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PERFORMING ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY
Rescue. Advocacy. Sanctuary. For Life.
Since 1984
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PAWS' Newest Resident, 10-month-old Tiger Cub Cleo, Settles into Sanctuary Life | |
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Cleo is taking to sanctuary life beautifully, since her arrival at PAWS on April 8. This tiger cub has been through so much in her young life, but she is resilient and full of energy!
When confiscated from a private facility by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in late February, Cleo suffered from severe Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). This very painful condition, caused by inadequate nutrition, left her with multiple bone fractures and deformities. She was temporarily housed at the Oakland Zoo, where she received excellent care and proper nutrition for seven weeks.
Cleo arrived at PAWS on April 8th and immediately endeared herself to PAWS’ caregiving staff. Although MBD has caused permanent damage to bones in her neck and legs, she is growing stronger and more active and playful every day.
We love seeing Cleo explore her spacious enclosure, where she stalks and pounces playfully among the tall grasses or relaxes under a tree while enjoying the sights, scents, and sounds of nature.
Cleo loves water, and she enjoys splashing and soaking in her pool. She is calm, confident, and friendly, and our animal care staff is smitten with her.
"We are grateful to the Oakland Zoo for providing safe, emergency placement after she was confiscated, and for giving her a head start on the long road to recuperation and healing," said PAWS Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Jackie Gai.
PAWS provides the perfect combination of expert, individualized care, and a peaceful, natural setting. With sound nutrition, dedicated daily care, and veterinary attention when necessary, Cleo is in excellent hands. Welcome home, little Cleo!
Read PAWS’ press release welcoming Cleo here.
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PAWS' African elephants Lulu and Toka (back). | | |
PAWS Says Good-bye to African Elephant Lulu | |
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Sadly, PAWS had to say good-bye to African elephant Lulu at the ARK 2000 sanctuary on April 9. The most caring decision was made to perform euthanasia to prevent suffering, as Lulu had endured degenerative joint disease, a leading reason for euthanizing elephants in captivity. She passed from this life surrounded by those who loved her.
At age 58, Lulu was the oldest African elephant in North America. She spent most of her life at the San Francisco Zoo, and her final 19 years at PAWS.
Following is a personal remembrance of Lulu by PAWS Sanctuary Manager Brian Busta.
“Lulu was an amazing portrait of friendship and loss, including losing her family in the wild and then being sent to live in a zoo. Later, she would find her elephant best friend.
She had spent years at the zoo living with an incompatible elephant, who dominated Lulu by pushing her into corners and controlling her every move.
When Lulu arrived at PAWS in 2005, she was a timid, terrified soul who had never known the friendship of another elephant since her capture. She was introduced to a group larger than any she’d known since childhood, but Lulu soon began to fit in.
I fondly remember Lulu liking to act acting tough, “challenging” Mara when in the barn. But as soon as they were outside, she followed Mara around in the habitats. She really bonded with Ruby, who took her under her wing when Lulu joined the group.
When Maggie arrived at PAWS in 2007, I believe Lulu found a soulmate. They got along so well and were almost inseparable. They had an amazing decade-plus together. Toka and Iringa blended fantastically, and they became their own little band of misfits that found companionship unlike any they’d had before.
It was amazing to watch Lulu’s evolution from the timid, completely submissive girl she was, to being friends with multiple elephants and somewhat of a leader towards the end.
She never should have been put in a captive situation to begin with, but to come through the trauma and loss she had experienced and become the individual she was, was an amazing feat of strength.”
Read PAWS’ press release about Lulu here.
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Big Day of Giving is Almost Here!
Act Now and You Can Double Your Gift to PAWS!
Donations Will be Matched up to $23,500!
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We need your help to raise $75,000 (or more!) in 24 hours to feed and care for the elephants, tigers, bears, monkeys, and other wild animals at PAWS' 2,300-acre ARK 2000 sanctuary. Rescued or retired from circuses, zoos, and the exotic "pet" trade, today these animals roam spacious natural areas where they can just be wild animals again.
PAWS not only rescues and provides a permanent home for captive wild animals, we work to stop their exploitation at its source so innocent animals never have to suffer again.
