“Building a retirement home for elephants”: this association runs for animal welfare

His passion for animals was simply too strong. “I missed it,” says Nicolas Vignaud, who founded the association Courir pour les Animaux in 2017. Forced to leave his job as a zookeeper, Vignaud, known as Nyko, took part in two Course des Héros events in Lyon and Paris to raise money for P-WAC, whose mission is to protect chimpanzees. At first, it was just him and his partner. The team gradually grew. “There were six of us later on, including a few friends and my brother.”

Each year, the association’s roughly 40 members select four or five projects, including one overseas initiative, at their general meeting in December. “We support Foli’chons, which specializes in caring for and rehoming guinea pigs,”. The father of two also helped fund the purchase of walkie-talkies in Congo for P-WAC. “The connection isn’t as good as it is in France. The keepers have to cover 200 hectares.” Some loves never fade. You never forget your first one.

Amélie, from a few kilometres of walking to four marathons a year

“We use sport as a way to communicate.” In their distinctive yellow jerseys, these animal lovers raise money by selling merchandise. “We had a stall at the Christmas market and at a music festival near Dijon.” Running brings them little, if any, money, but joining the group can be a genuine journey of self-discovery. “Amélie, one of our members, used to walk a few kilometres at first. Now she runs three or four marathons a year,” he says.

His fondest memory remains the elephant sanctuary in Bussière-Galant, in Haute-Vienne. “We helped them twice. The plan is to create a retirement home for elephants. We bought mini-excavators and wheelbarrows, then replaced them two years ago,” says the Barges resident from Côte-d’Or. Supporters sometimes come with their share of surprises. “A woman used to call me regularly. It was bordering on harassment. Once she had received the horse feed, we never heard from her again.” The association president is still devoted to running, but he also tried his hand at the Dijon triathlon in late May, encouraged by his 10-year-old son Luke, who competes in the sport. “I used to take him to training. I thought I’d give it a go too.” His fluorescent shirt won’t be turning yellow anytime soon…

Making the useful enjoyable. That, in two words, sums up the philosophy of Courir pour les Animaux. Led by Nicolas Vignaud and his team, the association helps a wide range of animals live in better conditions.