PAWS is looking forward to a very special anniversary next year: 30 years of rescuing, relocating and rehabilitating captive wildlife. With your help we will continue to accept animals in need, including elephants, and provide the refuge and rehabilitation they so desperately need in the years to come.

PAWS' future is bright indeed. Our ARK 2000 facility is the largest captive wildlife sanctuary in the U.S. - and with 2,300 acres, the possibilities for expansion are exciting. Our vision includes continuing the process of creating habitats at ARK 2000 for the animals still living at our original sanctuary in Galt, CA, building additional barn space for African elephants (we are scheduled to accept three African elephants this year, after which our 20,000 square foot African barn will be at capacity*), completing the expansion of Bull Mountain (PAWS is the only sanctuary to take male elephants) and creating an additional facility for female Asian elephants.

While PAWS is widely known for our work with elephants, it is important to remember that many different species of wild animals suffer in captivity. Whether exploited for "entertainment" or kept as "pets," these animals often endure inadequate conditions, indescribable hardship, and horrific neglect. This includes bears, lions, tigers, leopards, mountain lion, primates and exotic antelope.

As long as there is a need, PAWS will be stepping forward to aid captive wildlife, now and in the future.

PAWS is proud of its many achievements, dedicated staff and the outstanding veterinary care we provide for our animals. Recognized worldwide as leading experts in the humane housing and care of captive wildlife, PAWS is pleased to provide an inspiring model for others to follow.

Thanks to you, our supporters, PAWS has become one of the most successful and stable sanctuaries in the country. It all started as the dream of PAWS' co-founders, Ed Stewart, PAWS' president, and the late Pat Derby, and you helped to make it a reality.

We look forward to sharing our exciting future with you, one that is sure to bring more moving stories, life-saving actions, and wonderfully positive outcomes. We hope that you are as energized as we are, as we near our 30th year of helping animals by providing the care, dignity and peace they deserve.

DONATE FOR ARK 2000 ANIMAL CARE AND EXPANSION - CLICK HERE! 

PAWS' ARK 2000 sanctuary is in no danger from the Rim Fire burning near Yosemite. Animals and people are safe. That fire is actually quite a distance from San Andreas. Today, Thursday, August 29, is a beautiful day at ARK 2000!

Thank you to all of the brave men and women firefighters from throughout California, and across the United States, who are risking their lives to battle one of the biggest wildfires in California's history. We are particularly proud of the crews from Calaveras County!

"Acts of Kindness" radio host, Shelley Anderson

Hay House Radio's "Acts of Kindness: The Hay Foundation Hour" host Shelley Anderson sat down with PAWS' president Ed Stewart on July 24, to talk about PAWS' work to help elephants. You can now listen to that 45 minute interview online from anywhere in the world. Sit back, relax and click here to listen. (You must have the Adobe Flash player, version 9, to access this content.)

On August 7, PAWS helped lead a successful opening night demonstration against elephant rides at the Nevada County Fair in Grass Valley, California. More than 100 elephant advocates turned out to protest the rides and educate Fair customers about the cruelty underlying this unsafe and outdated attraction. Given the very small size of this Fair, the large number of people attending the demo was unprecedented. Elephant characters Gypsy and Wanda from Circus PAWS were in attendance, wearing t-shirts that stated: "Endangered Species Should Not Be Used As Carnival Rides!"

A number of media outlets covered the demonstration, and PAWS' director of science, research and advocacy, Catherine Doyle, gave television and radio interviews, helping to educate even more people about why elephant rides are inhumane and do not "save" endangered Asian elephants. PAWS is backed by some of the world's leading elephant experts and conservationists in opposing elephant rides.

While activists young and old held informative signs and distributed leaflets, inside the Fair elephants Becky and Rosie pathetically plodded around in a small circle, bearing riders who either did not know, or did not care, that these highly intelligent and sensitive animals were taken from the wild and physically and mentally broken, and are subjected to brutal training that will last throughout their lives. Handlers carried a bullhook at all times - the menacing rod resembling a fireplace poker used to prod, hook and strike elephants so they comply with commands. Gullible customers paid $10 a piece to ride Becky or Rosie for a minute or less.

Kudos to all the local people, especially those representing the next generation of compassionate activists, who helped educate the public over the five-day run of the Fair. And our thanks to the local organizations represented at, and involved in the demo, including Center for Animal Protection & Education (CARE), Animal Place, and Coalition for Animal Welfare & Support (CAWS).

