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OFFBEAT

Bear taken to disco in Brittany and internet gets very angry

The appearance of a bear in chains in a nightclub in Brittany, western France has sparked a grizzly reaction online.

Bear taken to disco in Brittany and internet gets very angry
Photo: Screengrab/Facebook

The bear was at the Scala nightclub in the town of Guipry-Messac, between Redon and Rennes on Saturday as part of a circus night.

But Facebook and the Twittersphere were left shocked.

“Scandalous”, “pitiful”, “shameful” were just some of the adjectives used to describe the photos that were shared of the bear in the club.

Many blasted the nightclub for organising the event and alerted animal rights charities.

Below the pictures on Facebook a comment read: “Shameful. We need to boycott this nightclub. Animals are not toys.”

Another read: “Welcome to the middle ages”.

And another: “Wild animals have got no place in a f**king nightclub.” 

There were hundreds of other similarly invective comments directed towards the nightclub owners.

A petition to end the practice quickly garnered over 2,000 signatures.

The Scala nightclub has not responded to the outrage.

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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.

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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