PERFORMING ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY

Rescue. Advocacy. Sanctuary. For Life.

Since 1984

August 2019 | Newsletter

Ben the Bear arrived at PAWS seven years ago this month. Rescued from a roadside zoo in North Carolina, this is Ben today in his habitat at PAWS' ARK 2000 sanctuary. Thanks to generous friends who went shopping on PAWS' Amazon Wish List , he now has a big, new, bright red, heavy-duty Boomer Ball to play with!

Working Together to Help Captive Wildlife:

The Story of Ben the Bear

Often, it takes a team of people to help captive wild animals in need. The rescue of Ben, an 18-year-old bear living in the Bob Barker Bear Habitat at PAWS’ ARK 2000 sanctuary, is the perfect example. It took concerned citizens, attorneys from leading animal protection organizations, a judge, and FedEx to deliver Ben to his forever home at PAWS seven years ago this month.

A life of deprivation

To see Ben today, you wouldn’t begin to guess the horrors of his previous life as a roadside attraction. Identified only as “Attraction no. 2”, for six years he was confined in a 12x22-foot chain link “kennel” (left) with only a concrete floor to walk on. His meals usually consisted of dry dog food, and they were dumped on the very same floor where he urinated and defecated. Ben spent hours repeatedly pacing back and forth, the result of living in utterly deprived conditions. His only distractions were occasional passers-by, a bowling ball, and a few pieces of rotting wood.

 

The legal team

Fortunately, two local citizens and attorneys from PETA and the Animal Legal Defense Fund came to Ben’s aid. In 2012, they filed suit against the facility holding Ben, Jambbas Ranch Tours in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The facility already had numerous citations for violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Cumberland County District Judge Kimbrell Tucker heard the case and wisely recognized that Ben’s most basic needs were not being met. The judge issued a preliminary injunction that allowed Ben’s transfer to PAWS and later made it permanent. (Jambbas Ranch Tours shut down after additional legal action resulted in suspension of its exhibition license.)

The transport team

The transport team, including PAWS President Ed Stewart and the late Dr. Mel Richardson, DVM, traveled to North Carolina to retrieve Ben and safely bring him to our sanctuary. That’s where another very important member of Ben’s team – FedEx – came in. PAWS is forever grateful to the company for transporting him to California on a plane the flight crew happily dubbed “Bear Force One.”

The sanctuary team

As we’ve said so many times, the rescue of a captive wild animal is just the beginning. It’s hard to believe it’s been seven years since Ben first stepped into his new habitat – possibly walking on grass for the very first time in his life. Thanks to legendary animal activist and television star Bob Barker, today Ben spends his days immersed in nature (above), walking among shady trees and vegetation, foraging throughout the day, napping when he pleases, and exploring the spacious Bob Barker Bear Habitat. A team of PAWS caregivers sees to it that Ben has everything he needs: a nutritious diet, daily attention, an enriched environment, a visit from the veterinarian when necessary, 24/7 monitoring, and the love and respect he deserves.

 

Thanks to your support, PAWS stands ready to assemble our team once again to rescue a wild animal in need – animals like Ben, who need and deserve so much better.

Click on the arrow above to watch a video of Ben playing in his pool.

Update on California's

Circus Cruelty Prevention Act

PAWS continues to actively work to pass SB 313, the Circus Cruelty Prevention Act sponsored by Senator Ben Hueso, to end the use of wild or exotic animals in circuses in California. The bill has passed the California Senate. It is now in the Assembly, where it passed the Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife and the Judiciary Committee. (Thank you to everyone who contacted their Assembly members on those committees!) We are waiting to clear the Appropriations Committee so the bill can move to the full Assembly for a vote.

 

In circuses, wild animals are forced to perform under threat of painful punishment, confined in cramped cages and crates as they are transported from show to show, and generally deprived of all that is natural to them. It’s time for California to end this abuse!

Breaking News:

Momentous Win for African Elephants!

At the meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Geneva, Switzerland, countries voted to impose a near-total ban on the export of wild caught African elephants to zoos and entertainment facilities around the world. The vote was 87 in favor and 29 against, with 25 abstaining. Shamefully, the United States voted against the ban.

 

The decision will not stop all exports of wild caught elephants from Africa, as originally proposed, but it will place far greater restrictions on countries. Elephants now must remain in their natural and historical range in Africa, “except in exceptional circumstances where. . . it is considered that a transfer to ex-situ locations will provide demonstrable in-situ conservation benefits for African elephants.”

 

This is a huge win for the elephants. While most of the trade in wild African elephants was already prohibited, some trade was still permitted in southern Africa where elephant populations are larger. This allowed Zimbabwe to brutally capture and export more than 100 baby elephants to Chinese zoos since 2012.

