PERFORMING ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY
Rescue. Advocacy. Sanctuary. For Life.
Since 1984
November 2020 | Newsletter
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AFRICAN ELEPHANTS THIKA AND MARA AT ARK 2000
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A Special Message from
PAWS President Ed Stewart
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This is the time of year when we contemplate all that we are thankful for. Number one on my list is the gratitude I feel for PAWS advocates like you! Your compassionate support has helped sustain us during this very challenging year.
Thanks to your kindness, wild animals who once faced unthinkable fates now have a life worth living: Asian elephant Gypsy and African lioness Camba were forced to perform in traveling circuses. Capuchin monkeys Zeppo and Chico were exotic “pets” confined in a filthy, dark basement with little food or water. Uncontrolled breeding for roadside zoos and the cub petting trade has left lasting effects on tigers like Mungar who is blind in one eye and has mobility issues.
Today these beloved animals, and many more, enjoy expansive natural habitats where they can be their wild selves, under the watchful eye of PAWS’ expert veterinary and caregiver staff.
As the world continues to cope with the hardships and losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that the rescued and retired wild animals at our three sanctuaries continue to receive the same love, attention and great care.
I am deeply grateful for your kindhearted support.
Thank you!
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MAGGIE (RIGHT) WITH HER FRIEND TOKA AT ARK 2000
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13 Years Ago This Month, PAWS Welcomed African Elephant Maggie
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At PAWS’ ARK 2000 sanctuary, our eight elephants are able to spend their time outdoors 365 days a year, thanks to the moderate California climate. Most days are clear and sunny. It’s hard to think that Maggie was once the only elephant in all of Alaska, before coming to PAWS 13 years ago this month.
The Alaska Zoo acquired Maggie in 1983 after she was traumatically taken from her mother and wild family in Zimbabwe. She would spend the next 24 years in frigid Anchorage – the last 10 years of that time without the companionship of another elephant. Eventually, a group of Anchorage citizens became concerned that Maggie would not survive another year in Alaska. They launched a campaign to send her to a facility with far more space, a more suitable climate, and the opportunity to live with other African elephants. In 2007, Maggie was relocated to PAWS in coordination with the Alaska Zoo.
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Being the special elephant that she is, Maggie was flown to California by the U.S. Air Force (right) in a move they dubbed Operation Maggie Migration. Because no commercial airline option was available to transport her, Maggie was flown aboard a C-17 Globemaster III from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska to Travis Air Force Base in California. From there she traveled by truck to her new home at ARK 2000. (The Air Force was reimbursed for the full cost of transport by Emmy Award-winning television game show host and longtime PAWS friend, Bob Barker.)
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Although Maggie has physical challenges, she spends her time foraging, socializing, and soaking up the California sun with friends Toka and Lulu (above). She has gone from being a lone elephant to one of the most social elephants at ARK 2000. PAWS couldn’t be prouder to care for this resilient and amazing elephant.
PAWS thanks the people of Anchorage, who continue to follow Maggie’s story. Many of them, including Alaska Zoo Executive Director Pat Lampi, have come to visit Maggie during our "Seeing the Elephant" weekends, open houses and other welcome visits.
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Help us reach our #GivingTuesday goal of $50,000+ in 24 hours for PAWS' elephants!
Matching Funds = $51,000
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Tuesday, December 1st, is #GivingTuesday – an annual worldwide giving event. Maybe we should call it “Tusker Tuesday” because we’re setting our sights on raising $50,000 to support the care of our eight elephants at the ARK 2000 sanctuary.
Elephants are incredibly expensive to look after. It costs at least $70,000 to feed and care for one healthy elephant for one year (that’s almost $200 a day!). Caring for eight elephants takes about $50,000 a month. That includes daily attention, veterinary care, food, necessary medications, habitat maintenance, and more.
Won’t you please support the elephants we all love and care for by making a donation? #GivingTuesday starts at 12:01 a.m. on December 1st and ends at 11:59 p.m. but you can make your contribution now!
Donations will be matched dollar for dollar up to $51,000. That means you can double your donation!
Simply click on the "Donate Now" button below, which takes you to PAWS' #GivingTuesday site on MightyCause. Or call PAWS' office at 209-745-2606, Mon.-Fri., between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. (Pacific Time) to charge your donation. Be sure to tell our staff that your donation is for #GivingTuesday.
Thank you from all of us at PAWS!
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We are grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Eric Kurtzman, Sandy Monticelli, Peg Cheng and Andrew Baldinger, and a very special donor who wishes to remain anonymous, for their matching gifts.
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Cal Fire Delivers Tasty Branches for the Elephants!
A BIG thank you to our friends at Cal Fire (above) who delivered a truckload of tasty mulberry branches for the elephants at our ARK 2000 sanctuary. The elephants love these special "treats!" Every year Cal Fire trims the huge trees near their station in Calaveras County and then donates the branches for the elephants to enjoy. We are so grateful to these wonderful firefighters for all they do for the elephants - and for our community!
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Monkey Business on Social Media:
“Beauty” Influencers Get Ugly
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A PAWS supporter recently tipped us off to a public relations stunt in which the clothing brand Bananas Monkey visited the homes of social media influencers in Los Angeles to promote their product – along with a Capuchin monkey and baboon. As a result, so-called “beauty influencers” James Charles, Jeffree Star and others posted video of themselves posing with the poor animals, sending the wrong message to millions of their followers. In some images the baboon “smiles” for the camera. His expression is actually a “fear grimace” that monkeys are trained to display on command. Fortunately, the influencers faced backlash on social media for their tone-deaf behavior.
