PAWS SUMMER 2009 SANCTUARY Staying Cool At PAWS by Pat Derby AS TEMPERATURES SOAR to above 100 degrees, PAWS’ animals find unique ways to stay cool, some with a little help from their friends, the devoted keepers. Elephants are incredibly adept at cooling down their core temperatures; although African elephants seem to prefer mud baths over water baths for insulation, and Asian elephants are definitely more aquatic. Annie stays in the lake for a prolonged swim, then emerges to throw mud all over her body. Once she has a good coating of mud, she very carefully layers a fine cover of dirt which further insulates her gigantic body as she moves about the habitat, occasionally resting in the shade S BY JANICE CLARK of a tall oak tree. Claire falls asleep in her pool. Nicholas spends most of photo the night in or near his lake, playing in the water fountain as the day grows warmer. He dusting in his dirt stall. has a special spot in the shade Wanda and Gypsy wander of the trees near the lake where around the habitat early in he sleeps at night, and rests the morning, then migrate to during the day. His lake is full the barn at midday. They are of huge tree branches which he pampered with cool vinegar PHOTOS JANICE CLARK BY ©2009 Performing Animal Welfare Society has dragged down the hill after foot soaks and baths in the pulling them off the protected outside area during the heat trees. Tires and other toys of the day. They alternate their which he has moved from the baths with long bouts of dusting barn to the habitat are usually in the cool, dirt barn; chirping strewn about in the morning. squeaking, rumbling and By midday, he gravitates to the trumpeting with pleasure. They Alexander relaxes under a tree. cool barn for treats, baths and See “Staying Cool” — on page 6 PERFORMING ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT The circus is coming to town. Please don’t go! THIS YEAR of our 25th Anniversary elephant sanctuary, established in 1986, is a time of reflection on our past was the first to use positive reinforcement campaigns, victories and defeats. When without weapons or punishment, and PAWS began in 1984, we had a clear became the precursor to sweeping reforms vision of our purpose — to alleviate in captive elephant management. the suffering of captive wildlife and to There are fewer circuses traveling stop the exploitation of animals in the across the country today, and the public is entertainment industry. We had a plan well educated regarding the exploitation which included research on circuses and of captive wildlife, particularly elephants, how animals traveled, were trained and in entertainment. It is our goal to see the housed during performances. end of exotic pets; capture and training of For the next three years, we filmed wild species for zoos, circuses and theme and documented hundreds of circus parks; and the shell game of “find the performances, travel, training and elephants” crammed into trucks, trains housing. What we found was appalling. and, sometimes, boats defeated by a public There were over 40 circuses traveling policy that protects wild species and their across the United States with huge habitat. menageries of animals crammed into tiny captive wildlife. Help us achieve our goal. When the boxes, traveling in extremes of heat and Our public education campaigns circus comes to town, DON’T GO. cold throughout the year. And no one was have attracted media from all over the Our gratitude and appreciation to our monitoring the situation. world as we utilized celebrities like Bob many friends and supporters who have When Ed Stewart’s first videos — Barker, Kim Basinger, Kevin Nealon, made the last 25 years memorable. filmed as circuses pulled into Sacramento Tony LaRussa and Alec Baldwin to in trucks, trains and one on a boat — were inform the world about the suffering of shown at the California State legislature, captive wildlife, particularly elephants, little was known about the conditions in in entertainment. PAWS’ testimony Pat DERBY which performing animals lived and died. and research documents have been President & Co-Founder In some states, humane organizations critical components effecting change in sponsored circuses as fund raisers and, legislation and enforcement of animal once, a trained chimpanzee was hired to welfare laws. welcome Jane Goodall to a charity ball. Ed and I have traveled worldwide For 25 years we have advocated for promoting preservation of wildlife and change, and we have witnessed some its habitat, initiating programs to reduce amazing victories. Our first legislation, human/elephant conflict and to protect T F A AB 1620, introduced in California by then endangered habitat. H arol Assemblyman Sam Farr, passed in 1985 Our sanctuaries for captive wildlife, C by and became the first legislation to set the first established in 1985, have become hotos standards for