Please post the graphic below on the Nosey the Amazing Elephant page.
Do not engage with the family, we just want to remind them that TES has offered Nosey a permanent home where she will experience the freedom to be an elephant.
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Help Free the Performing Elephant Who’s Been in a Zoo in Myanmar For 55 Years. In an ideal world, Mo Mo the elephant would be roaming the Asian tropical forests, surrounded by her herd and friends. She’d be standing on lush green grass, foraging for fruit, and socializing with her family members. In reality, her world couldn’t be more different.For the last 55 years, Mo Mo has lived at Yangon Zoological Gardens, the oldest zoo in Myanmar. Here, she spends her days and nights walking and sleeping on concrete floors. Instead of roaming miles finding her own food, like she would in the wild, Mo Mo is forced to perform her famous trick, which involves playing the harmonica and shaking her hips to the tunes. (Who do they think she is – Shakira?) Worst of all, all of the other elephants she’s performed with over the years have passed away so now, Mo Mo is lonelier than ever. Only a couple of months ago, Mo Mo turned 62 years old, which is a ripe age for an elephant in captivity. To celebrate her birthday and longevity, the Yangon Zoological Gardens dressed her up in a sparkly outfit and released 62 birds. While it’s great that they released dozens of birds, they should have released Mo Mo. It’s a miracle she’s survived all these years in such dire conditions and now, it’s time she was rewarded with the freedom she deserves. Will you help make her birthday wish come true?
Each year, over 2.2 million people visit the Yangon Zoo to admire the hundreds of species that live here. Although Mo Mo is just one of the many animals who are forced to live in this zoo, her suffering is quite hard to overlook. Elephants are naturally very social and emotional animals and when they are deprived of the ability to forage and interact with others in captivity they develop zoochosis, a form of deep mental distress that causes them to exhibit monotonous, pointless behaviors to help them cope with the stress. A study in the U.S., found that approximately two-thirds of captive elephants exhibit stereotypic behaviors such as head bobbing, weaving, and swaying.
The video footage below shows Mo Mo doing exactly that. She doesn’t need a voice to tell us she needs help – this behavior in itself screams, “Help me!”
The zoo claims they treat Mo Mo, “like a human being” and worship her. Yes, they dress her up and give her feasts of cakes and sugar canes, but this is not natural to an elephant and it’s certainly not healthy. While they say she’s in perfect health considering her age, it’s the invisible illness that hurts the most: depression.
The reason for this behavior is simple: she’s robbed of everything natural to her – physical contact with other elephants, everyday challenges of life in the wild, and so much more. When elephants are prevented from doing what is natural to them, they develop the habit of weaving and other stereotypical behaviors and will continue until they’ve reached their goal – whatever it is they are craving.
How You Can Help
After 55 years of living in a concrete enclosure at the Yangon Zoological Gardens, forced to perform silly musical tricks to visitors, it’s time Mo Mo gets the rest and refuge she deserves. Please sign this petition urging the Yangon Zoo to release her to an elephant sanctuary where she can spend her final years with dignity.
You can increase your impact by sharing the petition on your social media pages, like Facebook and Twitter. Let’s get as many signatures as possible! Time is running out for Mo Mo. Who knows how much longer she’ll have left, so let’s make her final years happy ones! Image source: Po Htaung.
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Exclusive: Young Elephants in China Show Signs of Abuse.Images of two dozen animals that were flown from Zimbabwe indicate mistreatment at quarantine facility, specialists say.
New photographs and video exclusive to National Geographic suggest that two dozen young elephants flown to China from Zimbabwe in July are being mistreated and are slipping into poor health, according to analysts who have examined the images.
The elephants—many no more than two or three years old—are being held in at the Qingyuan quarantine facility in Guangdong Province, awaiting transfer to Chimelong Safari Park, also in Guangdong.
Several conservation and animal welfare groups have decried the export and confinement of the youngsters—wild animals recognized for their high intelligence, emotional capacity, and cooperative nature. The concerns about the elephants—and about the Zimbabwe’s controversial decision to capture the animals and sell them to Chinese interests—come at a time when elephants across sub-Saharan Africa increasingly are threatened by poachers who often kill elephants for their ivory, which is particularly coveted in Asia.
