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Dear Friends

I have always found it truly impossible to comprehend why anyone would want to hunt and kill a magnificent wild lion and throw its skin on the floor, or stick its head on a wall, as some kind of gruesome trophy.  But the hunting of captive-bred lions in small enclosures (known as ‘canned hunting’) seems even more abhorrent. The animal has no chance at all. In fact I understand some of these ranches advertise on a ‘no kill, no fee’ basis. It’s not ‘sport’ it’s slaughter. For many years the South African government has been subject to international condemnation for allowing this practice which last year saw more than one thousand lions canned hunted. Imagine the carnage.

Recently the authorities finally took note of the criticisms and amended the law to try and bring an end to this dreadful practice.  A legal battle ensued, with lion breeders claiming the new regulations would severely damage their livelihoods.  However, it was announced a few days ago that the lion breeders had lost their court case and so the regulations remain.

Now, in a last desperate throw of the dice, the lion-breeders are trying to force the government to retreat by claiming that the court judgement will result in the euthanasia of the estimated 3,000 lions that are currently housed in these lion ‘farms’.

What to do? To me, the response is very simple.  Although the South African government should be applauded for eventually taking steps to bring an end to canned hunting, they must also take responsibility for allowing the situation to get out of hand in the first place. They must ensure that no more breeding takes place, no imports are permitted and that federal ‘transitional’ funds are provided to adequately house and care for the remaining lions in the best environment possible for the rest of their lives.

No-one is pretending it’s going to be easy or cheap, but in my view, the welfare of these lions is paramount and the government has an obligation to ensure that the threat of mass euthanasia is laid to rest. With millions of people preparing to come to South Africa for the World Cup, the prospect of being known as the country that allowed thousands of lions to be summarily executed would not play at all well with the international community. These lions have suffered enough – I am calling on the government to guarantee them the chance of a better life, as part of the process of bringing the despicable ‘canned hunting’ industry to a speedy and humane end.

Blogging off,

Will

see www.bornfree.org.uk/campaigns/further-activities/canned-hunting/ for background

Dear Friends,

It’s not often that I attend the launch of an event and find such overwhelming support – from the Kenyan Government, Kenya Wildlife Service, the business sector, schools, artists, the media and NGO’s.  

Pride of Kenya (see www.prideofkenya.co.ke ) launched today at the Serena Hotel, Nairobi, is already being described as an event with potentially national significance. 

The thought of 50 uniquely decorated full size lions ‘prowling’ the streets of Nairobi, has truly captured the imagination.

All I can say is that on a personal level, having been coming to Kenya since 1964, I have rarely, if ever, experienced such unanimity of enthusiasm and inspiration. Above all, I hope that the end result will be a better future for wild lions! 

Blogging off,

Will

p.s. for more information – see the Pride of Kenya page and press release

Dear Friends

Some people are still under the illusion that the oceans are endless and that fish will go on forever – wrong!

Last night I saw a shocking but brilliant new film (produced by Born Free supporter, George Duffield) – The End of the Line – which exposes the devastation that humans are causing to the marine environment.  I sat, open-mouthed, like a cod gasping for air, as one fact after brought me to the inescapable conclusion that without action now the world’s fish are in dire peril and the 1.2 million people who rely on fish will face a bleak future. 

Of course, the question on everyone’s lips was what can we do about it?  If you go to www.endoftheline.com, you can find out!! 

Here’s what I am going to do. As a vegetarian, I cannot reduce my fish consumption but I can help get the message out. 

We each have choices.  It is a bit like Born Free.  We can choose to help animals in need or we can ignore them; we can choose to stop suffering or we can turn away; we can choose to try and save species or let them go to the wall.

The marine environment and all its inhabitants need more attention and more care before it is too late.  We can choose to do something about it or hasten the end of life on earth by doing nothing.

Blogging off!

Will

Without a doubt there is one policy that all the prospective Dallas City Council Members (including those seeking to be newly elected to office this week) can and should unite over.

The future of Jenny, the elephant at the Dallas Zoo.

It doesn’t matter to me which political persuasion they lean towards; Jenny’s future should not be about politics – it should be about Jenny and what’s best for her.

And since the zoo quite clearly doesn’t have a clue (they were the ones who wanted to ship Jenny off to a Safari Park in Mexico), I urge the Council to accept what the real experts have been saying for months: let Jenny (and her companion) go to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee where she will enjoy hundreds of acres of rolling fields and forests (Jenny’s current enclosure is probably less than an acre and the whole of the Dallas zoo is less than 100 acres in total). She will enjoy the company of a group of other elephants (24 elephants have been given a home by the Sanctuary) and she will benefit from the expert care of people who look after elephants 24/7 (and do nothing else!).

C’mon Dallas, lead the way! Reject the ‘old thinking’ – every city does not have to have an elephant in the zoo. Show some heart.

Born Free says give Jenny a break!

Blogging off

Will

PS For more info on Jenny go to www.savejennynow.com

Dear Friends,

Today is Earth Day! Born Free is joining the tens of thousands of organisations and hundreds of millions of people around the world who are uniting in celebration of this planet’s incredible variety of life - splendid, amazing, and increasingly under threat. That’s why I’m asking everyone pledges to do one thing to protect and conserve all life on earth.

