Stop dancing with sharks and jellyfish at the Aquarium de Paris: animals cannot be the backdrop to a disco!

Dancing under sharks and jellyfish will no longer be possible. The Aquarium de Paris, nestled in the Trocadéro gardens, will have to say goodbye to its dancing evenings. The Tribunal administratif de Paris has in fact ordered the prefect of police to put an end to the musical events organized between the pools. A clear decision that marks a fixed point: animals cannot be the backdrop to a disco.

The basis of the sentence is the law of 30 November 2021 against animal abuse which prohibits the presentation of animals in nightclubs. According to the judges, when the aquarium hosts events “mainly intended for music and dance”, it must be considered in all respects a nightclub. And in that context, the presence of fish, sharks and other species is simply illegal, with no possible exceptions or exemptions.

The case was raised by Sea Shepherd France, which had already requested the prefect’s intervention in 2023. Faced with the silence of the authorities, the association took the issue to court, obtaining a victory that today rewrites the rules of the game.

Years of mobilizations and protests

PAZ (Projet Animaux Zoopolis) has also moved alongside Sea Shepherd, which has organized demonstrations and awareness-raising actions in recent years. The associations have denounced the impact of amplified noises, stroboscopic lights and night-time vibrations on over 500 species and thousands of fish housed in the 3,500 square meters underground of the structure.

The aquarium management has always rejected the accusations, maintaining that the tanks were protected by thick glass and that the checks had not detected any critical issues. But for the court the point is not the measurement of decibels: it is the principle enshrined in the environmental code.

A victory for animal welfare

If the prefect does not enforce the ban, the business could even be closed down. An eventuality that underlines the importance of the decision. The aquarium will remain open during the day for visits, but the nights spent listening to DJ sets are now a thing of the past.

For those who fight against the spectacularization of animals in captivity, this sentence represents much more than an administrative stop: it is the recognition that animal welfare cannot be subordinated to entertainment. And every step that distances the animals from the noise of the crates is a step towards more concrete and coherent respect.

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