GRAPHIC VIDEO: R.I.P… PAWS Says Goodbye To Beloved Asian Elephant Annie.‏

It is with very heavy hearts that we at PAWS share news of the passing of our dear friend, Asian elephant Annie – best known for her joyous romps in the lake that is part of our Asian elephant habitat at the ARK 2000 sanctuary. She had endured severe arthritis and foot disease, which gradually worsened over many years. After it became clear that the medications and treatments used to treat her chronic conditions were no longer providing relief, she was humanely euthanized on Tuesday, while lying on soft soil and surrounded by those who cared for and loved her. At age 55, she was among the oldest Asian elephants in North America.

“Everyone at PAWS will miss Annie. She was a very special elephant,” said PAWS president Ed Stewart. “I’m proud we were able to give her a peaceful and more natural life at the PAWS sanctuary for nearly 20 years. We restored her dignity and gave her the care and respect she deserved.”

Annie was born in Assam, India, around 1960, and taken from her mother at a very early age for use in the zoo industry. She was immediately put on display in a zoo in Wisconsin, where she spent much of her life chained to a concrete floor.

In 1994, the nation was shocked by videos showing Annie and her companion Tammy being cruelly trained. While held by ropes and chains handlers “broke” the elephants, mercilessly beating them into submission. This was no undercover video; the zoo recorded the training session as instruction for other keepers. (This footage was included in the 2013 HBO documentary, “An Apology to Elephants,” narrated by actress and comedienne – and friend of PAWS – Lily Tomlin.) Under public pressure, the zoo opted to relocate the elephants to PAWS.

Annie arrived at PAWS in 1995, rescued from the Wisconsin zoo with Tammy, who passed away in 2003 at age 52 from chronic foot disease and arthritis – the leading causes of death for elephants in captivity. Despite their great intelligence and size, in captivity elephants are forced to live in small, barren enclosures that cause a multitude of physical and psychological harms. Their social, physical and psychological complexities may make them one of the most deprived of all captive wild animals.

Annie keeps cool in the lake, provided for all the animals; this is as free as any captive animal can be, pure heaven for all!

Annie’s life at the PAWS ARK 2000 sanctuary was far closer to what elephants naturally need. She had a sprawling habitat in which to roam, elephant companions, soft grass to lie down and nap on, and a lake in which she loved to bob, splash and swim. It was always a joy to see Annie enjoying her habitat – something we often shared with you on our Facebook page and on Youtube.

Over the years, Annie experienced a variety of health problems, including an injury caused by a bull elephant during forced mating. Her arthritis and foot problems had progressed, including a severe foot abscess. In 2012, Annie tested positive for tuberculosis, but never exhibited symptoms of the disease. Her general condition remained good, including normal appetite and weight, but Annie’s arthritis and foot disease ultimately made movement unbearably painful for her. Tuberculosis has been diagnosed in many elephants used for circuses and to give rides, and in zoos such as the Oregon Zoo and St. Louis Zoo.

It is a sad fact that by the time most elephants come to PAWS they are suffering the debilitating effects of a life spent in inadequate captive conditions. Annie was no exception. Had she remained in her native home, she likely would have been leading a full and enriched life today, surrounded by a family of her own.

“Our job at PAWS is to restore dignity to captive elephants and, for elephants like Annie and Tammy, give them a life free from beatings and chains,” explained Ed. “We did our best for them, and continue to make a significant difference in the lives of all the elephants and other wild animals under our care.”

As is customary for all elephants that pass away at PAWS, a necropsy is being performed on Annie’s remains by pathologists from U.C. Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and tissue samples sent to a laboratory.