What an opportunity!

Just imagine the impact we could have if everyone reading this blog did just one thing from the list below.

I am constantly amazed by the enthusiasm of our supporters, each and every one of you. From lobbying MPs to running marathons, putting on events, investigating cruelty, jumping out of planes – Born Free supporters are awesome. I am sure that on Earth Day you will prove to be no different.

Five Born Free Things You Can Do On Earth Day:

1. Adopt An Animal – by adopting an animal you are protecting and caring for an individual in need and supporting the conservation of the species in its wild environment

2. Offset your Carbon – our tree planting scheme on Mount Kenya is not only protecting a critically important environment, it is also helping to offset your carbon travel footprint

3. Join Activate – Born Free’s successful cohort of letter-writers who constantly use ‘the power of the pen’ to make a difference for captive and wild animals around the world

4. Become a Member of Born Free. Are you mad about manatees; wild about wolves; entranced by elephants? By becoming a Member of Born Free you are supporting all of the wonderful things that Born Free does to stop wild animal suffering and protect some of our planet’s most endangered species and habitats.

5. Go to your My Space, Twitter, Bebo, YouTube or Facebook page. I am sure most of you have one of these top social networking sites! Now, in the most creative and compelling way you can tell ALL your friends what you did for Born Free and the animals on Earth Day - and ask them all to do something as well!

Actually do this one as well as any of the others. That way we spread the word.

What have you decided to do? ? Please write to let me know! Email info@bornfree.org.uk or write to Will Travers, Born Free Foundation, 3 Grove House, Foundry Lane, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 5PL

One Earth, One Day, One Thing – easy!

Blogging off,

Will

Dear Friends

Sometimes global issues make me mad - and sometimes it is matters closer to home!

Following hard on the heels of the Government’s welcome announcement that a large area of the South Downs will be designated a National Park comes the extraordinary news that a planning application has been received to establish a 120 ft high exploratory oil and gas drilling rig on Forestry Commission land, high in the Surrey Hills near the village of Coldharbour, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The ‘rig’ will be lit day and night and will be up for at least five months and possibly up to three years. If oil and gas are found then it could become permanent. Construction will require 1,200 HGV movements over a 20 week period, and the operation will cover an area of excess of 2-acres.

What??

Surrey County Council are considering this proposal in May. If approved - and if oil and gas are found - it could herald the destruction of an area enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people living in or visiting the area, just 20 miles to the south of London. Peace, tranquillity, nature, wildlife, fresh air ….. not if this proposal is approved.

The website (if you are as fired up as I am about this issue) is www.thevirtualvillage.com.

Sorry to bang on about something so local but it seems symptomatic of the way we are willing to consider sacrificing our heritage for a drop of the black stuff.

Something to do with international wildlife protection and conservation soon - I promise.

Blogging off

Will

It never ceases to amaze me the lengths to which some dedicated individuals will go, in the name of conservation. Their passion, their commitment, their willingness to push for greater protection for wildlife is no surprise, and something I fully share. But the bravery, selflessness and readiness to endanger their own lives goes above and beyond what most of us could imagine, let alone demonstrate.

This bravery is no more evident than amongst those tackling the illegal wildlife trade throughout Africa, and beyond. Laws do exist to prohibit the hunting and trading of certain endangered species. Sadly, however, the increasingly international market for bushmeat, exotic pets, and rare wildlife products – believed to be third only to the illegal drugs and arms trades in global value – thrives and, too often, law enforcement is too weak to combat it.

Without exception, the resources at the disposal of those charged with tackling this problem are dwarfed by those of the traders themselves. Pay is low, threats to personal safety are high, and the likelihood of securing successful arrests are, at best, limited by poor understanding of the law, or more often than not, completely doomed due to a lack of will to implement it. Even when arrests are made, a quick dollar or two is usually sufficient motivation for the unscrupulous to loosen the authorities’ grip, set free even the most renowned offenders and allow them to perpetrate further wildlife crimes.

Faced with such challenges, why would anyone keep going?

Yet they do. And finally, in the Republic of Congo, a ray of light has shone through the clouds of apathy, ignorance and corruption, where a sentence for wildlife crime was passed for the very first time a week ago. Arrested for trading chimpanzees in December 2008, a trafficker has been fined and sent to prison for one year – broadcasting a warning not only to would-be illegal traders but also encouraging conservationists to recognise that, however gradually, they are making progress towards ensuring that previously ignored wildlife laws will be fully enforced.

I wholeheartedly congratulate our friends at the PALF (Project to Apply the Law on Fauna) in Republic of Congo for continuing their laudable work, as well as the Heads of Departments and supporting staff at the Forestry Ministry, Police Dept, Justice Ministry and the State Court. Long may their successful collaborations continue.

Let us hope that this signals the beginning of the end for illegal wildlife poachers, dealers and smugglers and those that sustain them that a day of reckoning approaches thanks to a very challenging, yet encouraging, beginning for PALF.

Blogging off!