 

PAWS has long been fighting elephant exports from Africa to zoos in China and the U.S. Most recently, we joined elephant specialists from around the world in a letter (read here ) to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opposing any import of wild caught elephants to zoos. The letter followed media reports that U.S. zoos were again planning to import elephants from Africa. (The last import took place in 2016 when three zoos imported 17 elephants from Swaziland.) Dan Ashe, CEO and president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, later reversed that position, stating in a Twitter post that its members were not involved in “active imports” and would be “transparent in any future discussions.”

 

PAWS will continue to remain vigilant on this important issue in order to ensure that zoos, including those in the U.S., are not allowed to fabricate “exceptional circumstances” so they can import wild caught African elephants.  The CITES vote clearly reflects the global trend toward recognizing that the complex needs of elephants cannot be adequately met in captivity, where these iconic animals fail to thrive. True conservation preserves habitats and protects elephants where they naturally live.

 

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Day of Action on Friday, August 23 , urging U.S. support for the ban on African elephant exports. Although the U.S. government did not do the right thing, the elephants prevailed in the end!

Other Important Actions for Elephants at CITES

 

A proposal by four Southern Africa countries (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe) that would allow them to sell their ivory stockpiles was soundly defeated.

 

Despite a push to close the ivory market globally, the European Union and Japan will be able to continue the sales of ivory within their borders. However, they will be subjected to more scrutiny, including stringent record keeping and reporting requirements. Countries at CITES confirmed a commitment to eventually close all domestic ivory markets.

Elephants in U.S. Zoos

May Soon Be Free of Bullhooks

PAWS has long fought against the use of cruel bullhooks on elephants , in both circuses and zoos. The bullhook is a menacing weapon resembling a fireplace poker with a sharpened steel tip at the end. It is used to control elephants through fear and pain. PAWS passed critical bullhook bans in Los Angeles and Oakland, California – the first major U.S. cities to enact restrictions on large circuses – that set the stage for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to end its elephant acts in 2016 and then shut down altogether in 2017, citing the absence of elephants and changing public opinion.

 

So PAWS welcomes the news, as reported in the Washington Post , that the board of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) recently voted to phase out bullhooks in routine elephant care and training by 2021. The board also approved a “statement of intent” to completely end the use of bullhooks by 2023, with the exception of emergencies and non-routine medical care. The Post reported that about 30 zoos still use bullhooks “to varying degrees.”

 

PAWS uses the protected contact method of managing elephants that relies on positive reinforcement and gives elephants the choice of whether to interact with our caregivers during training sessions. Using this method, we are able to provide a full range of husbandry and veterinary care. Click here to read an article by PAWS Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Jackie Gai, “Veterinary Care for Elephants in a Protected Contact Management System.”

Thank You August

Amazon Wish List Donors!

Jack Gordon: two 5 lb. tubs of Psyllium. Antoinette Blum: one 5 lb. tub of Psyllium. Darlene S. Murchison: two 5 lb. bags of Missing Link Ultimate Skin and Coat. Bert and Candace Forbes: one 24" red Boomer Ball. Valerie M. Smith: one box of CranAnidin, 75#. Katie, Kime and Dan Bloxsom: one 12.5 lb. bag of popcorn; one box of CranAnidin, 75#. Joanne Judt: one 5 lb. bag of Missing Link Skin and Coat; one gal. Red Cell; one box of Denamarin, 30#; one box CranAnidin, 75#. Patricia Gartland: one 10 lb. tub of Psyllium; one gal. Red Cell. Carole Bognar: one gal. Red Cell. Susan Ulinski: two gal. of Red Cell. Lynn Quinlan: one 5 lb. tub of Psyllium. Dr. Julia N. Allen: one book, "Veterinary Drug Handbook" by Plumb. Laura Halen: one 5 lb. bag of Missing Link Skin and Coat. Penelope Yungling: one 5 lb. bag of Missing Link Skin and Coat; one 5 lb. tub of Psyllium. Lisa Klotz: one bag of Greenies Pill Pockets, 60#; one 8 oz. bottle EicosaDerm; one Probiocin. Joyce E. Hodel: one box of Denamarin, 30#; one box Crananidin, 75#. A nonymous Donors: two boxes of Denamarin; one 5 lb. bag of Missing Link Ultimate Skin and Coat; two 5 lb. tubs of Missing Link Ultimate Skin and Cat; two scoop shovels for the elephant barns; 10 bottles of Emcelle Tocopherol; one 12.5 lb. bag of popcorn .



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Since its founding in 1984, PAWS has rescued more than 250 animals, including 19 elephants, 88 big cats and 19 bears.

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