the care and handling of models for care of captive wildlife. Our P 2 ON THE ROAD AGAIN. TINA, QUEENIE (BOO) AND JEWEL — JUNE 4, 2009 Tina, Queenie & JeweL Pawns In A Shell Game With The USDA FROM 1994 UNTIL 1998, PAWS Pat Derby, together with actress Kim permanently revoked. PAWS has a copy investigated and followed a circus Basinger and Congressman Sam Farr, of the original Decision and Order which family — John (Gopher) Davenport, his petitioned USDA to enforce the Animal clearly prohibits Davenport and others wife, Gigi, and their children — as they Welfare Act and provide relief to the associated with him from exhibiting dragged juvenile elephants across the elephants. animals. country in poorly ventilated vehicles with In August, 1997, Ben Davenport, The USDA is now responding to an assortment of untrained handlers who one of Gopher’s sons, was discovered letters about Tina, Queenie (Boo) and abused and neglected the elephants in his in an Albuquerque hotel parking lot Jewel — three elephants owned by the King Royal Circus. with a hot, filthy trailer crammed full Davenport family that traveled with the PAWS’ first encounter with the of dehydrated and exhausted llamas, Shrine Circus last year, saying, “Our Davenports occurred in Oregon when two Asian elephants, Donna and Irene, Agency has closely followed the situation Bela Tabek, a trainer with the King Royal and a dead baby elephant, Heather. The with regard to Tina, Jewel and Queenie Circus, stabbed a three-year-old bull elephants and the llamas were confiscated (Boo) for some time. We understand that elephant, Mickey, with a bullhook during by the city and taken to the Albuquerque Mr. Davenport is currently back at his a performance. Mickey, Lisa and Heather Zoo. Kim Basinger eloquently stated on a home facility in Texas, and we expect that (two juvenile African elephants) and Boo television report by Entertainment Tonight, veterinarians with elephant expertise will and Jewel (two older Asian elephants) “Nothing with a heart should have been examine the elephants soon and develop were performing with the circus at that inside that trailer.” a plan for their care.” time. After that tragic event, Davenport was Although USDA acknowledges that For the next four years, PAWS and prosecuted, fined and his license was Tina, Queenie & Jewel continued on page 4 several television programs monitored the elephants and registered numerous The current owners of elephants Tina, Queenie and Jewel complaints with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Fish & Wildlife (pictured above) are the notorious Davenport circus family. Service about the callous treatment of the They have somehow been allowed to continue to exhibit them animals with that circus. PAWS’ director, despite their violations of federal law. 3 Tina, Queenie & Jewel BREAKING NEWS! Continued from page 3 Since we wentOn Saturday, to press. August 15, .2009, . the U.S. Department of Agriculture began the process of removing Jewel from the Davenport facility in Texas to provide her with necessary veterinary care. The they have “taken enforcement action Davenport family was uncooperative, and USDA was unable to seize the elephant safely. against Davenport in the past,” they Undoubtedly the USDA will pursue the issue, and we are hopeful that Jewel will be moved to a seem to have overlooked or forgotten facility where she will receive the necessary care which is critical to her health. that Davenport, under the Federal Order, YOUR LEttERS, PETITIONS AND PHONE CALLS HAVE MADE A DIffERENCE! is prohibited from “leasing, renting Please send polite letters of appreciation and encourage USDA to proceed in enforcing the or otherwise providing animals to any Federal Order and Decision against the Davenports. Ask that Tina and Queenie be removed as person or entity or undertaking engaged well and all federal permits for any Davenport be revoked permanently. as an exhibitor or dealer.” Davenport is the most recent example of USDA’s continuing inability to What you can do to help: properly enforce the Animal Welfare 1. Don’t patronize traveling shows that exhibit animals. Act, and the resultant waste of literally 2. Educate your friends about the issue. millions of tax dollars that Congress 2. Contact sponsors of the circus and explain why the use of appropriates to provide sufficient live animals in traveling shows is not acceptable. Suggest humane enforcement. alternatives for fund-raising. Operators like Davenport, Carson 3. Write to USDA today! & Barnes, Ramos and the Swains play 4. Sign PAWS’ petition to the USDA (see link below) asking for the shell game with elephants — hiding the immediate confiscation of Tina, Jewel and Queenie, three Asian them in obscure places and creating a circus elephants who have endured a lifetime of neglect and abuse nightmare of inspections, investigations, performing in the circus.