Stay tuned for more PAWS action against elephant rides!

Donate to PAWS' animal advocacy fund, here.

NEVADA COUNTY FAIR 2013: Opening Night. Click on the arrow above to view video.

L-R: Mark Berman, Assistant Director of the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation; Jennie Lew Tugand, producer of the movie "Free Willy"; and the movie's director, Simon Wincer.

PAWS Attends Hollywood Premiere

To Benefit Free Willy-Keiko Foundation

On August 17, Hollywood celebrated the 20th anniversary release of the 1993 blockbuster film, "Free Willy," with a special gala event at the historic Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. "Free Willy" will forever be known as the movie that introduced the plight of captive orcas to the public and created the surge of public compassion that led to the eventual release of the orca featured in the film, Keiko, to the wild.

PAWS' Brian Busta (left) is interviewed on the "blue carpet" with PAWS' friend, singer and producer Kat Kramer (center).

PAWS was in attendance to support this landmark event, and PAWS ARK 2000 sanctuary manager Brian Busta, who has a degree in marine biology and had traveled to Iceland in 2000 to observe Keiko, was interviewed on the star-studded "blue carpet" alongside PAWS' friend, singer and producer Kat Kramer.

Following the screening of "Free Willy" to an audience that included hundreds of enthusiastic children from the Los Angeles Unified School District, the documentary film, "Keiko, The Untold Story of the Star of Free Willy," revealed the story of Keiko's rescue, rehabilitation and eventual release into the ocean that was his home.

Catherine Doyle, PAWS director of science, research and advocacy meets "Free Willy 3" star Patrick Kilpatrick.

Naomi Rose, former senior scientist with Humane Society International Wildlife, touchingly explained that Keiko was the orca who should not have survived. Somehow he overcame capture, multiple transports, and living in horribly inadequate conditions in theme parks in both Canada and Mexico, to eventually live out his life in his native ocean.

Icelandic native Thorbjörg Valdís Kristjánsdóttir (left), or Tobba, as she is known by Keiko's legion of fans, is interviewed on the "blue" carpet. Tobba joined the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation team in March 2002 as one of Keiko's primary caretakers. Tobba is featured in the documentary "Keiko: The Untold Story."

"Keiko, The Untold Story of the Star of Free Willy" is now available in Blu-Ray/HD. A 17-page Core Curriculum is also available to assist teachers screening "Keiko, The Untold Story of the Star of Free Willy" for middle and high school students. 

Michael Madsen (left), star of "Free Willy" and "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home", with Patrick Kilpatrick (right) who starred in "Free Willy 3: The Rescue."

Amboseli National Park, Kenya (photo by Cynthia Moss, Amboseli Trust For Elephants)

A Cry For Help!

African Elephants Under Siege

By Catherine Doyle

For more than 10,000 years humans have coveted ivory - and mercilessly slaughtered elephants to obtain it. It's often called "white gold," as well as "blood ivory," and it's smuggled through the illicit wildlife trade in myriad ways: camouflaged in chocolate, buried in a shipment of peanuts, and carefully packed into containers of wood products. The ivory from an elephant tusk can sell for $1,000 a pound.

Despite a ban on the international trade in ivory, enacted in 1989, the destruction of elephants for their tusks has exploded in African wildlife parks. Unless urgent action is taken to end the slaughter, conservationists are predicting that we may be witnessing the end of elephants in our lifetime. The Christian Science Monitor reports that in 2012, a shocking 30,000 elephants in Africa were slaughtered for their ivory, 7.4 percent of the entire population. Experts estimate that 25,000 to 40,000 elephants are being killed annually across the continent, and noted conservationists warn that elephants could disappear in about a decade.

In 1979, 1.2 million elephants roamed Africa. Today, Africa has an estimated 300,000 to 500,000  elephants - representing as much as a 75 percent loss since 1979.

A container full of tusks destined to Malaysia was seized at the port of Mombasa in July 2013. A Kenya Wildlife Service officer numbers those tusks. (photo Getty Images)

Several countries are implicated in the ivory trade. Most notable is China, where a rising middle class can now afford to purchase ivory carvings and trinkets as luxury and status items. National Geographic reported that an estimated 80 percent of upper- and middle-class families in China have admitted to buying ivory, and 84 percent planned to buy it in the future. However, education about the deadly consequences of the ivory trade is crucial. A survey in China found that almost 70 percent of the public thought ivory did not involve the death of an elephant but that elephants' tusks fell out naturally, like teeth. Fortunately, non-profit organizations, celebrities, and leading conservationists, such as Dr. Joyce Poole of ElephantVoices, are reaching out to people in China to educate them about the devastation that lies behind their ivory purchases.