The company that supplied the animals is All About Monkeys, which can sometimes be found at county fairs exploiting Capuchin monkey Chiquita and baboon Mickey. Wild animal exhibitors often claim to be “educating” the public, when in fact they are profiting off of innocent animals and conveying the dangerous idea that captives like monkeys can be “pets.” Wild About Monkeys has been cited for violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, including failure to keep a primate under the handler’s direct control at all times when the public is present, including during a photo shoot.
The exploitation of captive wildlife is inexcusable at any time, however, during the COVID-19 pandemic it is even more problematic. Legitimate captive wildlife facilities are taking extra precautions to protect the primates they care for from potential infection with the coronavirus – including use of personal protective equipment and appropriate distancing from the animals. Videos posted by the social media influencers clearly show that Wild About Monkeys is not employing similar safety measures.
Nonhuman primates are highly intelligent, complex and social animals that naturally live in groups. Captive situations simply do not meet their physical, social or behavioral needs. Monkeys destined to be “pets”, roadside zoo attractions, performers (including for TV, film and advertising), and props at birthday parties and corporate events are separated from their mothers soon after birth. These premature separations can cause long-term problems including social and behavioral abnormalities. Exhibitors may use harsh training to ensure control of the animals during performances and interactions with people. Monkeys often spend long hours in small crates during transport and on-site at venues.
Captive primates are not domesticated animals. Even when born and raised in captivity, they retain their innate instincts, making them unpredictable and potentially dangerous. Monkeys can grow up to be aggressive and difficult to control, and they can inflict severe injuries on humans. They also pose health risks to people through potential transmission of disease.
PAWS has cared for many former exotic “pets” who suffered greatly before they were rescued. Capuchin monkeys Chico and Zeppo were rescued from a person who kept 50 monkeys in a filthy and reeking dark basement. Other former “pets” include black bears Winston and Boo Boo who suffered neglect, injury and other ill effects of the exotic “pet” trade. At PAWS, these animals have a lifelong home where they live more natural lives, free from exploitation.
Bananas Monkey is seriously behind the times if they believe that using captive wild animals as PR props is an acceptable way to get attention for their product. We would have hoped that the social media influencers would have been appalled rather than thrilled at the captive monkeys on their doorsteps and refused to promote the company. Instead, they used the novelty of live monkeys to promote themselves at the expense of the animals.
Here are some things you can do to help:
- If you see a post on social media that shows someone posing with a live wild animal, let them know that they are supporting animal cruelty and suggest they remove the post.
- Never pet or pose for a photo with a captive wild animal of any age.
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Send a (polite) message to Bananas Monkey and tell them that animal exploitation is out of fashion. You can send a message via the company website by clicking here. You can also comment on their Facebook page.
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Book a PAWS Speaker for Your Online Class!
If you are looking for a unique way to broaden your students’ online learning experience, PAWS can provide a guest speaker for your college or high school classes. Topics can range from an overview of our sanctuary work to more in-depth discussions of captive wild animal issues, ethics, and care. Contact PAWS Director of Science, Research and Advocacy at cdoyle@pawsweb.org for more information. Speakers are provided at no charge.
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Above: Rescued bobcat Owen in his habitat at ARK 2000.
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PAWS provides lifetime care to the tigers, bears, elephants, and other animals who call our sanctuaries 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 generous donations make this excellent care possible.
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P. O. Box 849, Galt, CA 95632
(209) 745-2606
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Did you know that PAWS has an Amazon Wish List? We have chosen specific items that are needed at the sanctuary, which you can purchase directly from Amazon. Click here to review the items and donate. You can also review “wish list” items that are needed but not listed on Amazon. Click here for that list.
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Thank You November
Amazon Wish List Donors!
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Pam Giannini: four boxes of Denamarin; one Probiocin; one box of Laxatone. Kyera Giannini: nine 5 lb. bags of Missing Link Skin & Coat; 10 bottles of CosequinDS, 132#; 20 bottles of Renal Essentials, 60#; nine bottles of Azodyl, 90#; three 32 oz. bottles of EicosaDerm. Erin Malloy: three Probiocin. Carole Bognar: one bottle of CosequinDS, 132#. Shannon Guzzo: one box of Denamarin, 30#; one bottle of Azodyl, 90#. Mary Warrick: five bottles of Renal Essentials, 60#; five boxes of Denamarain, 30#; one gallon of Red Cell; two quarts of Red Cell; five Probiocin. Sophie Stimac: one 64 oz. box of raisins. Linda McNall: one bottle of Renal Essentials, 60#; one bottle of CosequinDS, 132#. Anonymous Donor: one 64 oz. box of raisins.
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There are many ways
you can help PAWS animals:
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Donate To PAWS. 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. Three ways to give and every donation matters. Learn more
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 a PAWS sanctuary to call home! Learn more
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Purchase PAWS apparel and merchandise. Clothing for adults, kids, toddlers and infants, as well as other fun merchandise like coffee mugs - available from our online gift shop.
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
EBAY Giving Works. List 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!
Corporate Donations and Matching Fund Programs. Learn more about what is needed.
Donate Your Vehicle To PAWS.
Attend A Fundraiser. PAWS sanctuaries ARE NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC but we do schedule a limited number of special events throughout the year. Click here to view PAWS' Calendar of Events.
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