Will

Dear Friends

You think you have been shocked. You think you have seen it all. Then something else comes along that takes matters to a new low. Here’s how they describe their latest offering on www.1-800-steaks.com:

“Lion meat to be a much better quality cat meat than tiger meat. Lion meat is unique and a little more expensive meat but we like to respond to customer requests so here it is! If you are looking for something completely different, this is the product for you. Lion meat will definitely give the neighbours and friends something to talk about! Why not take the plunge and try our most unusual meat. Farm-raised in South Africa.”

You can then go on to order 16 oz lion chops for US$199.

Who in their right minds would do this? Who in South Africa is raising and selling lions for meat? Who in the States (or anywhere else for that matter) is buying it?

The site even acknowledges awaiting USDA approval to sell captive raised tiger meat (forget that it is against US law to commercialize parts of tigers – or even items that contain or claim to contain parts of tigers).

For once, I am literally speechless.

Blogging off.

Will

PS Help us fight this kind of abomination – join Born Free today!

Some years ago, two well-meaning US citizens, a husband and wife, adopted a baby chimpanzee. They brought him up as if he was a child. When he got too big he was re-homed to a refuge and they visited him almost every birthday.Some years later the couple asked the owner of the refuge whether they could go in with this now fully grown male chimp to celebrate his birthday – into a cage he shared with several other chimps. The result? The woman escaped with serious injuries. The man was beaten to within an inch of his life, losing fingers, toes and other parts of his body in the process.

You’d have thought the message was clear. Chimps – in fact primates in general – are not ‘pets’, they are wild animals and many have the power to inflict terrible damage.

But no. Yesterday in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, a woman was beaten up by Travis, a 16 year old, unlicensed, 200 pound male chimp used in adverts and photo-shoot. Charla Nash who had been visiting Travis’ owner Sandra Herold, now lies critically wounded in hospital. The chimp is dead, gunned down by police. That is what happens when potentially dangerous animals are kept as pets.

I can guarantee this won’t be the last such tragedy as long as it is possible for private individuals to own animals such as chimps. Two things must happen immediately. 1) The Captive Primate Safety Act, which was overwhelmingly passed by Congress last year but not enacted into law, should be passed by the US House and Senate right away. The bill would prohibit the import, export, and interstate movement of all nonhuman primates if they are to be kept as pets. 2) Every state that does not already prohibit the ownership of exotic animals should enact such a comprehensive law at the state level.

It’s not right for people to keep primates as ‘pets’. It’s not fair on the animals who whether acting out of instinct or intent are capable of wreaking terrible havoc on us human primates. People can and do get terribly injured and the animal, inevitably, pays the price when things go wrong – as they surely will.

Let’s get real and pass appropriate laws that will be good for primates and good for us. What kind of bizarre and unreal world have we created where chimpanzees like Travis, allegedly eat steak, drink wine and live in people’s houses, wearing diapers and human clothing – it’s just not natural! If we care for the future of chimpanzees and all great apes (and we should - this is, after all, United Nations Year of the Gorilla) then let’s help protect them in the wild where they belong.

Blogging Off

Will

***Latest update***

Captive Primate Safety Act PASSED by House of Representatives

Although I am always pleased to hear that an animal has been rescued from an horrific situation, this happiness is always overshadowed by the fact that this animal was put in a position from which it had to be rescued - problems such as illegal trade and exploitation continue to negatively impact wildlife around the world.

News from Thailand recently described the confiscation of eleven orangutans by authorities after they were discovered by the investigation team of the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand. These highly intelligent and highly endangered primates had apparently been smuggled into Thailand over the course of several months.   I imagine the conditions they were being kept in were far from ideal - before they were confiscated, some of these animals were being used as photographic props.  Almost certainly captured from the wild, using orangutans (or any animal) in this way will be harmful. Repeated handling by humans can be very stressful and when they are no longer small and cute or easy to handle, these animals often end up in slum zoos, circuses or even being killed.  With this in mind, the confiscation of these orangutans is a great step in the right direction and I hope that with continued pressure from the authorities the illegal trade will be tackled far earlier in the process, before confiscations are necessary.

The dangers wild orangutans face are numerous, not least from the encroachment of humans into orangutan habitat.  Born Free are working to protect the “person of the forest” (the literal translation of orangutan) within its natural habitat, finding unique ways to help humans and orangutans live in harmony.  A recent report from the field in north Sumatra where Born Free funds research into the causes and solutions of human-orangutan conflict, describes a novel, community-led answer to lessening human impact on orangutans’ habitat.  With funds from Born Free and Humane Society International, Gail Campbell-Smith, the project leader, organised the villagers and provided tools and materials for them to improve the local road system constructing very low impact, 18 inch wide cement tracks which will make travel and communications vastly easier.   These small yet unique solutions are a real benefit to communities living with wildlife. 

From habitat destruction to illegal trade and human conflict, orangutans are facing an uncertain future - the IUCN Red List 2008 states both species of orangutan have a “decreasing” population.  However, by encouraging the authorities to enforce wildlife trade legislation and by delivering small scale, practical solutions like those in north Sumatra, there is hope yet for the orangutan and I look forward to the day when they no longer need to be rescued.

Blogging off,

Will