The images of the elephants were taken surreptitiously by Chunmei Hu, a project manager with Nature University, a Beijing-based organization. She has gone into the quarantine facility twice during the past three months to take pictures and video of the elephants. Her first foray went without incident. But the second time, she says, she was caught by security guards and taken to the local police station. Officers demanded her camera’s memory card, but she refused to give it up. She was later released, and the images were made available to National Geographic.
It’s clear, said Blais after reviewing images of the elephants, that the animals aren’t getting medical treatment for their injuries. “Every day,” he says, “they’ll become less and less who they are supposed to be.”
National Geographic asked Joyce Poole, who is widely viewed as the world’s leading elephant communication specialist and is co-founder of ElephantVoices, a Kenya-based research and advocacy group, to review the video and photos. Poole said that what’s happening to the elephants is “tragic and morally reprehensible."
She said the elephants appear to be struggling physically and mentally. They’re “pushing, shoving, and tusking each other, and this is likely the cause of the larger abscesses and open wounds that are visible on a number of elephants.” According to Poole, this abnormal behavior “is caused by their being held captive without adequate space and without older elephants to protect them and to intervene in disputes.” Hu’s video appears to show two men with long poles scaring three calves from their outdoor pen into the adjoining indoor enclosure. Scott Blais, CEO of the Global Sanctuary for Elephants, a Tennessee-based organization that aims to create a network of refuges for captive elephants, also analyzed the photos. Blais said it appears that the elephants’ wounds aren’t being treated. He noted that urine and fecal stains are present on every elephant. “Due to their small confines,” Blais said, “it’s impossible for them to escape their own waste at night.” Officials in China have declined to comment. But on Thursday, China’s Xinhua News Agency released photographs of about half of the animals at Chimelong. The elephants appear to be in better shape than those in Chunmei’s images. Caption information supplied by Xinhua said that “24 African elephants were imported from Zimbabwe … as a part of (an) international African elephant conservation program.” On Friday, China President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama made a joint pledge to try to end the ivory trade, the White House announced. The move followed Xi’s announcement in May that China would crack down on that country’s domestic ivory trade. Export of elephants is sanctioned under the Convention on International Trade in Wild Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), as long as the trade of individual animals or plants doesn’t threaten the long-term survival of the species. (See “Why It’s So Hard To Stop Zimbabwe’s Export of Baby Elephants”). Zimbabwe officials have justified the sale of elephants to China on grounds that Hwange National Park has too many elephants and that it’s a way to help fund its impoverished park system.
Poole acknowledged that the capture and international trade of limited numbers of elephant calves doesn’t endanger the species as a whole.
But, she said, “it certainly causes enormous and life-long suffering to individual elephants. What are we, the international community, going to do to stop this outright cruelty that is being sanctioned by an international treaty? We need to either revamp CITES or start a new organization that will.” Zimbabwe exported eight elephants to China in 2012, according to the CITES database. "We are only aware of four arriving into China,” says Dave Neale, animal welfare director with Animals Asia, an advocacy group based in Hong Kong. “Three of these four are dead.”
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Move Isolated Zoo Elephant to SanctuaryTarget: Tim Morrow, CEO and Executive Director of San Antonio Zoo
Click Here To Help Out!
Goal: Move Lucky, a lone elephant, to a reputable sanctuary.
Lucky the elephant has been at the San Antonio Zoo since the age of two. She is now 55 years old. As of 2013, Lucky has been in isolation due to the death of her friend. Lucky shows clear psychological problems as a result of her living conditions. She can be seen rocking back and forth excessively, which even the zoo says is “anxious behavior.”
The animals rights group, The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), is suing the San Antonio Zoo over Lucky. The ALDF’s lawsuit claims that the San Antonio Zoo is violating the Endangered Species Act by having Lucky all alone, by not providing adequate space or shelter, and by not using proper materials for Lucky’s exhibit floor. The ALDF claims that all of these factors can cause physical and psychological damage to Lucky. “More and more zoos have admitted that they cannot meet elephants’ complex needs and have closed their elephant exhibits” says executive director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Stephen Wells.
