The city of Nice ranks 7th in the list published on December 6 by the animal rights activist group L214.
On the occasion of the International Animal Rights Day on December 10, L214 unveiled its annual ranking. Nice appears in the 7th position, out of a total of 127 communes, ahead of Lille (PS) and behind Bordeaux (EELV).
In this top 10 of cities with over 50,000 inhabitants, dominated by Grenoble (EELV), Montpellier (PS), and Strasbourg (EELV), the capital of the French Riviera emerges as the only Horizons commune, a party of the presidential majority.
This ranking has been evolving since 2020 and aims to encourage as many cities as possible to achieve the “A City for Animals” objectives by the end of the term in 2026. Nice has significantly improved this year; in 2022, it was ranked 18th.
“Does the city serve foie gras at official receptions?”
Cities are assessed based on a foundation of 20 measures contributing to improving animal welfare. Each one receives a score based on their responses to questions like “Does the city serve foie gras at official receptions?”, “Can children who wish to eat vegetarian every day at the canteen?” or “Are pigeons being killed?”. Nice scores 44%, while Grenoble, leading the ranking by a wide margin, meets 75% of the criteria.
“It’s a real pride for the City of Nice to have progressed so quickly in the L214 ranking, based on criteria like considering animal welfare in public orders for school catering and actions towards stray cats,” enthuses Christian Estrosi.
The mayor of Nice had dismissed his deputy for animal protection, Henry-Jean Servat, last June, notably due to critical comments on his cultural policy. Richard Chemla, currently in charge of this delegation, aims to reassure: “L214 states that we are well on the way to meeting 100% of the objectives by 2026. I will ensure this.”
The city of Nice can boast of having created two dog beaches on the Promenade des Anglais, allowing animals access to transportation, creating an official card for “feeders” of stray cats, and organizing campaigns like “Les croquettes du soleil” in favor of homeless people’s dogs, which was a great success. These initiatives were largely supported by the “best friend of animals,” the former deputy of Christian Estrosi.