PAWS thanks everyone who has ever cared about and supported Annie and helped give her – and all of the wild animals at PAWS – a life of dignity, serenity, and love. On behalf of Annie and everyone at PAWS, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts

“This next video shows pure brute strength by keepers to make Annie lay down. Watch closely & see how the bull hook is gouged into her skin to make her first lay down, then stand; Annie cries out in pain as she is manhandled, she could easily have harmed her trainers, but she didn’t. Now, listen very closely as the keepers talk about how to get her to lay down, near a diagram, around 5.29..(I can hear what sounds like an electrical shock prod) …I bet they were using it on Annie…vile acts of cruelty; just for the publics entertainment!! Annie must have thought she was in heaven when she was moved to PAWS; she finally had some freedom to behave like an elephant should, larking about in the lake & making friends with other free elephants,. I’m so grateful to PAWS for giving Annie her freedom & final home, her final resting place of peace, tranquility & compassion…God bless her soul!”

1989: Zoo training tape of Annie.

Warning: Contains graphic images that are hard to watch.

Uploaded on 5 Oct 2011

Asian elephant Annie, and her close companion Tamara, shared an elephant barn/enclosure at the Milwaukee Zoo until 1994, when videotaped recordings of cruel beatings and abusive training elicited public demands that the two elephants be sent to the PAWS sanctuary. Today Annie (Tamara died in 2002) spends her days roaming and grazing among the trees, swimming in the lake, dusting and mud-bathing before lying down to sleep on a sunny hillside.

The archaic management of elephants by zoos that have been using the Free Contact system, has been the focus of controversy between AZA and animal welfare organizations, as well as many zoo professionals who advocate the use of Protected Contact management, a safer and kinder approach to elephant management.

Free Contact allows elephant keepers and handlers to share the same space with the elephant while using the cruel weapon known as the bullhook, the ankus, or the “guide”, to control the animal and to protect the handler. This system has caused injury and death to keepers and considerable suffering to elephants. Protected Contact requires that keepers work with the animal behind barriers and eliminates the use of any weapon or punishment for the elephant. It is a system that ensures the safety of the keeper and the welfare and comfort of the elephant.

In August of this year, The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) board of directors has approved new standards that will maximize occupational safety of elephant care professionals at AZA-accredited and AZA-certified facilities. The recent release of this new policy by AZA is a giant first step toward maximizing the physical and psychological health of the elephants as well.

The Elephant Manager’s Association opposes these new standards. In a recent statement, EMA wrote: “It is the opinion of the EMA that evaluations and decisions of this sort are best made by elephant care professionals intimately involved in the program as opposed to policy makers that casually observe from a distance.”

PO Box 849

Galt, CA 95632

(209) 745-2606

info@pawsweb.org

www.pawsweb.org

 “TORTURE CHAMBER…JUST THINK ON, THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE AN ELEPHANT IN A CIRCUS OR EVEN A ZOO…THIS IS HOW THEY WERE FIRST SNATCHED FROM THEIR MOTHERS IN THE WILD; THEN TORTURED, SO THEY WOULD ACCEPT THE COMMANDS OF HUMANS; FOR THE SOUL PURPOSE OF ENTERTAINING HUMANS…HORRIFIC!!”

 VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED…BUT IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW ELEPHANTS SPIRITS ARE BROKEN SO HUMANS CAN USE THEM…PLEASE WATCH!!

Published on 8 Mar 2012

Here are the images of the training of wild elephants that are caught for the tourist trade. Please remind yourself and tell others that by visiting elephant camps you are supporting this!

Edwin Wiek of the WFFT and Khun Lek (Sangduan Chailert) of ENP are now targeted by the DNP for speaking up about the illegal wild elephant poaching and trade. This video shows what the DNP doesn’t want you to see or know about!

Portland’s New Baby Elephant Belongs To ‘Have Trunk Will Travel’

A baby elephant born at Portland’s zoo last week may be fated to a life with a controversial travelling elephant show that rents out pachyderms to the entertainment industry, stages circus like events and offers elephant rides at $500 an hour, The Seattle Times has found.

The newborn calf is the property of a private company, Have Trunk Will Travel, of Perris, Calif., which assumes ownership of the newborn within a month.