Elephants are very intelligent, curious and social animals. They develop deep bonds with family members and it is inherently cruel to keep an elephant in isolation. Tell the San Antonio Zoo that Lucky deserves to live out the rest of her life happily and healthy among other elephants.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. Morrow,
Your zoo currently holds an elephant by the name of Lucky. As of 2013, Lucky has been kept in isolation. As I am sure you are aware, elephants are highly intelligent and social creatures. They form deep family bonds, especially females. They have even displayed feelings of joy, grief and anger. To keep Lucky in isolation is intolerably cruel.
Many zoos are getting rid of their elephant displays because they are finally acknowledging that they are unable to provide these complex animals with their wants and needs. It is time that you acknowledge that as well and let Lucky live out the rest of her days happily, healthy and among other elephants.
Please consider moving Lucky to a sanctuary. She does not deserve to spend the rest of her life alone while people gawk at her all day. She needs elephant companions and an environment suitable for her needs.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Billy Hathorn
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This adorable baby elephant didn't want to finish bath time.
In the wild, green season means lots of babies. The result? Endless entertainment, fabulous photographic opportunities and amazing safari experiences. This video - captured by one of our pro-guides is a perfect example of how exciting safaris can be.
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Clumsy baby elephant with a tire.
Baby elephant Navann and his mum spend time together at Elephant Nature Park. Navann seems to have a lot of trouble with a tire. Let's see if he can release himself from the grip of the tire.
Learn more : www.saveelephant.org
Baltic Levity - Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
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War-Torn South Sudan’s ‘Forgotten Forests’ Are Home to Rare Elephants. A camera-trap survey reveals endangered forest elephants living outside their known range, along with other wildlife surprises.
For the first time, researchers have uncovered evidence of endangered forest elephants roaming South Sudan.
But that’s not all.
The conflict-ridden country’s mostly unexplored tropical forests are a treasure trove of wildlife, with giant pangolins, African golden cats, bongos (antelope), chimpanzees, and red river hogs all caught on film, thanks to recently placed remote-sensing camera traps.
From January through June, researchers with Flora and Fauna International, at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, and South Sudan’s Wildlife Service surveyed more than 3,000 square miles of dense forest in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria state, which borders the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“It’s this belt that’s mostly been untouched and unresearched because of the decades of conflict in the area—it’s hard to get to,” said DeeAnn Reeder, a biology professor at Bucknell who has been studying mammals in South Sudan since 2004.
Reeder knew the tropical zone had the potential to be a biodiversity hot spot, but years of civil war and rampant elephant poaching left the team unsure of what to expect.
Over the next six months, the team sifted through more than 20,000 photos of wildlife—1,190 of which included images of African forest elephants, a smaller, more elusive cousin of the savanna elephant that roams much of the continent’s plains.
For the team, the images of forest elephants were like an early holiday present.
“We knew from working with locals in the area that there was the potential that forest elephants were in the region, but these images are the first to scientifically document the animals in the country,” Reeder said.
The forest elephant species, or subspecies—depending on who you’re talking to—are experiencing the same devastating declines as their savanna brethren, mostly because of poaching for ivory, habitat loss, and the bushmeat trade. A recent study reported a 62 percent decline in the world’s forest elephant population between 2002 and 2011.
The camera-trap findings expand the known range of forest elephants farther east than previously recorded, a discovery that highlights the importance of extending wildlife conservation efforts in little-known regions and struggling communities like those in South Sudan.
Adrian Garside of Flora and Fauna International collaborated with Reeder on the survey, and the two have been working with communities in South Sudan since 2008, before the country’s independence from Sudan in 2011.
Forest Elephant family. (Photo: FFI & Bucknell University)
Their most recent initiative is a joint project with local wildlife authorities focused on turning community members who once poached elephants into elephant rangers charged with monitoring camera traps, adjusting GPS units in the field, and becoming wildlife ambassadors.
