SoylentNews

An Anonymous Coward writes:

France 24 reports:

After heroically delivering a message in World War I, French pigeon Le Vaillant died of gas poisoning. A century later, it looks as though he and the thousands of other animals killed in the conflict will now be remembered with a monument in Paris.

An estimated 11 million horses, donkeys and mules were requisitioned during World War I, as well as 100,000 dogs and 200,000 pigeons (including Le Vaillant). While the role these animals played has been commemorated with national monuments in major cities such as London, Brussels and Ottawa, Paris has been slow to follow suit.

"There are a handful of monuments that already exist in the areas that were most affected by World War I, but they were either financed by foreign countries, such as the United Kingdom or Australia, or were built by local communities. Our goal is to obtain national recognition of the suffering these animals endured during World War I," Amandine Sanvisens, president of the Paris Animals Zoopolis Association, told FRANCE 24.

French animal rights groups launched a campaign for such a monument back in May, when they sent a letter to Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo requesting that one be built to mark the centenary of the armistice. Unimpressed, the city rejected the proposal in July. But after months of lobbying, support for the monument grew as a number of high-profile elected officials backed it. When the issue again came to another vote on Tuesday, it passed.

Original Submission