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Pat Derby & Ed Stewart Receive
The Elaine La Russa Founder's Award! | |
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PICTURED ABOVE (L-R): Ed Stewart, Pat Derby, Elaine La Russa and Tony La Russa.
Photo courtesy and ARF/Stephanie Secrest Photography. |
Each year the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF), founded by legendary baseball coach Tony La Russa, and his wife Elaine, honors community members whose actions and generosity make ARF's dreams a reality. This year, PAWS co-founders and directors, Pat Derby and Ed Stewart, were surprised and delighted to receive The Elaine La Russa Founders' Award at ARF's annual "Stars To The Rescue" benefit held last month in Walnut Creek, California. It was Pat and Ed's first public appearance together since Pat began treatment for throat cancer in July of last year. We are happy to report that Pat has completed all treatments and her cancer is now in remission!
This year's star-studded event celebrated ARF's 20-year anniversary. During ARF's 20 years, it has grown to one of the largest companion animal shelters in California, adopting more than 1,800 companion animals into loving homes last year and performing more than 2,800 spay/neuter surgeries at their clinic. For more information about Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation, visit their website at www.arf.net.
Thank you ARF!
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In Memoriam | |
Cindy: 1995-2011
As we approach our 27th year as a captive wildlife sanctuary, the inevitable loss of old four-legged friends who have lived the best part of their lives at PAWS reminds us to spend each day enjoying the precious gift of their presence.
Cindy came to PAWS in 1998 as a juvenile, captured by California Department of Fish & Game from the wild when her mother was killed and Cindy was too young to fend for herself. She shared her spacious natural habitat with Sasha, an older female black bear who died several years ago.
PAWS' bears usually live to be 20 or older, so Cindy's passing was unexpected. We observed a change in her behavior, and immediately moved her to an inside area for close observation and medication. She passed quite suddenly in no apparent pain, and we have learned from her necropsy that she suffered from a brain tumor which was terminal, but not painful.
Cindy was a beloved member of the PAWS' bear population. Many thanks to her devoted keepers - Crystal, Larry, Gina, Steven, Matt, Chasity and Christina.
Claude: exact age not known
In the years since PAWS' dramatic rescue of 39 tigers from horrendous conditions at a run-down breeding facility in Coulton, California, in 2004, the tigers have enjoyed peace and freedom at ARK 2000. Many of the big cats are now in their declining years and some have been treated for medical conditions arising from their earlier lack of care.
Earlier this month, Claude, one of the older males, showed signs of renal failure. Dr. Gai, PAWS veterinarian, examined him and the decision was made to euthanize him. A necropsy was performed, and it was determined that his kidneys had failed. Claude died peacefully after seven years of loving care at our sanctuary.
Thank you to Renae, Stephanie, Michelle, Kayla and Al, his devoted keepers.
PAT DERBY, President
CINDY THE BEAR
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COLTON TIGER RESCUE
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PAWS PETITIONS USDA!
USDA Must Set New Standards for Placement of Confiscated and Consent Decision Elephants! |
The decision by USDA to use AZA accreditation as the criteria for suitable placement of confiscated and consent decision elephants is disastrous for the elephants who have suffered enough during their lifetime. We are asking the USDA to set new standards for placement which would include: no bull hooks or other aversive training techniques, space to roam and express natural behaviors, other compatible elephants, no breeding, no transfer or exchange with other facilities assuring a secure home for life. This is just the first step in a long process to combat the popular misconception that all zoos have the same standards. We need letters and petitions to USDA to support this campaign. If you have not already done so, please sign our petition (see link below), pass this information on to your friends, family members and business associates, post to your websites, Facebook and other social media sites, and send letters and emails to the USDA voicing your support for new standards. We must continue to lobby USDA to adopt better guidelines for placement of confiscated and consent decision elephants like Queenie and Twiggy who are still living in substandard facilities. |
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Long-Awaited Elephant Book | |
The Amboseli Elephants:
A Long-Term Perspective on a Long-Lived Mammal
By Cynthia J. Moss, Harvey Croze and Phyllis C. Lee
 | | The Amboseli Elephants. Photo by Cynthia Moss. |
Elephants have fascinated humans for millennia. Aristotle wrote of them with awe; Hannibal used them in warfare; and John Donne called the elephant "Nature's greatest masterpiece. . . The only harmless great thing." But it wasn't until the second half of the twentieth century that people started to take an interest in elephants in the wild, and some of the most important studies of these intelligent giants have been conducted at Amboseli National Park in Kenya.
 The Amboseli Elephants: A Long-Term Perspective on a Long-Lived Mammal is the long-awaited summation of what's been learned from the Amboseli Elephant Research Project (AERP)-the longest continuously running elephant research project in the world. Cynthia J. Moss and Harvey Croze, the founders of the AERP, and Phyllis C. Lee, who has been closely involved with the project since 1982, compile more than three decades of uninterrupted study of over 2,500 individual elephants, from newborn calves to adult bulls to old matriarchs in their 60s. Chapters explore such topics as elephant ecosystems, genetics, communication, social behavior, and reproduction, as well as exciting new developments from the study of elephant minds and cognition. The book closes with a view to the future, making important arguments for the ethical treatment of elephants and suggestions to aid in their conservation.
The most comprehensive account of elephants in their natural environment to date, The Amboseli Elephants is an invaluable resource for scientists, conservationists, and anyone interested in the lives and loves of these extraordinary creatures.
The Amboseli Elephants can be ordered directly from the University of Chicago Press, or through Amazon.com.
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New PAWS Videos |
 | | Rebecca: 1961-2011 |
From 2007, FINE LIVING TV VISITS ARK 2000
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Fine Living TV: Windshield America
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 | | Wandering With Ruby |
 | | African Elephants: February Rain |
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