“Experience has shown that wildlife and ecosystems often suffer enormously during and after conflict, and in periods of political instability, and this depletion of natural resources affects some of the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of society,” Garside said in a statement. “By maintaining our presence in the country, building good relationships with local communities and supporting our partners, we will find ourselves in a far better position to help people manage their resources sustainably, both now and in the future.”
Reeder sees food insecurity as a fundamental problem.
“It’s a community that historically has hunted for its protein sources,” Reeder said. “Add economic collapse, decades of war, and more instability on to that, and you’ve got more and more pressure for people to turn to wildlife for food.”
In the images, the team was able to distinguish eight forest elephants from special markings—a welcome sign for Reeder.
“It’s really heartening to see it and see some of our efforts with the community pay off,” said Reeder, who is planning to return to Western Equatoria early next year. “I get told on a weekly basis I’m crazy for going there and working there. No doubt, it’s an extremely challenging place, but I’m committed to the wildlife in that community and to the people.”
“I think it means something to the community that we’ve stayed through this trying time; I think it means something to the people on the ground there,” she added.
The camera-trap survey was funded by a grant from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s Great Ape Conservation Fund, with additional funding from the Woodtiger Fund, Bucknell University, and Flora and Fauna International.
Bongo Antelope. (Photo: FFI & Bucknell University)
The camera traps are still in place, and the team is expecting to retrieve more footage in February.
“We’re excited to see what else is out there,” Reeder said.
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Goodwill Towards Wildlife Is Lacking in Congress More harmful amendments threaten imperiled species, refuges and the Endangered Species Act. The holiday season is here, with its warm message of giving. But there’s hardly a spirit of goodwill in Congress right now, at least when it comes to imperiled wildlife and our environment. Congressional leaders are negotiating the final budget for the federal government and a slew of destructive amendments or “riders” that attack America’s wildlife, water, lands and air are on the table. It’s no way to ring in the New Year, that’s for sure.
As I’ve said before, these kinds of backdoor attacks are nothing new, but
only the latest wave in a flood of legislative proposals that would undermine
imperiled wildlife conservation in the United States. Since January alone, there
have been over 85 legislative proposals circulated in Congress that would
dramatically weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Potential amendments that
could be included in an omnibus bill run the gamut from blocking core ESA
protections for imperiled species to undermining the use of the best available
science for species conservation. These anti-wildlife legislative proposals are
unprecedented in number and aggressiveness, and this disturbing trend shows no
sign of slowing down.
The fact is that these riders are unnecessary and destructive distractions
from the real task at hand: funding the federal government. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been scraping by on
limited resources for years now, and these cynical amendments only add insult to
injury.
One potential rider would mandate an incommensurate land exchange and
construction of a destructive road through designated wilderness in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. This,
despite the fact that the Secretary of the Interior has already rejected the
proposed road more than once! If enacted, this rider would ensure irreparable
damage to wildlife habitat in the refuge and set a terrible precedent that would
jeopardize wildlife refuge and wilderness protections on public lands across the
United States.
Yet another rider, backed by the National Rifle Association, would block the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from implementing a proposed regulation to
dramatically tighten controls on the sale of elephant ivory in the United States
in order to thwart the illegal ivory market. This rider would seal the fate of
thousands of elephants that will be slaughtered for their tusks this year. It’s
irresponsible, inappropriate and the antithesis of President Obama’s pledge to
stop trafficking in smuggled ivory in the United States.
These two riders would be bad enough on their own, but they come on top of a
tidal wave of potential amendments solely intended to undermine and weaken the
ESA. Among other attacks, these riders would remove necessary protections for
species at risk of extinction and prevent future protection for imperiled
species. This unrelenting siege on a popular, bedrock wildlife conservation law
is unacceptable and shouldn’t be tolerated a moment longer.
Sneaking harmful policy amendments into appropriations legislation is no way
to lead our nation. And time and time again, we’ve seen that ESA opponents in
Congress are grossly out of step with the American public. Recent polls show
that 90 percent of American voters support the ESA overall, and two-thirds of
voters say they’d be more likely to vote for politicians who support the ESA,
Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and other critical environmental laws. So who are
these lawmakers trying to please? That’s an easy answer: special economic
interests that will stop at nothing to improve their bottom line.