Last Friday’s birth of a 300-pound Asian female at the Oregon Zoo sparked public celebration and generated national news. The zoo industry promptly declared the event a victory in its quest to preserve and propagate an endangered species.

But the newborn calf doesn’t legally belong to the Portland zoo. Instead, it is the property of a private company, Have Trunk Will Travel, of Perris, Calif., which assumes ownership of the newborn within a month, according to a contract between the Oregon Zoo and the company that was obtained by The Times.

Oregon Zoo officials quietly cut a deal to give up the second, fourth and sixth offspring between Rose-Tu, owned by the zoo, and Tusko, a prolific male owned by Have Trunk Will Travel. Last week’s birth was the second offspring between the pair.

The Times’ discovery of the breeding contract highlights the dark side of elephant captivity, in which zoos are desperate to breed more elephants at any cost. The Times reported this week in a two-part series, Glamour Beasts, that elephants are dying out in America’s zoos. Zoos have depended on elephants as crowd pleaser’s and revenue generators, but for every elephant born, on average two others die, a Times analysis has found.

Since 2005, the industry’s trade group, Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), has aggressively promoted breeding efforts to counteract declines in captive elephant populations. Just 288 elephants remain inside 78 U.S. accredited zoos.

Kari Johnson, who co-owns the business with her husband, Gary, confirmed Monday that Have Trunk Will Travel owns legal rights to the newborn under a contract signed with the Oregon Zoo in 2005. Details of the newborn’s future have not been worked out, she said.

“We are just thrilled,” Johnson said. “We’ll go for a visit soon. I just want to hug her.” “I wonder how long it will be before she is being forced to perform, not much older than the little one in the video?”

Hova Najarian, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Zoo in Portland, initially denied knowledge of the contract, saying Friday the unnamed newborn “is here for life.”

After The Times provided a copy of the contract, zoo officials responded with a statement:

“The contract is valid. As per the agreement, official designation of ownership takes effect after the calf has lived 30 days. Once that happens, the Oregon Zoo will be in discussion with Have Trunk Will Travel regarding ownership, and it is the zoo’s intent to retain Rose-Tu’s calf.”

At a Tuesday morning press conference, zoo director Kim Smith said the zoo is negotiating with the company to take ownership of the calf. She expects the calf to live at the zoo permanently.

But under terms of the contract, the zoo does not have the power to keep the elephant if Have Trunk Will Travel wants to take possession.

The contract, signed in June 2005, stipulated that Have Trunk Will Travel would transfer their male elephant, Tusko, to the Oregon Zoo. Records show that Tusko, now 40, arrived the following month; he remains at the zoo.

Because elephant gestation takes 20 to 22 months, breeding males may stay at zoos for many years.

Have Trunk Will Travel owns five Asian elephants, ages 27 to 47. In 2010, its 4-year-old Asian male succumbed to the fast-acting elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus (EEHV), which may spread by contact and kills only elephants. “The baby that died was called JP, he was the fourth baby elephant to be born at Have Trunk Will Travel, Rose-Tu his mum, was not able to conceive naturally, so JP’s birth was achieved through artificial insemination. 

The company has generated controversy over its 30-year history for its use of chains and bullhooks — long-handled, clawed-end training tools used to discipline elephants and train them to perform tricks. “I Think they mean force them to do tricks, no elephant in the wild stands on it’s trunk or hind legs (except when mating) I find it appalling that these amazing animals can be treated so poorly in captivity when there are so few wild ones left. We should not keep them incarcerated in zoo’s etc. Captive elephants can’t go back to the wild, but they can go to a sanctuary that is the closet to their natural habitat…

“PAWS Sanctuary would be heaven for any captive animal, especially for elephants to live in. The elephant habitat at ARK 2000 provides the elephants with hundreds of acres of varied natural terrain to roam, lakes to bathe in, and state-of-the-art elephant barns equipped with heated stalls and therapeutic Jacuzzis.”

