from customers behaviour, and partly from the prejudices of the profession.
Temptation was strong to "clean", the adjoining and unoccupied motu looking - apparently - wide enough and with a dense vegetation, useable as a carpet under which could be hidden these "dusts".
This idea was certainly not of an exclusive design, the less reputable of the neighbourghood having certainly put it at their credit since long.
The scandale came from where it wasn't expected: The 17 september 1998, a certain Mary Hackshaw, spending her holidays in the Club, send an incendiary e-mail to the website "PawPrints & Purrs". This one developed the e-mail in its pages, with detailed comments: This tourist saw cats and kittens in a shameful condition, starving to death on the motu. She was shocked, brang some food, but had to return without having time to do something.
This, through Internet, got an enormous audience, people being asked to send a protest e-mail to the Club managers. A lot didn't hesitate. A boycott movement was starting.
Being involved with the hotels compagny, Pet Protection Organisations (not the lessers : the W.S.P.A. itself !) were forced to do something.
The Club managers went in touch with a local veterinarian who came to take away from the motu half a dozen of cats within two days. Then coming into conflict together, things were left like that, for a while.
The Pegasus Foundation - an american association of mondial impact - sent investigators, got in touch with us and with the W.S.P.A., the World Society for the Protection of Animals (working with the UNO and federating more than 150 associations wordwide, 6 billions of members in 1999).
Meanwhile, we got in touch with the 'village' (resort) management team, and we came to the place several times. At this time, Fenua Animalia wasn't yet two years old, thus weak.
Our meetings with the hotel managers didn't give anything consistent, directors at this time having never deigned to greed us themselves. All we saw was some hand-made cat-trap cages, under build, in the official aim to catch these cats "to put them elsewhere" (...), the remainder being smoke screen.
We visited the motu. This showed us that cats situation on the motu, even if outrageous and serious, was less critical than the one that we face elsewhere: All these Pets in an extreme distress with whom we daily cope since 1998.
Our contacts became close with the Pegasus Foundation. We understood that this affair was turning important and harmful for the tourism, our appointment with the Territorial Tourism Director too.
The hotel resort is a private property, consequently official structures can't come in, even if having a will.
From this, and after an exchange of about 150 e-mails the outcome was the official visit of the W.S.P.A. in French Polynesia, in August 1999.
These experts - following our advices - enlarged their mission from this cats distress to the one of all Polynesian Pets. They made a global, and disastrous, assessment, but, above all, they gave us the concepts allowing to get a global and practical scope of the Polynesian situation, and trained us on non-obvious but efficient solutions successfully applied in other tropical countries.
We are very endebted to them, mainly with the 'Délibération Territoriale' (local law) protecting animals, unanimously voted by the Polynesia Assembly, on the 2 February 2001, that they induced in Polynesian minds by their 1999 mission. (see above)
The manager has been fired in the following months and his successor said to be awfully ignoring the story, which shows a particular politic from the compagny...
Since, the Club Med of Moorea has closed, vraissemblably for ever.
There are still abandoned cats on Tiahura motu, and their situation is still the same.
However, this affair has been the catalyst for the organization of the first Massive Free Campaign of sterilization in Polynesia in 2004. It aborted because of the political crisis which started quite at the same time, and which still continues.
Every day, there are tourists understandably hurted by the Pet situation in Polynesia, everywhere. Their revolt, when expressed, helps Polynesia to take in account this society phenomenon: The more we are, the more our Pets are, and which was seen as an epiphenomenon, marginal, in old times, now gets weight, and without well-prepared control measures, becomes a serious threat, each day stronger.
Fitting measures can't be delayed longer. We fight to get measures effectively well pondered. Polynesia, using emergency as an excuse in too many domains, is suffering of too much rash actions. Token measures, when it exists, are too often worse than the disease, leading irreversible catastrophes (Euglandina, Miconia, LFA, etc.)
We do not want ready-made solutions of demagogical and temporary impact only.
