No cowhide at "Intervilles"? The release this week of Nagui, which presented the game from 2004 to 2005 and is preparing to produce for France 2 a new version without cows from the Landes, has jumped, starting with the former co-hosts of the game.
"I haven't seen anyone kick the ass of the cow," says Patrice Laffont, who co-presented the game in 2005 with the host of "Everyone wants to take their place." Intervilles without the cows, it is no longer Intervilles . Same observation for Julien Lepers, who threw himself into the arena from 2006 to 2008: "I have never seen a sign that could be considered animal suffering. "
Nelson Monfort, who took over, swears his hand to his heart: "If I had seen any mistreatment of animals, I would have drawn the consequences immediately. "A great defender of the animal cause, via the Pro anima association of which he is the sponsor, the sports journalist adds that" the cow are an integral part of the show's folklore ". "There were bruises in candidates, but not in cows, supports Nathalie Simon, who participated in ten seasons. I mostly saw animals that were well treated. "
"In 58 years, I haven't seen the slightest damage on a cow"
The only one to take up her defense is Juliette Arnaud, her partner in 2004. “Me, the cows, I went to see them every night. My heart was broken, she remembers. They made me sad. At the time, I talked about it in Nagui. Who can prove that it makes them laugh to find themselves on a TV set? They're just super scared and everyone knows that. A cow prefers to chat with girlfriends in a meadow. I really want the breeders to ensure their comfort, but we humans have stupid activities. "
Still, Claude Savarit, who created "Intervilles" with Guy Lux, is also backfire against the host-producer of France 2. "I am a member of L214 (animal protection association). But I did not understand what suffering Nagui was talking about. I fell from my chair. In 58 years, I have not seen the slightest damage on a cow. These critters are cuddled. And they end up living close by, not at the butcher shop. Mayors talk to each other. It is not 50 cities that Nagui has against him, but 2,000. If he wants to tackle animal abuse, he starts with Fort Boyard where critters are piled up, shriveled, paralyzed. ". And he adds, disillusioned: "If I had known that Nagui no longer wanted cows, I would surely not have sold the rights to this popular program. "