Have Trunk Will Travel faces mounting criticism for offering elephant rides at regional fairs and zoos. “It takes a split second for an elephant to turn…probably because they have had enough of being jabbed & poked, forced to do degrading tricks that are detrimental to their health…so they loose it, & lash out! But as usual there will have to be an accident where someone gets hurt; before something can be done about it!”

Kari Johnson said the company’s elephant rides at wedding events is a fast-growing revenue stream. “My God, is there nothing these people aren’t prepared to do for $$$$ How degrading for the largest land animal on earth to have to do! With a mass just over 5 kg (11 lb), elephant brains are larger than those of any other land animal. A wide variety of behaviours associated with intelligence have been attributed to elephants, including those associated with grief, making music, art, altruism, play, use of tools, compassion and self-awareness.”

“Imagine the groom carried high atop an elephant as friends and family dance around him,” the company’s website reads. “The elephants are beautifully decorated and are accustomed to taking part in Indian weddings.”

The company has also provided elephants for such films as “Operation Dumbo Drop,” “Larger Than Life” “George of the Jungle,” “Jungle Book” and “Evan Almighty.”

Have Trunk Will Travel practices unprotected contact with elephants, using bull-hooks to control the animals. The practices are prohibited at most zoos. Even so, the company is accredited by the AZA. “To train an elephant to do circus tricks, it has to be hands on, with a bull hook & an electric shocker…how do you think they get them to do the tricks? Watch the video below to find out!“

As a result, the travelling show is free to breed its elephants and exchange off spring with most U.S. zoos.

Tusko’s first calf with Rose-Tu was born in August 2008, a male named Sumudra. After the delivery, Rose-Tu went into a “frenzy,” zoo officials said, and stepped on her newborn. “Is there any wonder? Captive elephants giving birth have many people surrounding them, the mothers feet are usually chained up so she can’t move around, to ease herself whilst in labour. Elephants are very clever, clever enough to know the calf is going to be taken, thus getting mad & frustrated; I doubt she stepped on her baby on purpose!”

Zoo keepers quickly rescued Sumudra. They believed the first-time mother, born at the zoo in 1994, was frightened and unfamiliar with the birthing process. Mother and son reunited without incident. “Exactly, every first time mum needs calm surroundings, room to move around to ease the pain etc. She will have been scared & in a great deal of pain, having a baby is not a spectator sport…they don’t need our interference in the wild to successfully raise babies, they know better than humans do what their baby needs. But typical humans think they know what is best!”

After Friday’s birth, keepers put the female newborn in a rope harness in case they needed to quickly pull her away from her mother. But Rose-Tu and her daughter bonded smoothly, officials said.

In the wild, mother and daughter live together for life. “Yet, in captivity, this baby elephant can be taken from her mother after only a month..imagine how she is going to feel, losing her baby…well, how would you feel?”

News Link:-http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019822187_elephants04m.html

“This is what that new baby elephant has to look forward to, at Have Trunk Will Travel…listen to the elephants cry out in pain as they are given electric shocks. See how hard they are hit with the bull-hooks  for doing nothing wrong!! Watch how the little baby has his trunk held, whilst the bull hook goes under his chin…It’s just heartbreaking !! I don’t know how they have the cheek to say they truly care for them, on their web site”

Have Trunk Will Travel Elephant Abuse

Uploaded on 23 Aug 2011

Everything in this video was filmed at Have Trunk Will Travel, of Perris, California. HTWT supplies trained elephants for movies, advertising, personal appearances  elephant rides, fairs & other public appearances.

This video is courtesy of Animal Defenders International

“Have Trunk Will Travel in my opinion is nothing more than a circus for rent…take a look at their webpage….http://www.havetrunkwilltravel.com/home.html

Read their Mission on their home page…family, truly cares, health & welfare….please…After seeing the above video, then reading their mission…I fell out my wheelchair laughing…because it’s a joke!!”