The problem outlined by Pets roamings in resorts hotels is serious. Solutions choosen by their managers aren't always of this kind (we heared about confidential subsidies for slaughters, secret nocturnal crossbow huntings, clandestine poisonnings, shots, ...)
As for any society phenomenon, this don't implies only hotels. The right solution will never be in the hands of one person/organization only. Any realistic solution will be effective if, and only if, ALL involved parts work together, well define the solution and apply it all together, otherwise the fail is at the tail.
None can get out alone, neither hotels, nor communes, nor all country administrations, and us, worser.
We wish to see a multi-part structure providing solutions found by debates in community, without exclusion, clearly stated, agreed and supported by all, and built on field experience.
We are more than willing to explain the solutions recommended by the UNO and the WSPA. We would like to take our part in a collectively defined and shared plan, on these basis, even 'Polynesianised'.
Let us get out of the disaster!
Moorea, Tahiti's Sister Island, life is given to be more authentic, more idyllic, but the Moorea spirit has changed a lot within few years. 10 years ago, the channel which separate the two Islands was crossed at least with 45 minutes by shuttle. The arrival of fast shuttles, connecting Papeete (Tahiti) with Vaiare (Moorea) in less than 20 minutes, induced an consistent increase of the Moorean inhabitants number. Due to these shuttles, to live "in front of Papeete" allows to reach the capital easier than from its surrounding communes.
"Country life" becomes a past remember. Vaiare harbour knows a traffic more and more intense, and the Moorea belt (only) road, channeling travellers, inflates with a new stream of vehicles.
The Moorea cows story is the one of a shuttle compagny owner. The management of a ship fleet is quite far from herds, but Mr. Valère Le Prado probably didn't understood the difference among independent passagers and dependant animals. Financial powerness probably takes away from reality and others respect.
Since, his compagny bankrupted, and closed.
This story was old of several years. The oldest elements that we dispose date from 1996. Yet at this time it was obvious that the overgrazing reached an inadmissible level: 169 cows numbered in a place where - at best - can stay only 25 heads. Following years numbers showed to be of the same kind:
How long such situation lasted? We don't know.
The good question would rather be: How is it possible that such a situation is tolerated, not to say admitted, since so long, as it implies a respect out of the law, of the life in society, of others life?
When animals - of any specie - are cell-bound in excessive numbers, the first effect is to use up the available resources, then, driven by starving and/or thirst, they try to escape in this outside which surrounds them full of affluence and freedom.
Thus, Mr Le Prado's cows took the habit to push through or above the fences and to wander around after, on the belt road, night and day, 7/7 days, and for one of the enclosures that he owns in town, closer than 500 m from Vaiare harbour!
Once stated the total indifference of their owner, either to their distress or to the risk under which he put the Island main road users, the perplexity is total. Car crashes have been numerous. Cows condition is shameful: Wandering squelettons wearing members and udders scraped by barbed wires (they don't always succeed their jumps above or through the fences). La Dépêche de Tahiti, the biggest Polynesian newspaper, reported - with photos - the death of a cow, a calf crying aside of the body of his mother.
Doubt take a hood on mind about the true willing of the Responsible Public Structures, in first Moorea Town hall - which can't ignore it, warned by a letter dated of the 15 June 1998 from the Polynesia President, Mr.Gaston Flosse -, Gendarmerie, Justice and Agriculture:
Indeed, how to explain in an other way that this situation lasted so many years? The fact that numerous accidents occured, that all haven't been followed by complaints, when, even, they haven't been followed by visible effects, is very concerning about Democracy. This has been confirmed by our own inquiries putting in light a kind of local Omerta, of silence law by retaliations fear. Witnesses exist who remain silent: This affair stinks Maffia.
Fenua Animalia filled a complain at the beginning of November 2000.
A trial has been done on February 5th, 2001.
M. Valère Le Prado didn't deign to come.
He has been sentensed to a total confiscation of his herds, transport expenditures being taken by him.
