Moulin Rouge forced to drop ‘cruel’ underwater act that used snakes

City hall warned Paris venue against use of terrestrial snakes after animal rights groups stepped up protests

The Moulin Rouge cabaret club in Paris has been forced to drop a long-running act in which terrestrial snakes are plunged into a water tank while a dancer swims around them, amid outrage and growing street protests by animal rights groups.

The historic cabaret club, which was founded in 1889 and whose audience for its dance shows is largely made up of tourist groups, had for weeks defended its use of snakes in a water tank, saying it would continue using them until 2024, the date it had decided to end all performances involving live animals.