Toronto Council votes to send zoo’s elephants to California — again

 Elephants Going To PAWS At Last, Hope they have a Happy Christmas, best of luck to them all xxxx

After a year of political wrangling and opposition from Toronto Zoo staff, city council has reaffirmed its decision to send the zoo’s three ageing elephants to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in California.

Zoo management, who had opposed the move, indicated after the 32-8 vote that they will abide by council’s edict.

One of the Toronto Zoo’s elephants wanders near a transport crate placed in the elephant paddock for the animals to get used to. A year after the decision was made to send the last three to California, only to meet with strong opposition from Zoo staff, the original decision has been reaffirmed.

“I think it’s disappointing but we also have to accept the decision of council and move on,” said John Tracogna, the zoo’s chief executive officer.

Council has had the benefit of receiving a lot of information over the past year. It still thinks the sanctuary is the best place, and zoo management is now prepared to accept that, Tracogna said.

“The public debate on this issue has occurred, and so we’ve got the direction and we’ll move on.”

Zoo staff vehemently disagreed with council’s decision in October 2011, in part because of PAWS’s lack of accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and then because of concerns about disease at the sanctuary in San Andreas, Calif. Staff hoped to send the elephants to a new, accredited sanctuary under construction in Florida instead.

“There was concern around tuberculosis at the facility,” Tracogna said. “But council’s heard all this and made their decision so we have to respect that.

“We’ve had a public debate. The information has come out fully. Council has made a decision.”

He noted that there are logistical hurdles to overcome, and stressed it’s up to PAWS to come up with an acceptable plan to fly the elephants westward.

“A good part of it is having a sound transportation plan that is going to move the elephants safely,” Tracogna said, adding he believes retired game show host and animal advocate Bob Barker, who had offered to pick up transportation costs, is still willing to do so.

“Basically we need a transportation plan from PAWS that’s going to be safe and meet all the requirements to fly three elephants all that distance. Along with that, we need the proper permits and the proper crate training.”

Tracogna couldn’t give a timetable to move the elephants, but councillors who pushed for the move want to see it happen as soon as possible.

“We just want to do what’s best for our elephants, and that’s what we did here today,” said Councillor Michelle Berardinetti, who has fought hard for the move.

“We did that a year ago, but we saw that they dragged their feet. They found every reason to drag their feet. You saw a sound decision by council once again. Sending them to PAWS is the best place.”

Not so, said Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby, who fought the move.

“They’re sending them to a facility that’s got TB, active TB. Why would you do that?” she said.

“I can’t understand what goes through some of these people’s minds. They are our elephants; one was born here. How could you do that to them? But council rules supreme, even though I certainly can’t agree with it.”

 News Link:–http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cityhallpolitics/article/1294168–toronto-council-votes-to-send-zoo-s-elephants-to-california-again

Adopt* A PAWS “Wild Child”

For Yourself Or To Give As A Gift

Adopting a PAWS animal helps us provide nutritious food, veterinarian care and an enriching habitat for your animal — and you’ll have the satisfaction that comes from knowing you’re making a difference in the life of a PAWS animal.

Adoptive parents receive:

•  Biography of their adopted animal
• Certificate of adoption and a color photograph
• A guest pass to one regular PAWS ARK 2000 open house (special events are not included)
• Periodic updates about the adopted animal
• Periodic mailings and invitations to special events
• PAWS online E-NEWS (Adoptive parent’s email address must be provided. Recipient may opt out at any time and no email address will ever be sold or given away.)
• Opportunities to take direct action to help captive wildlife

Happy ele day’s

PAWS:-http://www.pawsweb.org/about_paws_home_page.html

Tigers and Public in Danger at Roadside Zoo

HSUS Undercover Investigation Reveals Dead Tigers, Safety Threats at Oklahoma’s GW Exotic Animal Park

Park may have more dangerous predators than any other roadside zoo in the nation

The Humane Society of the United States has released the results of an undercover investigation into an Oklahoma exotic animal park, where an investigator recorded tiger deaths, unwarranted breeding and dangerous incidents involving children and adults. HSUS undercover video footage taken at GW Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, Okla. in the summer and fall of 2011 shows potentially illegal actions that imperil both animals and humans.