Sentence was said of immediate effect:
It was agreed with the Agriculture Minister that cows would be either euthanasied, for those in desesperate state, or put inside the Moorea Agriculture fields (Opunohu Valley) in the aim to be cured and sold after.
M. Le Prado appealled, obviously.
On Saturday 19 May 2001, La Dépêche de Tahiti reports the collision of a 4 wheels drive with a cow > by 23:00 in evenning and is surprised - understandably - that such facts are still possible:
Polynesia endure an endless political crisis since 2004. Governments are changed all the time, ministries are permanently renewed.
The Polynesia Assembly unanimoulsy voted law protecting animals, the 2 February 2001. (see above)
It is inconceivable that in a modern and civilized country - and Polynesia is a modern and civilized country, whaterver some may says - the Animal is treated as a thing, the citizen being hostage of some powerfuls, Democracy and Justice flouted in front of all.
We want Justice, simply Justice, but all the Justice
and we will fight for, even if we know we are not belonging to peoples at power places.
The 31 October 2000 we have been contacted by a Moorea resident, Applied Biology High Technician, Breeding Specialist.
He was coming to us to complain about what he just had lived.
Our investigations learned us that this affair takes its origins by the meeting of two complementary interests, in the rabbit breeding professional environment: A Moorea owner, terminating his business and having not found any buyer to succeed him, put his installations and its content for sale. An other breeder, of Tahiti Is., in Papara commune, was willing to enlarge his own.
The deal was on about fifty cages containing 65 rabbits. It seems that the main interest for the buyer was the cages from start, alive rabbits being for him, more an inconvenience than an interesting affair.
The Tuesday 26 October 2000, the Papara buyer came on Moorea Island to take the delivery.
This tuesday was a pretty hot sunny day, external temperature reaching 32°C at noon, which is quite common in this season.
With the tropical humidity in which we live, it is often a bit heavy to endure.
By 9:00 am, to empty the cages before to dismantle it, rabbits were stacked in a jumble, in the back of a van, in a surface of 3.5 x 2 m, i.e. about 10x10 cm for each rabbit. They remained there until 11:00 am, all glasses closed, under the direct Sun.
For those who don't know Tropics, know that in a fully closed vehicle parked under full sunlight for a couple of hours, we have recorded a temperature of more than 70°C at the steering wheel level. The backward floor being shadowed by the roof can't have reach such a heat, but it certainly exceeded 30°C.
By 11:00 buyer's team came to open the solar oven and to take bodies off, putting panic among survivors, thus their death. The rabbit is famous for his fear (which allows his survival in Nature). He is extremely easily stressed and subject to heart attack, due to adrenalin in excess.
Thus, this operation enforced the Death Wind on survivors.
Even if this slaughter method is rigorously prohibed by law, adrenalin satured animals being unfitting for consumption, the Papara buyer and his team started to carve up bodies on place!
This unspeakable set of things happened under the eyes of neighbours and their childrens.
All were shocked (how to avoid?) and they managed to save about a dozen of rabbits.
Our investigations in the veterinary services of the Agriculture Ministry show that these carcasses have got the approval and were put in the food commercial circuit: The SDR officers have been deluded by the breeder the following day, and didn't detected the fraud.
About 50 rabbits went this way in our plates.
Those among you who bought rabbit during this period have chances to have eat some.
The 26 novembre 2000 Fenua Animalia wrote to the General Attorney to fill a complaint against the Papara breeder.
The Justice closed our complaint.
Consequencies are worrying and heavy:
We are awaiting from Justice to answer these questions.
Our way to dignity and to confidence seems to be long yet, very long.
The French Polynesia Assembly unanimously adopted, on its Permanent Commission report recommendations, the deliberation AT 2001-16/APF during its 1st february 2001 working session.
That day, during the debates before the vote, the opposition blamed the Government to be so late to establish a such text. That one answered that the population wasn't ready until then.
