A Brief History of Lucky

Here’s my #collage of a #campaign that I hold dear to my #heart❤️ - countless #weekends (over the course of years) were spent in front of the #sanantoniozoo #advocating for Lucky (she was the lone) #asianelephant 🐘 for years. She was always called #odd by Steve McCusker who was the former executive director of the zoo. When Tim Morrow took over (coming from #seaworld) wasn’t much better with helping Lucky. It took #activists educating the people and a #lawsuit to help Lucky have her exhibit extended, have #trees🌳 added for shade and instead of going to a #sanctuary getting friends (Karen and Nicole) from #ringlingbros. Lucky is #happy and according to #elephantexperts they all get along. This is what #protesting can do, but there has to be a goal to the campaign.

Happy Mothers Day~ To ALL Moms

Happy Mothers Day



So here it is mothers day again. Yesterday friends of mine (I am still feeling under the weather) got together to raise awareness of mother cows and how they have to give birth to make milk, and milk products. They gave free non-dairy ice cream bars, and literature explaining the industry horrors.

I always thought it was odd when my aunt would wish me a happy mothers day, when I'm a pet parent to two beautiful rescued four legged furry pups. Now, I understand and I'm proud of it and look at word choices between owner and pet parent. When we change the word from owner to pet parent, we change the outlook of responsibility. That our companion animals are our responsibility for the lifetime that we are together. My boyfriend has two sons, and I'm a part time caregiver. They have a mom and I'm not trying to replace. So, yes I'm a pet mom.

On this Mothers Day, lets remember all moms from our own to the ones forgotten. Dairy Cows (that are raped, then have their babies stolen from them), Moms that have out lived their children and survive by Meals on Wheels, Elephants that have lost their families to the ivory trade or the circus, and Dolphins that have lost their loved ones to the slaughter in Japan.... Please support a cause and thank a mom this mothers day!

Conflicts of the Congo~Beyond Blood Diamonds & Minerals

While we’re watching the presidential candidates speak about the issues we feel are important. And, some of them are, don’t get me wrong. Elephants are fighting to just survive on the land that has been their home for decades.

On Tuesday, I read an article in The New York Times about elephants being slaughtered and poached at an alarming rate. While I was at work (on my break) reading the article in NYT, I’m crying. Yesterday, I read in Treehugger.com and CNN a “cliff notes” version of the same information. Elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory, to be sold in China. Like every commodity that Africa has, diamonds, minerals (used in our electronics), ivory is being used to fund corrupt government officials, the L.R.A. (Lord’s Resistance Army) and Joseph Kony funding some of the major conflicts of the Congo, and becoming his new lifeline. Joseph Kony is using guns like AKs, G-3s, PKMs and FNs, killing up to 10 elephants at times for the ivory to fund his atrocities on animals, humans and the environment.

While the NYT article went in to gory details about the poaching and implicating that even organized crime is involved. Stating that during the smuggling process, the ivory is being packaged in chilies to throw off the scent of sniffer dogs. Read the whole article here: www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/world/africa/africas-elephants-are-being-slaughtered-in-poaching-frenzy.html?pagewanted=all

The reason I’m SO upset, is that the article didn’t mention what we can do…. In fact, all of the e-mails flooding my in box on this topic (since there are many) don’t mention what we can do. How do we, as citizens, take action? I already boycott items made in China, so much so that I work for a company that doesn’t purchase materials made in China to make the products we manufacture. How can I sleep at night knowing that this is happening and I have no idea where to begin as an activist?! In the ‘80s, when elephant poaching was at its peak, elephants still had a fighting chance. Today, some of the people hired to help them live, flourish and survive are partaking in the poaching. Today, poachers are using helicopters and scaring them into a contained area on the protected land. Today, weapons are being used that didn’t exist in the hands of poachers and today we are looking at 15-20 years of elephants in peril and facing extinction.