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ANIMALS

Cat video festival comes to Vienna

The phenomenon of internet cat videos is having its own festival in Vienna on Tuesday evening.

Published: 19 August 2014 11:18 CEST
Cat video festival comes to Vienna
A cat, fooling around. Photo: G4ViralVideos

Love cats? Love cats on film? No other kind of home video gets posted as often on Facebook and Youtube as cute kittens doing funny things.

The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis approached this phenomenon in a semi-serious way and called for submissions – soon afterwards, 78 out of 10,000 films were screened open air in front of 10,000 people.

In 2013, Vienna Independent Shorts (VIS) were the first to bring the feline fest to Europe. 

The second edition of the Cat Video Festival Vienna presents "newcomers and cat video stars… in everyday life, sports, music videos, and of course their special field: ignoring humans," the organisers said. 

The classic oeuvre 'Cat peeking over bed.'  Video courtesy G4ViralVideos.

Vice Austria is a partner in the event and will be screening the first part of its four part documentary called Lil Bub & Friendz – a touching story about a "small and special cat and her friends Grumpy Cat, Keyboard Cat and Scumbag Steve". 

The event is being held in the open air cinema at Arena Wien, on Tuesday 19th August, and starts at 9.30pm. The event will move inside if it rains. Entrance is free.

People can wear feline fancy dress, if they wish. 


Design: Nicolas Mahler

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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