Big Day of Giving starts at midnight on Thursday, May 2nd, and runs for 24 hours. This online giving campaign that helps area non-profits is open to donors everywhere.
Early Giving Starts… Now!
You can make a donation today! Minimum amount is $10; all major credit cards accepted. Early donations will be added to the leaderboard on the Big Day of Giving site on May 2.
Act Quickly and Double Your Donation!
Thanks to generous gifts from friends of PAWS, online donations will be matched up to $23,500, doubling your impact for the animals!
Make your Big Day of Giving gift TODAY.
Minimum donation is $10; all major credit cards accepted. Early donations will be added to the leaderboard on the Big Day of Giving website (bigdayofgiving.org) on May 2.
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Call PAWS' office at 209-745-2606, Mon.-Fri., between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. (Pacific Time) to charge your donation. Be sure to tell our staff that your donation is for Big Day of Giving.
Please encourage friends, family, and colleagues to donate, and share this event widely on social media.
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PAWS thanks these special friends for their matching gifts:
Nancy Hair, Dr. Kristina Wiley, Ann Henning, Dr. Deb Hoffman, Sandy Monticelli, Margo Duckett, Colonel, USAF NC (ret), Peg Cheng, and two donors who wish to remain anonymous
We are still accepting matching gift opportunities. If you would like to participate, please contact Kim Gardner at kimkleingardner@yahoo.com or 1-916-539-5305 before May 2.
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Help End Whale Captivity in the U.S. | |
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PAWS is endorsing the recently reintroduced Strengthening Welfare in Marine Settings (SWIMS) Act (H.R. 7145/S.3694) that would end the capture and breeding of whales for public display. These wide-ranging, highly intelligent, and socially complex animals suffer in barren, concrete tanks – all in the name of “entertainment.”
The SWIMS Act would amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to prohibit the taking, import, or export of orcas, beluga whales, pilot whales, and false killer whales for the purpose of public display.
The bill allows whales to be imported or exported to a sanctuary and for release to the wild. It also amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit breeding these species for public display.
We need your help to pass this important bill!
You can send a message to your federal legislators through the Nonhuman Rights Project’s (NhRP) action page. (NhRP helped develop this ground-breaking bill.)
Or you can locate and find contact information for your representative here and your senators here, and call or send a personal message to your legislators.
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Family of wild African elephants. | |
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Updates African Elephant Import Rule
In 2023, PAWS and Harvard Law School’s Animal Law and Policy Clinic jointly submitted comprehensive comments in response to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s (FWS) proposal to revise a special rule governing trade in African elephants under the Endangered Species Act.
Our comments made a strong case against the importation of wild-caught African elephants and sport-hunted elephant trophies, while supporting proposed rules that would benefit captive elephants already in the U.S. and making recommendations for strengthening them.
The new rule, effective May 1, fails to prohibit the import of wild-caught elephants for display in zoos, instead relying on flawed arguments that favor these facilities. The agency also did not forbid sport-hunted elephant trophies, despite evidence that African elephant populations are at great risk.
However, there are improved regulations regarding live elephant imports, such as requiring any U.S. facility receiving live elephants to be “suitably equipped to house and care for them” throughout their lives, a key welfare addition. (Zoo accreditation does not automatically confer “suitably equipped” status.)
Also, imported African elephants and their offspring cannot be sold or otherwise transferred to another person or location without a special purpose permit, and the destination must be found to be “suitably equipped.” Previously, once an imported elephant was in the U.S., FWS did not evaluate facilities to which the elephants or their offspring were moved.
Our joint comments and recommendations clearly influenced the positive outcomes in the new rule, however, we must continue to push FWS to end the import of live elephants and sport-hunted elephant trophies.
The comments were authored by PAWS Director of Science, Research, and Public Policy Catherine Doyle, and Harvard Animal Law & Policy Clinic Clinical Instructor Rachel Mathews, Staff Attorney Rebecca Garverman, and student Jeremiah Scanlan, JD ’24.