Countries implicated in the burgeoning illegal ivory trade include Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania; transit countries Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Phillippines (ivory is shipped through these countries); and destination countries Thailand and China. The Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) - an international agreement between governments with the aim of ensuring that international trade does not threaten the survival of wild animals and plants - has mandated that these countries (called the "Gang of Eight") implement a time-bound action plan at reducing the illegal trade in ivory. They must report back to CITES on their progress or face possible trade restrictions.

As recently as 2008, the U.S. was cited as one of the world's largest markets for illegal ivory, even though African elephants were listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act in 1978. Much of the ivory caught at the border was brought in by consumers and travelers in possession of small amounts of ivory, though there have major law enforcement actions involving large commercial quantities. While some ivory can be legally sold within the U.S., activists are calling on the U.S. government to end the internal trade of all ivory.

The Internet continues to be implicated in ivory sales throughout the world, though responsible companies, such as eBay, have voluntarily banned ivory sales. Google and Amazon also have policies against the sale of products from endangered and threatened species, but may not be enforcing them, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency and Humane Society International.

The U.S. has been stepping up to help fight illegal wildlife trafficking and the ivory trade. In July, President Obama signed an Executive Order that enhances domestic efforts to combat wildlife trafficking and assists foreign nations in building capacity to combat wildlife trafficking. And Hillary Rodham Clinton has taken up the elephants' cause, pledging to use her political connections as America's former secretary of state to enlist other world leaders in the fight against the illegal ivory trade.

The ivory trade has serious ramifications for elephants, beyond the surging death count. In a must-read report, Africa Geographic states that the loss of senior elephants in families has far reaching effects for the remaining elephants. Cynthia Moss, director of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, and of the longest-running scientific study of elephants in the world, explains: "Elephant survival is not simply a question of absolute numbers, but of access to the social and ecological knowledge that older elephants hold... Our research in Amboseli has shown that old, experienced matriarchs increase the reproductive success of every female in their family, so that there are shorter inter-birth intervals and each calf has a higher chance of survival. Experienced matriarchs do this by making good choices about where to go, what to eat, how to avoid danger. Removing that knowledge leaves a family vulnerable, apart from the psychological damage of surviving a run-in with poachers."

Poaching also takes a toll on humans. It seriously threatens the economies of African countries that depend on tourism; elephants are especially popular for tourists on safaris. More and more, there are calls to treat the ivory trade as seriously as drug smuggling and terrorism. Wildlife trafficking has been found to have ties to insurgent groups, terrorism and drug cartels, undermining global security.

It's time to get serious about the protection and conservation of elephants - before it's too late.

What you can do to help:

Donate. Help fund conservation organizations working on the ground to stop poaching and save elephants. (Avoid contributing to any organization that counts circuses among its members.)

Increase awareness. Share the information you have learned here with friends, family and colleagues.

Write a letter. Send a letter to the editor of your local paper about the plight of African elephants and the need for governments around the world to get involved in protecting them.

Write to your elected officials. Ask them to monitor U.S. efforts to stop the ivory trade, both at home and abroad, and to fully support U.S. involvement in ending the ivory trade.

Support a petition. Join the more than 50,000 people who have signed the "Say No To Ivory" petition at iworry.org.

Start a club at your school. JulietteSpeaks provides tips on how to do so.

Advocates around the world will be marching on October 4 to raise awareness about the annihilation of elephants for the ivory trade, as part of the International March for Elephants. The event is being staged in major cities, with the aim of encouraging governments to recognize that the ivory trade is a serious international problem that requires a worldwide response. U.S. cities include San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boise, Columbus, Jacksonville, Houston, Boulder, Greensboro, New York, Washington DC, and Philadelphia with more being added to the list every day. PAWS will be participating in San Francisco.

Visit iworry.org for more information about this international event, created by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a front-line organization working in the field to protect Africa's wildlife and habitats.

Lily Tomlin's "Is Anybody Listening?" (pictured) is part of "Elephant Parade", the world's largest open-air exhibition of life-sized baby elephant statues decorated by local and international artists to generate worldwide attention, public awareness and support for the endangered Asian elephant.

