Kanzi, a 29 year old male bonobo photographed at the Great Ape Trust in Des Moines, Iowa Finlay Mackay for TIME

August 20, 2010– I was thrilled to receive the August 16th edition of Time magazine and see that the cover story read, “What Animals Think: New Science reveals they’re smarter than we realized”.

For many animal lovers–especially us elephant lovers–our first reaction could be, “Well, duh!”, but I chose to focus on the fact that science is finally proving what many of us have believed all along: that animals are sentient beings that feel emotions and pain and many are intelligent enough to use tools, form social structures, and recognize their own reflection.

While I think the article played it safe and did not proclaim anything truly revolutionary, there were two quotes  that speak to our contradictory relationships with animals that I’d like to share with you:

Humans have a fraught relationship with beasts. They are our companions and our chattel our family members and our laborers, our household pets and our household pests. We love them and cage them, admire them and abuse them. And, of course, we cook them and eat them.

And,

…we could surely stop using them to test cosmetics, a practice the E.U. is also moving to ban. We could surely eat less meat and treat animals better before we convert them from creature to dinner. And we could rethink zoos, marine parks and other forms of animal entertainment.

You can read the rest of the excerpt here, but I recommend picking up the full issue if you want to read the 7-page cover story in depth.

So, what do you think? Should we change the way we treat and interact with animals knowing they are smarter than we first thought? What are you willing to do in your own life to change the way you treat animals?

I look forward to reading your comments!

-Windy Borman

Director/Producer The Eyes of Thailand

For more information about the Ivory Ban,  please check out this recent article by Time, which discusses the history of the ivory ban and the consequences that could happen, were it lifted.

Below is a copy of an email from Avaaz.org, the online petition site asking you to sign to urge the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to extend the ban on ivory trading for another 20 years.

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The worldwide UN ban on ivory trading could soon be lifted — a decision that could wipe out Africa’s vulnerable elephants. But a number of a African nations are pushing to uphold the ban. Let’s send them a stampede of support to save the elephants. Sign the skyrocketing petition below, and forward this email widely: Sign the petition!

Within days, 2 African governments will try to pry open the worldwide ban on ivory trading — a decision that could wipe out whole elephant populations and bring these magnificent animals closer to extinction.

Tanzania and Zambia are lobbying the UN for special exemptions from the ban, but this would send a clear signal to the ivory crime syndicates that international protection is weakening and it’s open-season on elephants. Another group of African states have countered by calling to extend the trade ban for 20 years.

Our best chance to save the continent’s remaining elephants is to support African conservationists. We only have days left and the UN Endangered Species body only meets every 3 years. Click below to sign our urgent petition to protect elephants, and forward this email widely — the petition will be delivered to the UN meeting in Doha:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/protect_the_elephants/?vl

Over 20 years ago, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) passed a worldwide ban on ivory trading. Poaching fell, and ivory prices slumped. But poor enforcement coupled with‘experimental one-off sales’, like the one Tanzania and Zambia are seeking, drove poaching up and turned illegal trade into a lucrative business — poachers can launder their illegal ivory with the legal stockpiles.

Now, despite the worldwide ban, each year over 30,000 elephants are gunned down and their tusks hacked off by poachers with axes and chainsaws. If Tanzania and Zambia are successful in exploiting the loophole, this awful trade could get much worse.

We have a one-off chance this week to extend the worldwide ban and repress poaching and trade prices before we lose even more elephant populations — sign the petition now and then forward it widely:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/protect_the_elephants/?vl

Across the world’s cultures and throughout our history elephants have been revered in religions and have captured our imagination — Babar, Dumbo, Ganesh, Airavata, Erawan. But today these beautiful and highly intelligent creatures are being annihilated.

As long as there is demand for ivory, elephants are at risk from poaching and smuggling — but this week we have a chance to protect them and crush the ivory criminals’ profits — sign the petition now:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/protect_the_elephants/?vl

With hope,

Paul, Alice, Iain, Ricken, Graziela, Raluca, Luis, Paula Benjamin, David, Ben and the rest of the Avaaz team

More information:

Partners at Bloody Ivory and Born Free:
http://www.bloodyivory.org/
http://www.bornfree.org.uk/

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species: http://www.cites.org

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Even though the focus of this issue tends to be on African Elephants, Asian Elephants, like those in The Eyes of Thailand documentary, are also in danger if the ban is lifted.  They also have tusks and are nearer to the Asian markets that are hungry for ivory products, therefore making them an easy target….

We’ll report more as news comes in… Thank you for signing the petition and encouraging others!

-Windy Borman

Director & Producer, The Eyes of Thailand