PERFORMING ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY

Rescue. Advocacy. Sanctuary. For Life.

Since 1984

Newsletter | November 2022

WILD TURKEYS AT PAWS' ARK 2000 SANCTUARY

A Message of Thanks from

PAWS President and CEO Ed Stewart

As we head into the busy holiday season, I’m even more mindful of how much you, our supporters, mean to PAWS and all the animals who have found safe refuge at our sanctuaries. I am so thankful for your belief in the work we do and for your endless compassion for captive wild animals in need of rescue and lifelong care.

As you’ve read in PAWS’ newsletters, many of our animals came from dreadful conditions. Tigers Rosemary and Falcor were saved from cruel cub petting operations that constantly bred tigers, exploited their cubs for profit, and then dumped them in roadside zoos and the exotic animal trade. Asian elephant Nicholas performed in a circus as a calf and then faced a depressing existence, “warehoused” for life and forgotten. Black bear Boo Boo – who has been with us for 28 years! – was kept chained in a yard as a “pet.”

Because of you, these animals and all the others we care for – elephants, tigers, bears, Capuchin monkeys, emu, and our little muntjac Mojo – today have a life worth living. You provide large habitats set amid rolling hills dotted with broad oak trees, an abundance of native vegetation, and cool lakes and pools.

We remain committed to ensuring that the animals at our sanctuaries receive the best care possible, and we are prepared to receive the next wild animals in need of safe refuge.

We really could not do the work we do without your love and support. And for that I am forever grateful.

If you’d like to do more for the animals, please mark your calendar for Giving Tuesday on November 29 – and you’ll be able to double your donation thanks to matching gifts provided by generous friends of PAWS. Read more about this special event in the article below.

Thank you!

#GivingTuesday 2022

It's All About the Elephants!

Tuesday, November 29, is #GivingTuesday, an annual world-wide giving event. At PAWS we like to call it “Tusker Tuesday” because we’re setting our sights on raising $88,000 to support the care of our seven elephants at the ARK 2000 sanctuary. This amount covers those expenses for two full months.

All of our elephants were rescued or retired from zoos and circuses. Like Gypsy who was once forced to perform in circuses, or Lulu, the oldest African elephant in North America, who was torn from her family in the wild and sold to a zoo. Today they roam expansive natural habitats where they forage on fresh vegetation or enjoy a rollicking mud bath (yes, that’s a thing!). In other words, they can just be elephants.

Double Your Donation!

Thanks to generous friends of PAWS, all #GivingTuesday contributions will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $48,750! Your donation will go twice as far for the elephants!

#GivingTuesday starts at 12:01 a.m. on November 29 and ends at 11:59 p.m. but you can make a contribution today!

There are two ways you can donate, starting now or on #GivingTuesday:

Click on the "Donate Now" button below, which takes you to PAWS' #GivingTuesday site on Mightycause.

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!

"Super Panel" participants included (L-R): Jan Schmidt-Burbach (World Animal Protection), Lori Marino (The Whale Sanctuary Project), Brittany Peet (PETA Foundation), Mike Webber (“The Conservation Game”), Ed Stewart (PAWS), and Naomi Rose (Animal Welfare Institute).

2022 PAWS International Captive Wildlife

Conference A Big Success!

On November 11 and 12, PAWS presented the 2022 PAWS International Captive Wildlife Conference in Sacramento, California. We were thrilled to be back in person and want to thank everyone who participated – speakers and attendees – for their support!

The idea behind this conference was to bring everyone up to speed on what has taken place since our last conference in 2018, and to look at where we are going in terms of our collective work for captive wildlife. In line with the idea of looking to the future, the conference began with an inspiring presentation by Nikita Dhawan. She is a high school student at the American Embassy School in New Delhi, India, who founded "Youth for Animals” and is leading their flagship campaign to free Shankar, an African elephant languishing in the Delhi Zoo.

Over the two days of the conference, the audience heard presentations from nearly 30 distinguished speakers and leaders in their field. (Click here for the conference presenters’ bios.) They addressed various issues concerning captive elephants, chimpanzees, big cats, and cetaceans, from the perspective of science, law, advocacy, filmmaking arts, and animal care and welfare. Speakers came from Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Nepal, Thailand, the UK, and from all across the U.S.

A new and very successful feature at this year’s conference was the “Super Panel.” Speakers from a variety of disciplines discussed ways to challenge the captivity industry’s misleading messages that serve to keep wild animals captive. The panel included Ed Stewart (PAWS), Lori Marino (The Whale Sanctuary Project), Brittany Peet (PETA Foundation), Colleen Plumb (photographer), Naomi Rose (Animal Welfare Institute), Jan Schmidt-Burbach (World Animal Protection), and Mike Webber (“The Conservation Game”).

An important aspect of PAWS’ conferences is the warmth and camaraderie we experience during this biennial event. The conference provides the opportunity for people to meet in person and share ideas, which has led to very productive collaborations for the animals. One example of such a collaboration is last year’s major review paper entitled “Putative neural consequences of captivity for elephants and cetaceans” by Jacobs et al., which underscored the negative effects of captivity on the brain. The authors discussed the paper in a special presentation at the conference.

On November 13, about 75 of our attendees and speakers participated in a post-conference trip to PAWS’ ARK 2000 sanctuary in San Andreas. There, they experienced how the tigers, elephants, and bears in our care live at the sanctuary, while learning about the animals’ histories and PAWS’ work for captive wildlife. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the perfect way to end the weekend.