It is difficult to take a stand because both sides were totally silent since very long (both sides greeted us during the WSPA evaluation mission, in 1999, see Motu Tiahura's cats above) and also, culturally, Pets have never been a Social Stake here.
As we explain in our site, the leading problem embarrasses the political world in its whole since decades, but solutions are really not obvious and electorate is a severe judge.
Pets, on their owns, vote only by proxy and are ready since too long ...
The great merit of this law is to consider not only Pets: Wild, reared, and laboratory animals are also taken in account.
The Article one recognises, at last, that "Any animal is a sensible being, and must be placed by the individual or the legal entity which, for any reason, breeds, guards, or owns it in conditions compatible with the biological needs of the specie he belongs to."
The main contribution of this law is to makes compulsory the identification of all animals "which can be." (Art.3)
Education is also part of the rule as any animal purchase must come with, besides of the sold certificate, a document giving information on the animal characteristics and needs, including also, if needed, train advices. (Art.4)
Animal transport is now classified.(Art.6)
The main of the stated penalty are completing, relying on the articles 121-2 and 131-35 to 39 of the Penal Code, for owners and farmers, the general dispositions against animals mistreatments as stated in the French "Nouveau Code Pénal" applied in Polynesia since 1996.
To give any effect to it, a law must be followed by some Application Orders. They state pragmaticaly the principles decreeted by the law, give ruling enforcement modes and penalties contents.
Since the vote no orders have been taken, for good reasons:
Their writing is under the S.D.R. responsibility, alone. The Service du Développement Rural is a local administration.
Its Département de la Qualité Alimentaire et de l'Action Vétérinaire which is in charge of ""the protection of Pets and wild domesticated or captive animals against mistreatments, abusive uses and useless sufferings" (Territorial Order 0446/CM of the 24 April 1995, Art.25) have, in fact, a staff which is mainly devoted to the agricultural production, which can be understood as there is only 6 veterinarians for whole Polynesia ...
A veterinarian is not a legal expert, and the S.D.R. got always big difficulties to owns its one, which leads that numerous texts are, in fact, writen by the veterinarians themselves, for want of anything better, then checked by a legal service in an other administration (thus not especialy free for them).
We have asked the SDR for to have a right to inspect on these orders before their application. Pushing beyond our wishes, the SDR asked us for our help to write a first draft of the orders. But, voluntary citizens, having also to live and eat (thus working elsewhere), our available free time is not hardly any better than their one, and, furthermore, we are not legal experts too.
The application of this law doesn't seems looming.
The fact that this law has been adopted unanimously well testify that all our elected representatives are aware of this problem, have felt that the population, in its majority, is aware and that the disaster extends gives palpable consequencies to our economy.
The fact that this law is not framed in a global strategy, that it has been conceived without any consultation of the involved parts (associations, private veterinarians, communes, etc.) and by paraphrasing French laws explains that its scope is at big risk to be tiny, even if it is, by itself, a true progress.
Simple common sense is enough to understand that to control a such wide Society Phenomenon a single law can't solve anything. The professionnal logics adds that a law is given to define a framework, that it is an indispensable precondition to the action. It fixes the framework, that's good, but that's all.
Thus, to be successful, it sould have to take part in a global approach in which would be implicated ALL the involved parts from start and that information would be gradually broadcasted and explained. Because, to play a new game, anyone first must understand its rules.
To be efficient, it must not only be accepted by all, but, more, defended by all. For that, not only each must believe it, but on top each have to feel responsible of it, in some ways to feel owner of it.
To vote a law without puting it in a global strategy, it is a waste by lack of know-how, or demagogy.
We wish to see a multi-part structure providing solutions found by debates in community, without exclusion, clearly stated, agreed and supported by all, and built on field experience.
We are more than willing to explain the solutions recommended by the UNO and the WSPA. We would like to take our part in a collectively defined and shared plan, on these basis, even 'Polynesianised'.
Let us get out of the disaster!