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 | PAWS Hosts American River College Students for Special Captive Wildlife Program | |
In March, students from American River College in Sacramento, California, participated in PAWS’ innovative outreach program for college students, Wild Animals in Captivity: Exploring the Interface Between Humans and Wildlife.
This program invites professors to bring their classes to ARK 2000 to learn about the natural biology and behavior of tigers, black bears, and elephants, and the issues surrounding their captivity.
Students are guided through the sanctuary where they learn about the animals’ individual histories, and through discussion they explore how captive situations affect their perception of wild animals and nature itself.
For information on how your college class can participate in Wild Animals in Captivity: Exploring the Interface Between Humans and Wildlife, please contact Catherine Doyle at cdoyle@pawsweb.org. The program will be offered again in the fall.
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THANK YOU!
April Amazon Wish List Donors:
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Joyce Hodel: Oranges 45lbs. Claudia Schwartz: one bottle of CosequinDS, 132#; one bottle of AminAvast, 60#. Sandra Wilson: one bottle of CosequinDS, 132#. Marcia Pelka: two bottles of CosequinDS, 132#. Linda Allen: one bottle of CosequinDS, 132#; one bottle of AminAvast, 60#. Kathy Turner: one bottle CosequinDS, 132# Anonymous: one tub of Biotin 100 powder, 5lbs. | |
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We have chosen specific items that are needed at the sanctuary, which you can purchase directly from Amazon. We have an ongoing need for many of the products listed. Click here to review the items and donate.
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PAWS provides lifetime care to the tigers, bears, elephants, and other animals who call our sanctuary home. Your kind support provides expert daily care, necessary veterinary treatments, and specialized nutritional support, all tailored to the individual needs of each animal. Your gifts make this excellent care possible. | |
There are many ways you can help PAWS animals: | |
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Donate. Although we work closely with regulatory agencies on animal rescues, PAWS receives no government funding and must rely on your donations to continue our work. When you make a contribution for the wild animals at PAWS, it is unlike any other. How many people can say they’ve gifted elephants with spacious rolling hills and a more natural life, or made a present of a lush, tree-filled habitat for a tiger? Or given a bear a new chance at life? And you ensure we are prepared for the next wild animal in dire need of rescue. Three ways to give and every donation matters.
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PAWS is proud of its 4-star rating with Charity Navigator - the highest rating possible. We are part of an elite group of charities with an "exceptional" designation (at least four consecutive years of 4-star ratings), meaning that your gift will have the greatest impact possible.
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Give to one of PAWS' ongoing MightyCause campaigns: Our "Dollars for Dirt" or "Give BIG for PAWS' Elephants" fundraisers for the elephants, like Prince (pictured), or our "Help Captive Tigers" fundraiser to benefit the rescued tigers living at our ARK 2000 sanctuary.
Adopt A PAWS Animal. If you would like to help our animals, one of the best ways is to become an "adoptive parent," or give a PAWS adoption as a gift to an animal lover in your life. PAWS adoptions are symbolic adoptions only. No animal will be sent! Learn more
PAWS Partnerships. Help us change the life of a victim of captivity by becoming a PAWS Partner. PAWS partnerships help support our sanctuary operations and the day-to-day care of the animals. Learn more
Estates/Planned Giving. You can help us make sure captive wildlife in need of shelter will always have PAWS' sanctuary to call home! Learn more
Corporate Donations and Matching Fund Programs. Learn more about what is needed.
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Purchase PAWS apparel and merchandise. Clothing for adults, kids, toddlers and infants, as well as other fun merchandise like notecards and coffee mugs - available from our CafePress online gift shop.
PAWS Amazon Wish List. We have chosen specific items that are needed at the sanctuary, which you can purchase directly from Amazon. Many items are ongoing. The list is always current! View here.
EBAY Giving Works. Visit PAWS eBay page to view our current listings and to bid. List your items on EBAY and choose PAWS as your charity. Donate a percentage of each sale to the animals. Visit our EBAY charity listing page here. Start selling or buying!
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Shop online through IGive and raise money for PAWS! Up to 26% of your purchase - at more than 1,600 retailers - can be donated to PAWS. Learn more
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