GW Exotic Animal Park houses approximately 200 tigers and other dangerous exotic animals and is acting as a petting zoo and traveling zoo that breeds tiger and bear cubs and allows the public to handle exotic animals for a fee, both at its own facility and at shopping malls and other venues around the country. Today, The HSUS filed a series of complaints with state and federal authorities regarding potential legal violations, and called for strengthening certain areas of the law dealing with dangerous exotic wildlife.

Published on 16 May 2012 by hsus

An HSUS investigation, lasting from July through November 2011, shows a roadside zoo called G.W. Exotics in Oklahoma where animals like tigers and lions are kept in cruel conditions and allowed to interact with the public

At least five tigers died at the facility during the investigation – two of them had been sick for months and may have been shot by GW employees. A 6-year-old tiger named Hobbes died without receiving veterinary care and a 6-week-old cub being raised inside the GW owner’s house somehow sustained head injuries and had to be euthanized. And the death of 23 infant tigers at the facility over a 13-month period between 2009 and 2010 prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to open an investigation into GW Exotics for the unexplained death rate at the park

Read the rest of this news here:-http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2012/05/ok_exotics_investigation.html

Toronto Zoo Elephants Need Your Help!

The elephants at the Toronto Zoo – Iringa, Toka and Thika – need your help again. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) revoked the zoo’s accreditation last week because of a plan to send the elephants to a sanctuary. Now, some City of Toronto Councillors are wondering if they made the right decision when they voted to send the elephants to the PAWS Sanctuary in California.

Don’t let the AZA get away with these bully tactics meant to stop the transfer of the Toronto Zoo elephants to a large, natural-habitat sanctuary, and to intimidate other zoos that may want to do the same for their elephants.

Tell the City of Toronto Councillors that the world is watching!

Send a message to the City of Toronto Councillors, urging them to stay the course and send Iringa, Toka and Thika to the PAWS Sanctuary.

Personalize and submit the form below to send your comments to:

https://secure2.convio.net/ida/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=2155

Related articles

• Correcting Misinformation About PAWS (preciousjules1985.wordpress.com)

Other Stories in the news regards the above:- 

Zoo chief says plan to move elephants at ‘an impasse’

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/zoo-chief-says-plan-to-move-elephants-at-an-impasse/article2418503/

Toronto Zoo loses accreditation over elephant move

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/toronto-zoo-loses-accreditation-over-elephant-move/article2406394/

Toronto Zoo Loses International Accreditation

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/04/18/toronto-zoo-loses-accreditation_n_1434740.html

Feline Conservation Federation in Uproar over Big Cat Breeding Ban

The Feline Conservation Federation (FCF) warns that House Bill 4122, which makes it illegal to own, possess, or breed lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, cheetah, puma or snow leopard, will cause great harm to captive conservation, and leave little opportunity for Americans to view and learn about great cats. Representative McKeon introduced HB 4122, which exempts only members of the American Zoo Association (AZA) from the ban on breeding big cats.

According to FCF analysis, if HB 4122 becomes law, in the very near future, circus and stage acts, and movies and television will not show these cats, and many zoos will not be allowed to exhibit these endangered felines to visitors. “HB 4122 means no future stars like Gunther Gebel Williams amazing us at the circus, or future Siegfried’s and Roy’s making magic on stage, or Steve Erwin’s educating us on television. And what is a zoo without the great cats?” asks Culver. “Big cats are charismatic species, key to the success of any zoo or wildlife exhibit. HB 4122 will eliminate most of these majestic felines from the public’s consciousness.”

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/620852#ixzz1p31oXAao

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/620852#ixzz1p31KLy3M