June 18, 2010– The International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos (IDAEZ) takes place this Saturday (June 19, 2010), with more than 30 events in five countries. You can help the elephants, even if you don’t live near a zoo, in two ways:

1. Send a message to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that they must put animal welfare over zoos’ interests. Sign the letter here.
2. Participate in the Virtual Demonstrations on Facebook and Twitter. Details here.

As I wrote last week, the plight of elephants in zoos around the world is tied to the plight of elephants in the wild in two ways. First, if wild elephants are threatened by poachers, environmental devastation, and human encroachment, then many zoos feel that the only hope for conservation is to remove elephants from their natural habitat and imprison them in small enclosures.

Secondly, elephants in zoos die (sometimes decades) earlier than if left in the wild. Part of this is due to infections and diseases they contract in their small enclosures; the other reason is elephants are too intelligent and emotional to be caged or fenced for life, which can lead to depression or violent behavior. Nevertheless, to keep the zoo populations high for “conservation” and “education” reasons, they need to have a steady supply of elephants from the wild, thus fueling the poachers or governments to capture the endangered wild elephants they are trying to conserve.

It’s a depressing cycle, but we can make a difference by:

• Educating our friends and families not to attend zoos or circuses that involve elephants
• Demanding that our local zoos ban importing any wild elephants to their zoos
• Demanding that elephants in zoos and circuses be allowed to “retire” to sanctuaries, like The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee or PAWS, the Performing Animal Welfare Society, in California, instead of being passed around and mistreated.

In Defense of Animals (IDA) needs our help to make this year’s Day of Action an even greater success. For more information please visit their web site.

The Facebook event can be found at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=102256893153605&ref=mf

We’ll see you (virtually) tomorrow!

-Windy Borman

Director/Producer, “The Eyes of Thailand“

On March 18, 2010, Baby Nampet arrived at the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital from Chiang Mai.  He was walking on the road when a vehicle hit him.

Baby Nampet arrives at FAE on March 18, 2010, after being hit by a car in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

This is a daily threat and a sad reality for many street elephants in Thailand.  Luckily for Nampet, his owner took him to FAE‘s Elephant Hospital so the staff could examine him and dress his wounds.

Unfortunately, because baby elephants earn a lot of money on the street, posing in pictures and getting fed by (uneducated) tourists, his owner picked him up and took him “back to work” on March 23, 2010.

Staff at FAE encourage Baby Nampet to walk into the truck, so his owner can take him back to Chiang Mai.

Baby Nampet is not the first elephant to be hit by a vehicle in Thailand.  Injuries and car accidents to street elephants will only end once it is no longer profitable; if we end the demand, we’ll decrease the supply.

Please take a few moments to sign the following petitions to get ALL elephants off the streets in Thailand:

Ban Street Begging Elephants in Chiang Mai

Lonely Planet Petition to Educate Tourists

Please consider joining the following Facebook Groups:

Help Ban Begging Street Elephants in Chiang Mai

Save the Elephants, Stop Street Walking Exploitation

Additionally, if you are in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Sunday, April 4, please join the “Help Ban Begging Street Elephants in Chiang Mai” group distribute flyers and raise local and tourist awareness.  Details are listed on their Facebook group page listed above.

Thank you!

-Windy Borman

Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand

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

PETA has acquired shocking photos from a former Ringling Brothers Circus trainer that show frightened baby elephants at Ringling’s breeding center undergoing barbaric training methods to make them perform in the circus.

Please sign this email to conduct an immediate investigation and initiate criminal action against Ringling and all other culpable parties.

PETA is also calling on: parents to stop taking their kids to the circus, and Ringling’s sponsors not to support elephant abuse. For more information, visit PETA’s anti-Ringling Brother’s website.

ACTION ALERT: With elephant logging now illegal in Thailand, many owners look to the tourism industry for income.  There are now over 2,000 elephants working in tourist treks, as street beggars, or performing in elephant circus shows in Thailand.  While some tourists think it is fun and exciting to see an elephant up close, feed her bananas, or walk through the jungle on her back, the reality is much different.

The elephants are not only overworked, but they also suffer injuries from performances or car accidents, water poisoning from dirty city water, starvation, and the list goes on… But tourist awareness and education will decrease the demand for working elephants.

The Lonely Planet Guides are printed in 8 languages and are one of the most popular traveler’s guides. This petition demands the addition of the dark side of the elephants tourism industry in the company’s books, so that travelers may make conscious decisions before unknowingly supporting any abuse.