Fortunately, there are lawmakers in both the House and Senate committed to
protecting the ESA and other cornerstones of environmental protection in the
United States, and they’ve been working hard to keep these riders out of the
final spending bill. But enough is enough. It’s time for Congress to stop
slipping destructive anti-wildlife amendments into the appropriations bill, to
do their jobs and fund the government. Let’s ring in the New Year with a clean
Omnibus Spending Bill, and a thriving wildlife heritage for future
generations. Originally published on Huff Post Green. The post Goodwill Towards Wildlife Is Lacking in Congress appeared first
on Defenders of Wildlife
Blog.
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This Single Photo Reveals the Tragic Fate of Captive Elephants.
Elephants are, by nature, highly social and intelligent beings. In the wild, they live in close-knit matriarchal herds, headed by the oldest female, and comprised of her daughters and their calves. Adult males live in separate “bachelor” groups. They have repeatedly shown themselves to be extremely sensitive to their environment and capable of deep emotion – they mourn when a loved one dies and know how to distinguish between humans who wish to harm them and humans who are safe.
In Africa, elephants are tragically threatened by extinction because of the illegal ivory trade. It is estimated that one African elephant loses their life to a poacher every fifteen minutes and 35,000 total are killed every year.
Asian elephants, meanwhile, suffer rampant abuse in Thailand’s elephant tourism industry. Torn from their mothers at an early age, forced to endure training processes that break their spirits and render them docile, and repeatedly injured with nails or other sharp devices if they fail to perform a trick to their handlers’ satisfaction, elephants who are trapped in these situations suffer a life that is nothing short of miserable.
This single heartbreaking photo depicts exactly what life for captive baby elephants is like.
The chain around this one-year-old baby’s foot immediately marks him out as a captive elephant. However, it is the expression of obvious despair in his eyes that stands out as the photograph’s dominant feature. For any animal lover viewing this picture, it is impossible not to empathize with the beautiful elephant, and wish to do whatever we can to help him.
His name is Raja, and his story was truly tragic. He was torn away from his mother when he was only a few months old and was chained to a tree in a Sumatran village. Villagers claimed that their crops were damaged by his family, and unbelievably decided to hold him prisoner in retaliation. In spite of concerted efforts by animal rights advocates to have him freed, Raja soon died under these deplorable conditions.
Elephants DC said, “We know there was an advocacy group trying to help, but Raja was too malnourished and broken hearted … it was little, too late. We will nerve forget.”
While nothing can now be done for this beautiful baby, Elephants DC and other groups are determined to fight for the freedom of all other captive elephants.
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Ringling Elephant Assan Forced to Perform Despite Signs of Lameness.
During a recent performance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Chicago, the elephant Assan and was exhibiting signs of lameness and had difficulty walking, yet Ringling still forced her to perform.
Foot problems and arthritis are the leading reasons why captive elephants are euthanized, and they're aggravated by the very conditions to which Ringling has subjected these elephants for decades, including the stress and confinement of being on the road, prolonged chaining, unhygienic conditions, and being forced to perform physically challenging circus tricks.
For more information about these elephants, visit RinglingBeatsAnimals.com.
Ask Ringling to retire the elephants to a reputable sanctuary immediately: http://www.peta.org/action/action-ale....
Inokashira Park Zoo in Tokyo: Hanako lives for 61 years alone in a concrete prison! Give her a real life or send her to a sanctuary!
TARGET: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery, Ministry of the Environment, Director of Inokashira Park Zoo of Tokyo, CITES Japan
We've got 234,212 supporters, help us get to 240,000, Click Here To Help Out!
Hanako is a 68-year-old Asian elephant who has lived in shameful conditions at the Inokashira Park Zoo in Tokyo for the past 61 years. She was transported in 1949 from Thailand to Japan when she was just two years old, to what would become her life-long prison. And ‘prison,’ is not an exaggeration.