"Elephant Parade" is an international open-air art exhibition featuring dozens of colorfully decorated, life-sized baby elephant sculptures that begins August 29. The sculptures will later be auctioned.

Despite the widespread massacre of elephants for their ivory that threatens to drive these intelligent, self-aware and environmentally important animals to extinction, Yahoo! Japan refuses to remove ads selling ivory products. Eco-Business.com is reporting that the Japanese mobile communications company, SoftBank Corporation - the majority stockholder in Yahoo! Japan - turned down an appeal from conservation groups to stop the sale of elephant ivory and of whale and dolphin products. Yahoo! Japan reportedly has nearly 8,000 ads for elephant ivory, in spite of an international trade ban in ivory. Most of the ads sell "hankos," name seals traditionally used for stamping and signing important documents that supposedly are made from illegally sourced ivory tusks smuggled from Africa.

So what does this have to do with U.S. telecommunications company Sprint?

In July, SoftBank purchased a majority interest (78%) in Sprint Nextel for $21.6 billion. Sprint provides wireless services and is a major global Internet carrier, with subsidiaries that include Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA. The company reportedly serves more than 55 million customers.

Sprint customers (including its affiliates) should be outraged that SoftBank is profiting from the mass destruction of elephants. If SoftBank won't listen to a direct appeal from conservation organizations, then maybe it will pay attention when concerned customers and citizens contact Sprint to demand the company take action.

Sprint claims to believe in social and environmental responsibility. In a video found on is website, Sprint states: "We have the power and the responsibility to do good in this world."

It's time for Sprint to do some good by helping SoftBank make the connection between its unethical and destructive decision to allow the sale of elephant ivory and of products from other threatened, endangered, or declining wild species, on Yahoo! Japan -- or answer to its customers.

Help us send a loud and clear message to Sprint: It's time for the company to use its power and responsibility to protect elephants and other wildlife from extinction!

How you can help:

1. Make a phone call. Call the Sprint corporate office at 703-433-4000 and ask for Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. POLITELY ask Sprint to demand that its majority owner, the SoftBank Corporation, institute a policy that bans the sale of ivory on Yahoo! Japan, as well as the sale of products from endangered dolphins and whales.

2. Send an email. Let Sprint know, through its public relations department, that the killing of elephants for ivory trinkets is bad for its image and its business. Please send a polite email today; you can use the sample message below. To be most effective, personalize your email as much as possible. If you are a customer of Sprint or one of its affiliates, or you are considering making Sprint your carrier, be sure to state that in your email.

Use all of these email contacts:

Marci VerBrugge-Rhind, corporate communications: marci.j.verbrugge@sprint.com

Corporate email: info@sprint.com

Sprint Board of Directors: boardinquiries@sprint.com

Sample message:

Dear Sprint,

(You should open your email by identifying yourself. For example: "I am a Sprint (or one of its affiliates; be sure to name the affiliate) customer," "I was considering becoming a Sprint customer," or "I am a citizen who is extremely concerned with the state of wild elephants today.")

CEO Dan Hesse claims that Sprint focuses "on doing the right thing." Now is the time to make good on that claim. I am urging Mr. Hesse to send a very serious message to Sprint majority owner, the SoftBank Corporation, telling them that allowing the sale of elephant ivory and products from threatened and endangered dolphins and whales on Yahoo! Japan is unacceptable and irresponsible.

Every 15 minutes an elephant is slaughtered for his or her ivory; it is estimated that 30,000 elephants were killed across Africa last year. The poaching of elephants in Africa has escalated to the point that leading conservationists are predicting the extinction of the species within a decade.

Unfortunately, SoftBank's policy reflects poorly on Sprint: Playing a part in the extinction of elephants and other wildlife is bad for Sprint's image and its business.

Sprint can use its power and responsibility to help SoftBank make the connection between the sale of ivory products on Yahoo! Japan and the potential extinction of elephants in our lifetime. Both Sprint and SoftBank have a responsibility to the millions of Sprint customer to do the right thing.

Please demand that SoftBank remove ads for elephant ivory, as well as products from threatened and endangered dolphins and whales, from Yahoo! Japan.

Sincerely,

To send a letter by mail:

Sprint Corporate Office Headquarters
6200 Sprint Parkway
Overland Park, KS 66251

From Sprint's Board of Directors:

"At Sprint, one of our core corporate values is to demonstrate integrity in all that we do - not only through our words, but also by our actions."

