Animal rights activists protested in Paris on Thursday against the Aquarium of Paris and its New Year’s Eve party, which could harm animal welfare and violate the law, which the manager denies. Members of the Paris Animaux Zoopolis (PAZ) association gathered in front of the aquarium on Thursday to denounce the “Exceptional New Year’s Eve” event being organized on Sunday.
About 1,500 “privileged” individuals are preparing to dance “in front of the largest basin in France, with thousands of fish and the most beautiful specimens from around the world,” as advertised for the event. The Aquarium of Paris, one of the oldest in the world and now managed by a private company, has been transformed into a nightclub on certain nights since 2006. This activity represents almost a quarter of its turnover.
However, the anti-speciesist association PAZ believes that these parties are illegal, as a law from 2021 prohibits “presenting animals (…) in nightclubs.” “Fish are not attractions or decorations,” denounced co-founder of PAZ Amandine Sanvisens. “Not only are the animals prisoners in the aquariums, but they are also disturbed at night by the sound and light,” she deplores.
This is denied by the president of the aquarium, Alexis Powilewicz. “Nothing goes through. The walls of the tanks are made of methacrylate and are 35 to 40 centimeters thick, more than triple glazing,” he explains. “Veterinary reports have never shown a single stereotyped behavior in animals,” continues the president. According to him, the nighttime activity of the place has no impact on the fish, which was confirmed by a 2019 inspection by the departmental directorate of population protection (DDPP). Alexis Powilewicz also believes that they are not in violation of the 2021 law: “We do not exhibit animals, they remain quietly in their tank.”
However, the administrative court of Paris had partially sided with the NGO Sea Shepherd in February 2022, which was demanding an end to these dance parties. The court ruled that the installation authorization for the aquarium only aimed at the “presentation to the public of animal species,” not the organization of parties.
The court then ordered the prefecture of police to “implement its police powers” so that the aquarium regularizes its situation. A dispute that is still ongoing, confirmed by the aquarium’s management. The City of Paris, owner of the walls of the aquarium in the middle of Trocadéro, indicated that it would soon “review the measures put in place” to ensure “compliance with the regulations.”