Blogger Ulara Nakagawa saw Hanako while visiting the zoo, and was shocked to see the conditions of her confinement. Ulara writes in her blog that it looks like "one of the cruellest, most archaic zoos in the modern world." Hanako is completely alone in a tiny cement enclosure with nothing to comfort her or provide stimulation. She just stands there, appearing almost lifeless , since there is nothing else for her to do. It was beyond painful for Ulara to take in Hanako's pitiful situation.
To add insult to injury, the Inokashira Park Zoo is located in one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in Tokyo and part of a public park known for being the home of the popular Ghibli Museum. This means that hundreds of thousands of global tourists have seen Hanako in her concrete prison and done nothing to help her.
But now we have a chance to make up for lost time and make sure Hanako lives out her last days in the comfort she deserves. Please sign and share this petition demanding that Hanako be sent to an elephant sanctuary. If this is not possible, she needs to be given medical assistance and a new, enriched enclosure where she can interact with other elephants. She should not be forced to live in a concrete prison.
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Arruba, Mashariki and Rorogoi move to the Voi Unit.
The move to the DSWT Reintegration Units heralds a new step for any orphaned infant elephant in their journey back to the wild. Big girls of the Nairobi Nursery, Mashariki, Arruba and Rorogoi made the short journey on 4th December, after an earlier attempt was thwarted by the heavy rains.
Watch the new comers make their journey to the Voi Unit, and their first day greeting the herd.
Find out more about move at: http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org...
Read more about the work of the DSWT at: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
Follow our work at: www.facebook.com/thedswt
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Can you picture a world without elephants? Picture
it. At current rates of poaching, the last African elephant in the wild will die
sometime before January 1, 2030.
Every
15 minutes, an elephant falls to a poacher’s bullet. Babies are left orphaned
and eventually starve.
Driving
this crisis is the global demand for ivory. And it might surprise you to know
that the United States is one of
the world’s largest ivory consumers.
The
good news is President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping made an historic
promise in September to enact nearly complete bans on ivory import and export
and end the domestic commercial ivory trade within the U.S. and China once and
for all. The bad news is the anti-conservation extremists and their
cronies in Congress have introduced bills to make it easier to import and sell
ivory. Totally reprehensible.
With
your help, we’re fighting for wildlife by:
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Fighting the anti-conservation extremists and others who would hasten the extinction of elephants and other species threatened by wildlife trafficking;
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Mobilizing against Congressional efforts to weaken proposed restrictions on the domestic ivory trade;
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Advocating for laws to put wildlife trafficking in the same law enforcement category as racketeering and money laundering, with similar consequences;
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Organizing grassroots pressure for state-level bans on animal parts from elephants, sharks, sea turtles, lions and other wildlife; and
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Working to stop the importation of imperiled big game "trophies."
It’s
not too late. If we can end demand for elephant ivory and other wildlife
products, the poaching will stop.
We
owe it to future generations to leave behind a world as rich and wondrous with
wildlife as the one we inherited.
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Update on Suraj, the One-Eared Elephant...One of Three Hurdles Cleared! Let's Bring Suraj Home for the Holidays.
Last week, many of you stepped forward to help us save Suraj.
Poor Suraj is a temple elephant who is missing his left ear, and who spends 24 hours a day in heavy chains.
We wanted to let you know that we are already making great progress toward his rescue!
Your support so far has enabled us to clear one of the three major hurdles we face before we can bring Suraj to our Elephant Conservation & Care Center.
While we are proud of this progress, we can't rest until we know that we can save Suraj, once and for all.
Although his name means "sun" in Hindi, he lives in a dank room on a hard floor, with no opportunity to feel the sun on his skin or to roam on soft earth.
He has spent far too much time in the darkness. Far too much time alone. Together, we can release him from his chains, and bring him into the sunlight. Together, we can set him free.
To donate in Indian Rupees, click here.
To donate in British Pounds, click here.
We are forever grateful for your support.
We know you receive a lot of fundraising appeals this time of year, but we hope Wildlife SOS stands out to you as an organization that accomplishes what we say we will. A donation to us will make a very real difference to an animal in need. Thank you!
