Question 44271 — professions and social activities

Summary

Mr. Daniel Labaronne questions the Minister of Solidarity and Health on the development of the practice of animal mediation. This activity can be defined as “a helping relationship with preventive or therapeutic purposes in which a qualified professional, equally concerned with humans and animals, introduces an animal to a beneficiary. This relationship, at least triangular, aims to understand and research the interactions within a defined framework within a project” (definition of the Résilienfrance association). She thus uses the proximity of animals in various therapies: social, physical or even mental. Its growing development can be explained by the beneficial effects that result from it: if practiced well, it allows for a reduction in stress, better dialogue and plays a determining role in behavioral rehabilitation. In this period of social isolation due to the health crisis, animal mediation was also able to play a crucial role with the elderly by contributing to social bonds, in certain establishments. It is also practiced successfully with children with disabilities, restoring their confidence, or with sick people. However, animal mediation is not regulated by any legal text. Since there is no specific training or state diploma, anyone can declare themselves an animal mediator. On the one hand, this can lead to significant risks for human safety, since a poorly behaved animal can be dangerous. On the other hand, this lack of supervision harms the activity of real specialists who have difficulty being recognized as such. Thus, the development of this practice entails the need to supervise it, to delimit the fields of competence and clarify the functions of those involved in animal mediation. Consequently, he would like to know the measures envisaged by the Government to regulate this beneficial practice.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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