So. . . did you acknowledge World Elephant Day on August 12? If not, it's not too late to take action! Elephants around the world are in need: Poachers are decimating African elephants, Asian elephants are losing habitat, and captive elephants are suffering in inadequate conditions in circuses and in many zoos. But you can make a difference! Here are four things that you can do to help elephants, not just on World Elephant Day, but any day of the year:

1. Educate yourself about the plight of elephants in the wild and in captivity. Visit websites such as the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, ElephantVoices, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Elephant Family and the Wildlife Trust of India.

2. Share the information you learn about elephants with your friends, family and colleagues.

3. Pledge to take one action per month on behalf of elephants: Write a letter, make a phone call, attend a demonstration, or make a contribution to support elephants. For more information contact Catherine Doyle at cdoyle@pawsweb.org.

4. Be sure to "like" the Performing Animal Welfare Society FaceBook page, so that you can keep informed about special events for elephants and other wildlife.

The country of Costa Rica recently announced that it would close its zoos. "We are getting rid of the cages and reinforcing the idea of interacting with biodiversity in botanical parks in a natural way," said Environmental Minister René Castro. "We don't want animals in captivity or enclosed in any way unless it is to rescue or save them." Castro attributed the decision to "a change of environmental conscience among Costa Ricans."

Yet another country has passed legislation that affects the use of animals in circuses. El Salvador banned the use of wild animals in circuses and amended its Wildlife Conservation Law to limit wildlife trafficking in the country. India will ban all animals from circus shows within a year. Wild animals have been banned from Indian circuses for more than 10 years.

Score one for wild beluga whales! NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries denied the Georgia Aquarium's permit to import wild-caught belugas from Russia for the purpose of displaying them at the Aquarium and at partner facilities, including SeaWorld of Florida, SeaWorld of Texas, SeaWorld of California, and the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. NOAA was unable to determine if the import, combined with the active capture operation in Russia and other human activities, would have an adverse impact on the wild beluga whales in that area.

Hunting of wildlife in Botswana will be banned beginning in January 2014 - at least temporarily - according to the country's Minister of the Environment, Wildlife and Tourism. Though hunting in registered game ranches will not be affected, the decision to ban hunting in controlled areas was necessary due to declining numbers of several species.

Thank You To Our Amazon Wish List Donors!

ARK 2000 employees Stephen Blanc (left) and Justin Conder use our recently-donated pole saw to cut tree branches (browse) for the elephants.

Doreen Caffrey sent us six bottles of Renal Essentials and two 800-count bottles of Cosequin DS! An anonymous donor sent us a new Presto knife sharpener. Thanks to Amazon Wish List donors, we now have two new knife sharpeners for both Galt and San Andreas sanctuaries! Suzann McAlister sent us three safari hats for the elephant crew at ARK 2000! Sandi Peck sent us 2 Danby chest freezers! We now have one small freezer for each elephant barn. The small freezers are used for making frozen elephant treats. Marisa Landsberg sent us a Black and Decker pole saw, for cutting tree branches for the elephants! You can view our Amazon Wish List here. Other items we need that are not included on our Amazon wish list can be viewed here.

Other Donations We're Thankful For!

Gay Maestas delivered ANOTHER load of apples from her property for the animals!

Diane Virdee, a long-time PAWS supporter, also delivered a truck load of Gravenstein apples from her property in Sebastopol, California. Diane was assisted by five volunteers who spent their Saturday picking bucket-loads of apples they then carried uphill to the waiting truck. Thank you to Diane and her volunteers: Zuzana Kovacova from Woodland, CA; Kat Stephens of Santa Rosa, CA; Christi Virdee and Steve Feuerbach, both from Corte Madera, CA; and Gail Jankowski of Davis, CA.

Girl Scouts Raise Awareness For Performing Animals

Allison Chao, troop leader for Junior Girl Scout Troop 33178 in Menlo Park, California, contacted us recently to let us know that the Troop held a bake sale at the end of the last school year as part of earning their Bronze Award. Proceeds from the sale totaled $519. The troop voted to adopt two PAWS animals with the money they raised: tiger Claire, and African elephant Lulu. They also made a donation in memory of Asian elephant Minnie.

"The Bronze Award is the highest award that Junior Girl Scouts (4th & 5th graders) can earn," said Choa. "The girls had to discuss what community issue they felt passionate about and then had to increase awareness in the community about that particular issue. They have always loved animals and chose to raise awareness about performing animals." 

We have invited Troop 33178 to be our guests at our holiday open house at ARK 2000 on Saturday, December 14.