It has been almost two weeks since I lost my partner of 37 years-and-one-day, Pat Derby. Our anniversary was Valentine's Day. I've been keeping myself busy, spending some time alone, and doing needed, but mindless, jobs around the Sanctuary. The entire time I've spent thinking about what to say to PAWS' friends and supporters about the incredible Pat Derby. I told our staff I would write a short piece about Pat for our next e-alert.

Pat lived for animals. She never wavered. She never slowed. She never stopped.

Obviously, she made her mark on the world - there have been lengthy stories about her life in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Detroit Free Press, Los Angeles Times, and almost every other major news outlet across the country and many from around the world.

Ed, Pat and Christopher

I met Pat in February, 1976, at the Cleveland Auto Show. She had the contract with Lincoln Mercury to do live appearances with "Christopher" the cougar at major shows around the country, a plum job for an animal trainer. My brother was the Lincoln-Mercury merchandising manager in Cleveland and he asked me if I wanted to work part-time at the show, mostly to make sure the models (female) were on time. That sounded good to a single, 24-year-old, so I agreed. He then told me about the woman from California with fiery red hair, who performed with the live cougar. The word around the car company was that she could be "a real pain in the neck." She was very demanding in regard to the cat's needs: she wanted carpeting in his room, air-conditioning, 24-hour security, etc. My brother wasn't kidding. Pat wanted the best for her animals.

It turned out that I was far more interested in the red head with the cougar than the female models. That March I moved to California, and a series of events over the next several years, put us on the path to creating PAWS.

Pat's book, "The Lady and Her Tiger", written with Peter Beagle, was released later in 1976. It chronicled her time as an animal trainer in Hollywood, and documented behind-the-scenes abuse on film sets, and at animal company compounds. She never regarded the book as an exposé. She merely noted what she saw, and described her frustration with the "animal business" - a term Pat despised. 

As she said in her book, Pat was born in love with all elephants.

 Needless to say, Pat was instantly a "persona non grata" in the commercial animal world, and that was fine with her. Her critics said she was never a good trainer, anyway. That, too, was fine with her. Ironically, years later, in a book by the producer of the television shows "Flipper" and "Daktari", Pat was mentioned as "the best female trainer I ever had."

We slowed, then stopped any commercial work with animals in the early 1980s. We hated everything about it. All of Pat's animals were retired, including Christopher, and we were now working to support them. Things were quiet.

In 1983, a young animal trainer who had read Pat's book, arrived on our doorstep and told of horror stories going on in Hollywood, much like the ones Pat had seen a decade before. Pat was back in action. We went to Sacramento, met a young Assemblyman named Sam Farr (now Congressman Farr), and the fight was on. The result was AB 1620, landmark legislation for captive animals in California.

Pat wouldn't back down from a war. She fought the biggest and richest circus, the most successful Las Vegas animal acts, the Hollywood movie industry and one of the strongest lobbies in Washington - and she won. Pat never had a staff of attorneys, or a big public relations department, or even a personal assistant. There was never enough money with which to battle; it was like fighting gladiators with a pocket knife. . . but Pat was never afraid, because she was right.
 

Pat with baby elephant 71

In 1984, Pat and I started PAWS to fill a void. There was (and still is) a disclaimer used at the end of movie credits that said something to the effect of "no animals were harmed in the making of this movie." That message meant little in 1984, and it means little now. There was no oversight of training compounds, or training methods for wild animals used in movies. PAWS soon joined the "Coalition to Protect Animals in Entertainment" to investigate cruelty allegations in Hollywood.

An abuse case involving a tiger, lion and orangutan at a movie training facility resulted in the death of one of the animals. PAWS, and Pat's good friend, Sue Pressman, investigated the case and the exhibitor lost his USDA license and paid a fine of $15,000. The quote from the humane organization's president, which was supposed to protect movie animals said, "What you do in your backyard, really is not my business." Pat Derby made it her business for the next 28 years.

Pat's first mission was to educate animal rights/welfare organizations about the reality of captive wild animals' lives. There was no "anti-circus" movement when PAWS started, no one knew much about "surplus animals" from zoo breeding programs. Circuses beat and whipped elephants and nobody knew what to do. The public thought working animals were always well cared for and happy. Now, almost every animal organization in the world has an anti-circus campaign. That was Pat's intent.
 

Pat and Ed with 71

I recently worked with a young person from one of the largest humane organizations in the U.S. on a bear rescue. When I mentioned Pat Derby's name, the person said, "Who is Pat Derby?" I was shocked, but realized that Pat was in this for the animals only. She never pulled rank on anyone. Pat often worked with third or fourth tier employees from other groups, rarely speaking to a CEO. She could have had a giant ego, she had none.

Pat and I never intended to operate an animal sanctuary. We cared for the animals left from the commercial days (most that Pat rescued) and the plan was to let them live a good life and die of attrition. Pat maintained her USDA and California Fish and Game permits, and at that time there were few, if any, qualified facilities to take wild animals in need. The county brought a lioness, a humane group brought a wolf (both "temporary"), and in August of 1986 the sick baby elephant, "#71", came. The lioness, the wolf, and 71 all stayed at PAWS their entire lives.

Our sanctuary has grown from 30 acres in Galt, California, to 2,300 acres at ARK 2000. Pat's dream for PAWS was to one day have a place where "the elephants' butts would disappear over the hill." Thanks to Pat's perseverance, PAWS, and the elephants, tigers, lions and bears have just that. There is no "state of the art" for wild animals in captivity, but ARK 2000 is pretty special.

IN MEMORIAM

The Performing Animal Welfare Society,

with deepest respect and gratitude, presents:

PAT DERBY

PAWS' President & Co-Founder

A CELEBRATION OF HER LIFE

MARCH 29, 2013

THE HISTORIC CREST THEATRE

1013 K Street, Sacramento

DOORS OPEN AT 6:30 PM

6:30-7:30 PM - FELLOWSHIP - THEATRE LOBBY

7:30-9 PM - THE CELEBRATION - MAIN THEATRE

9-10 PM - RECEPTION - THEATRE LOBBY

A NO-HOST BAR WILL BE AVAILABLE

SPACE IS LIMITED

KINDLY RSVP IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND

RSVP by phone: 209-745-2606, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. M-F/PST

RSVP by email: kgardner@pawsweb.org