It is time for Woodland Park Zoo to come out of the Dark Ages and join the rest of us in recognizing that elephants do not belong in zoos, that elephants in zoos do not add to the cause of conservation nor are elephant exhibits an act of conservation, and that they're not fooling anyone by claiming otherwise.
Some have their favorite fishing hole, others a favorite campsite, or trail, or quiet place to lose themselves in the sunset, kept secret from the public at large and whose location is known only to them. We have our favorite snowshoeing spot.
On February 27th a court of appeals in Thailand ruled in favor of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, finding WFFT, Edwin Wiek, and Jansaeng Sangnanork not guilty of illegal wildlife possession and other crimes after the government raided the conservation organization over a ten day period in February, 2012, confiscating ninety-nine animals in the process.
For the better part of two hours we were transformed to a place of color and light far away from the gray and gloom that awaited us outside. We were back in Africa, eyes moist from laughing, hearts full from the beautifying music. After the show I could think of only one thing to say: Tatenda!
In 1974 the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge was established to "to protect the delta and its diversity of fish and wildlife habitats." It's a beautiful and, at $3 per vehicle, inexpensive way to spend a day exploring the delta's rich variety of animal and plant life.
Back in Chiang Mai from our stay at Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary, we had a little over twenty-four hours left in this wonderful city before flying out to Hong Kong for a few days on our way back to the States.
They were an anxious lot, and there was nowhere to go but straight into their ranks. Would we be greeted as friend or foe? Welcomed warmly or despised? I took a deep breath and, hoping for the best, opened the truck door and stepped out. That's when the mob surged forward.
Each morning Wassana, Lotus, and Pang Dow, aka the Gossip Girls, strolled past us on their way to eat the banana feast we had gathered for them. When these three lovely ladies get together there is much squeaking and trumpeting because, like all close girlfriends, they enjoying sharing secrets, laughing, and doing a bit of gossiping while they eat a great meal together.
Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary founder Katherine Connor could best be described as a peaceful protester utilizing non-violent resistance, diplomacy, love, and kindness as her weapons of choice. She sees the good in people even as she describes the horrors of the abuses she has witnessed by humans towards elephants throughout the country.
Our days and nights at BLES were long and relaxed, yet went by much too quickly. It's a lifestyle that is hard not to envy despite all the very hard behind-the-scenes work required to run an elephant sanctuary. Negotiating rescues, acquiring land, providing food and medical care, and the constant fundraising is a tremendous amount of work; yet Katherine has established a peaceful oasis that permeates love and hope throughout.
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