This is a re-posting from the AVAAZ.org website:

Photo Credit: Avaaz.org, courtesy of Born Free Foundation

Save the Elephants: STOP BLOODY IVORY

This week, two countries are seeking to break the worldwide ban on ivory trading — a decision that could wipe out whole elephant populations and bring these magnificent animals closer to extinction.

But many African states and conservationists support extending the ban on elephant-slaughtering ivory trade. The decision will be made at a UN meeting in Doha starting on 13 March, and global public opinion could tip the balance!

Sign the petition now using the form below, then spread the word — let’s deliver hundreds of thousands of signatures to the UN convention before it’s too late:

To the 175 parties of the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species [CITIES]:

As citizens from around the world, we call on you to reject any exemptions in the global ban on the ivory trade, to extend that ban for at least 20 years, and to take all necessary steps to enforce that ban and protect the elephants.

Protect the elephants!

CITIES votes on March 13, 2010, so please take a minute to sign the petition now.  The web page includes links to share on Facebook and email your friends, making it easy for you to help spread the word.

Thanks!

-Windy Borman

Director, Producer & Writer, The Eyes of Thailand

In preparation for Thailand’s National Elephant Day on March 13, the Prostheses Foundation began molding a new prosthetic leg for elephant landmine survivor, Motala.

Staff from the Prostheses Foundation prepare to take a mold of Motala's amputated leg.

Motala stepped on a landmine on August 15, 1999.  She received her first prosthetic limb 10 years later, on August 16, 2009, a historic event we filmed for The Eyes of Thailand documentary film.

Elephant landmine survivor, Motala, waits patiently as the Prostheses Foundation staff make a mold of her amputated leg in order to build her a new prosthetic limb.

After a brief set-back, she slowly began to put more and more weight on the prosthetic limb as she learned to walk with it.  On December 25, 2009, she received a new foot pad for the prosthesis, and on March 10, 2010 the Prostheses Foundation began to build her a new prosthetic limb, which they will present to her on March 13, 2010 at the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital outside of Lampang, Thailand.

After filling the mold with plaster and letting it set, the Prostheses Foundation begins to smooth and sand the mold so that it matches Motala's measurements. They will use this mold to create a cushioned liner and the prosthesis.

We will post more pictures as we receive them from Soriada Salwala, the Founder of the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital and featured in the elephant conservation documentary, The Eyes of Thailand. Stay tuned!

Sincerely,

Windy Borman

Director, Producer and Writer, The Eyes of Thailand