PAWS’ conferences bring together so many amazing people, and we know this can only help further our work to end the exploitation of captive wild animals. Attendees and speakers alike left the conference informed, inspired, and motivated.

The next PAWS International Captive Wildlife Conference will take place in Los Angeles in the fall of 2024. PAWS will also be celebrating our 40th anniversary, so you can expect something extra special for this event. Watch future newsletters for more information! 

We would like to express our appreciation to everyone who helped make this year's conference a huge success:

The incredible speakers who inspired and educated. 

David Reuben, our main conference sponsor and sponsor of the Friday night ice breaker. We are grateful for your support and appreciate all you do for the animals!

Pictured: Linda Kerr and Dr. Kristina Wiley

Conference sponsors: Kerr Family Foundation and Animal Legal Defense Fund (lunch sponsors), PETA (refreshment break), and World Animal Protection (general support). Thank you for your support!

Dr. Kristina Wiley, PAWS Board member, who hosted a special gift shop and raffle with all proceeds going to PAWS.

Duncan Strauss, for co-moderating the conference panels.

Our dedicated volunteers whose tireless energy make hosting our conferences and events possible: Silvia Aspire, Matt Floto, Kitty Good, Galen Hazelhofer, Ruth Huffman, Michelle Humphreys, Diana Larson, Kim Litzenberg, Debbie Morrow, Kelly Napoli-Floto, Sharon Niel, and Dale Bonham Zehrung.

The amazing Hospitality Team that is the reason PAWS has a reputation for the best plant-based meals and desserts at any conference. From prepping to cooking to serving, they are stellar! We thank: Cindy Anderson, Melissa Carnahan, Logan Castro, Kellan Fisch, Barry Gardner, Rhianna Gardner, and Rachael Silva.

Kudos to Vegan Circus, who catered the ice breaker with fun and tasty plant-based treats, and provided Sunday’s boxed lunch for ARK 2000 tour participants!

Additional thanks to the great Conference Team at PAWS who made it all happen: Debbie Casey, Catherine Doyle, Kim Gardner, Lisa Worgan.

We appreciate the professional staff at PBS-KVIE who were on hand to help make sure everything went smoothly at the conference site.

See you at the next PAWS conference in 2024!

L-R: Chrissy Teigen, Ed Stewart and Whitney Cummings at PAWS' ARK 2000 sanctuary.

Celebrity Friends Visit the ARK 2000 Sanctuary

PAWS President and CEO Ed Stewart was pleased to host some special visitors at the ARK 2000 sanctuary this month. He welcomed our good friend and talented comedian/actress/animal advocate Whitney Cummings, model and television personality Chrissy Teigen and her family, actress and singer Miranda Cosgrove, internet personality Hannah Stocking, and actress Maddie Johnson.

Everyone was enthralled with the animals’ life stories, and they asked many questions about our elephants, tigers, and bears. PAWS is always happy to introduce new friends to the work we do, and we welcome the opportunity to spread the word about ending the exploitation of captive wild animals.

We'd like to specially thank Whitney Cummings, who is committed to enhancing the lives of captive wildlife by raising awareness and funds through her social media efforts.

(Please note: The ARK 2000 sanctuary is not open to the public except for a limited number of educational events, including “Seeing the Elephant.” See the PAWS Events Calendar for future dates.)

L-R: Whitney Cummings, Hannah Stocking, Miranda Cosgrove, and Maddie Johnson.

African elephants Mara (left) and Thika can be seen in the background.

The Perfect Holiday Gift:

“Adopt” an Animal at PAWS!

Need a unique gift and want to help animals at the same time? We have the answer: “Adopt” an animal at PAWS!

When you “adopt” an animal for someone (or yourself), you make a real difference in the lives of the rescued and retired wild animals at PAWS. You give them room to roam and a far more natural life, as well as daily care and veterinary attention when needed.

What does your giftee receive?

Recipients get an “adoption” packet with a photo, certificate, and information about the selected elephant, tiger, bear, Capuchin monkey, emu, or muntjac. 

How does an “adoption” help the animals at PAWS? 

Each “adoption” contributes to the ever-increasing cost of care for the animals who have a lifetime home at PAWS. It takes about $75,000 a year to feed and care for just one of our seven elephants, and about $20,000 a year for one of our nine tigers!

How do I “adopt” an animal?

Simply click here to access our “Adopt an Animal” page, and then follow the directions.

You can also call the PAWS office at (209) 745-2606 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Just have your credit card handy and tell us which animal you would like to “adopt.”

Please allow 7 to 10 days for receipt of adoption packet. 

THANK YOU!

November Amazon Wish List Donors:

Joyce Bruno: three 2 lb. bags of almonds. Valerie M. Smith: one box of AA batteries, 144#; one box of AA batteries, 24#. Erica M. Armstrong: two bottles of CosequinDS, 132#. Carol Pollard: one 3 lb. bag of walnuts. Anonymous donors: one 5 lb. bag of pumpkin seeds; one 4 lb. bag of almonds; one 3 lb. bag of walnuts.

We have chosen specific items that are needed at the sanctuary, which you can purchase directly from Amazon. We have an ongoing need for many of the products listed. Click here to review the items and donate.

RESCUED TIGER HERMAN

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.

Purchase PAWS apparel and merchandise. Clothing for adults, kids, toddlers and infants, as well as other fun merchandise like notecards and coffee mugs - available from our CafePress online gift shop.

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, and shop using AmazonSmile.

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!

Donate Your Vehicle To PAWS. Learn more