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PERFORMING ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY
Rescue. Advocacy. Sanctuary. For Life.
Since 1984
| | Newsletter | December 2025 | | A Holiday Message from PAWS | | |
As we prepare to enter our 42nd year, PAWS is ready for the challenges and opportunities ahead. Our mission remains strong: rescue, sanctuary, education, and advocacy for captive wild animals in need.
We are profoundly grateful for your continued support. Because of you, animals find safety, space to roam, and the chance to live with dignity. Every rescue, every spacious habitat, and every new beginning is made possible by your kindness.
From all of us at PAWS – we wish you a kind and compassionate 2026!
Warm wishes,
Ed Stewart,
PAWS Co-founder and President of the Board of Directors
| | Welcoming New Sanctuary Residents | | Dally, an 11-year-old black bear, and Casey, a 13-year old mountain lion, arrived after being seized from the Barry R. Kirshner Wildlife Foundation in California following a criminal investigation into serious animal welfare violations. | | |
Archer, a five-year-old bobcat involved in the same case, joined us later after we completed his custom-built enclosure.
| | Pasha, a 10-year-old male African lion, and Meg, a 10-year-old tiger, were placed with PAWS after Oregon officials shut down West Coast Game Park Safari, a roadside zoo, due to neglect and other welfare violations. | | American River College students | | Education Highlights: Inspiring Students | | |
PAWS educates students through in-person and online presentations, and we invite everyone to attend our 2026 International Captive Wildlife Conference.
- This year, we welcomed fourth-year veterinary students from the University of California-Davis who spent a day at PAWS learning firsthand about caring for captive wildlife. Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Jackie Gai also shared her perspectives on wildlife care in a sanctuary with students at Western University’s veterinary school.
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Our college program, Wild Animals in Captivity: Exploring the Interface Between Humans and Wildlife, held at the sanctuary, fosters thoughtful dialogue and inspires interest in careers focused on animal care and protection.
Be sure to save the date for the PAWS International Captive Wildlife Conference, coming in late October 2026!
| | Advocacy Highlights: Creating Lasting Protection | | |
PAWS draws on decades of expertise to help advance laws to protect captive wild animals.
We are proud to be co-sponsoring California AB 892, which would prohibit public “encounters” involving feeding, holding, or photo ops with certain wild species – practices that endanger both animals and people. Stay tuned for ways that California residents can get involved!
PAWS also supported a new Washington state law prohibiting the use of elephants, wild cats, bears, and primates in circuses and traveling shows.
| | Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Jackie Gai | | Director of Science, Research and Public Policy Catherine Doyle | | |
Science Highlights: Advancing Knowledge
PAWS contributed to the scientific knowledge of captive wildlife through publication of two important papers this year:
- A study on diagnosing mesothelioma in captive lions and tigers in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, co-authored by Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Jackie Gai, supporting earlier detection and improved palliative care. Find the paper abstract here.
- An updated, comprehensive review of captive cetacean welfare, published in Peer J, co-authored by Director of Science, Research and Public Policy Catherine Doyle, which concludes that cetaceans are fundamentally unsuited to captivity. Read the paper here.
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Make a Year-End Gift to Support the
Animals at PAWS!
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There’s still time to make a 2025 tax-deductible gift that helps provide a safe, lifelong home for the rescued and retired elephants, big cats, bears, monkeys, and others in our care.
Your support ensures we start the new year strong, continuing to deliver exceptional care that includes:
- Nutritious, individualized diets
- Spacious environments set in nature
- Expert veterinary care and daily attention
Make a single or monthly gift by clicking the “Donate” button!
Prefer to give by phone? Call our office at 209-745-2606 (Mon.–Fri., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. PST) by Wednesday, December 31 to donate.
To donate stock, contact Kim Gardner at 916-539-5305 or email kimkleingardner@yahoo.com.
Thank you for making a lasting difference!
| | Our longest-term resident, African elephant Mara, turned 45 in January. PAWS has been her home for 35 years! | | In April, we celebrated tiger Cleo’s one-year anniversary at PAWS – it’s exciting to see how far she has come under our care. | | In a personal milestone for Asian elephant Nicholas, he finally shed a long-problematic molar in May. These massive teeth can weigh more than 11 pounds! Here, Managing Director Brian Busta is holding Nicholas' tooth. | | African elephant Toka turned 55 years old. | | In October, PAWS hosted the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance conference. As a founding member we proudly support the Alliance’s work to end the exploitation of captive wild cats and advance their care and welfare in true sanctuaries. | | |
Did you know that you can help the animals at
PAWS with just a few clicks?
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Our Amazon Wish List includes items we use every day at the sanctuary, such as health supplements, food, batteries, and other essentials.
By purchasing directly from the list, you support PAWS and help give the animals the best care possible.
Click here to see needed items and make your purchase!
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Thank You to Our December Amazon Wish List Donors:
Kathleen Barbour: one bag of Mixed Nuts, 2½ lbs; one bag of Shelled Walnuts, 12oz; one bag of Pitted Organic Dates, 8oz; two bags of Apricots, 5oz; one bag of Raw Peanuts, 24oz; one package of Raisins, 6pk; one package of Greenies Feline Pill Pockets, 6oz; one bottle of Cosequin 180#; one package of AA Batteries, 8ct; one package of AA Batteries, 4ct & one Costco Gift Card. Darlene Murchison: one bottle of Renal Essentials, 60#; one package of N95 Face Masks, 20ct; one bag of Pine Nuts, 2lbs; one bag of Apricots, 1lb. & one bag of Pecans, 5lbs. Susan Nickerson: one bag of Macadamia Nuts, 2lbs. Shaw Law Group: Legal services.
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RESCUED TIGER FALCOR
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: | | |
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. CharityWatch gives PAWS an "A" rating.
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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
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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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