Zoos: The Great Education And Conservation Myth

Here, Andy Davidson lists the hard-hitting facts, revealing what zoos really spend their money on, and how you’re better off spending yours elsewhere if you care about conservation.

If you’re planning to a visit a zoo this weekend, ask yourself this question. How much of your ticket fee is being used for conservation? Let’s say you pay £15 for your ticket. You may be surprised to hear that the answer is as little as 45p to £1.

Zoo expenditure is vastly different to the expenditure of conservation organisations based in the wild. For example, Chester Zoo spent £40 million on the construction of ‘the islands’, an expansion of more enclosures to the zoo site. Other Western zoos over a ten-year period have spent £400 million on updating enclosures for a mere 200 elephants.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and South African National Parks are conservation organisations that protect animals in their natural habitats. KWS has an annual budget of £13-14 million with which they protect 2.6 million hectares of that country’s National Parks. On that land are 33,000 Elephants, 2200 Lions and many vitally important habitats that are home to thousands of species of both plant and animal. The annual budget for the South African National Parks is £58 million and this consists of 19 national parks which make up 6% of the total land of South Africa. Just one of these parks houses 600 elephants.

The money used by Western zoos to update elephant enclosures for 200 Elephants could have kept Kenya Wildlife Service going for 14 to 15 years.

Sound shocking? It is. That’s why the chief consultant to the UN Great Ape Survival Project said he was uneasy at the mismatch between lavish spending at zoos and the scarcity of resources available for conserving threatened species in the wild.

Where Is Your Money Going?

Since the 1800s, the zoo has not fundamentally changed. Well known and entertaining animals such as Elephants, Chimps and Giraffes are front and centre and baby animals give zoos a boost in visitors.

The main driver for zoos is boosting public visitation, a goal that has far reaching implications into all zoo management decisions. Conservation, research and education are not their primary goals, making it impossible to term zoos as research or education organisations. In fact, zoos are places of entertainment, where animal welfare is governed by financial feasibility and entertainment value.

90% of species encaged by European zoos are not threatened from extinction. Over 90% of zoo animals are born in captivity. These animals are then paired across zoos to ensure genetic diversity. Gender cannot be predicted and genes are sometimes over represented leading to what the zoos call a ‘surplus of animals’. 3000-5000 of these animals in European zoos are killed each year. On the 8th of February 2014, Copenhagen Zoo (in)famously killed Marius, a healthy 18-month-old male Giraffe.

Afterward, zoo officials performed a three-hour-long demonstration of how to butcher a giraffe before a large crowd of visitors, including many children. The meat was then fed to the zoo’s four Lions. The four Lions, including two young Lions, were killed to make way for a new male. The Giraffe was killed because she could not produce anymore young.

**Marius, a healthy male Giraffe, lies dead after he was euthanized at Copenhagen Zoo. Visitors, including children, were invited to watch while the he was dissected. Photo: Peter Hove Olesen.**

Even for threatened species such as Pandas, breeding campaigns rarely work. 400 Pandas have been bred by zoos, yet only five have been released into the wild: three survived. It’s not hard to see that captive breeding is not feasible. Animals not brought up in the wild are less likely to survive there if reintroduced. For example, captive populations of Red Junglefowl (wild ancestors of chickens) differ significantly in response to predators after just a handful of generations in captivity. And, a 2008 study by the University of Exeter found that the odds of animals such as Tigers and Wolves surviving freedom is only 33 percent. Animals in captivity do not usually have the natural behaviours needed for success in the wild.

But it’s not just endangered species that are being bred. A 2014 analysis of the European Endangered Species Breeding Programmes, conducted by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, showed that half of the animals being bred were not classed as endangered in the wild, while 25% were not threatened at all. In fact, all zoos only accommodate a tiny fraction of the 22,000 + species threatened with extinction.

With only 3% of budgets being spent on conversation projects, we can see why wildlife continues to disappear. Zoos show little interest in tackling the root causes of wildlife destruction. Species-rich habitats are being converted to pasture and feed crops as the human appetite for meat swells. Many of the places expected to see the greatest shift in land use from forest to livestock are in 15 ‘megadiverse’ countries, which harbour the largest number of species. As wildlife disappears, zoos ignore the problem. Instead, they contribute to it by feeding millions of customers meat.

The Education Myth

Zoos rebranded in the 1970s as the public became informed to the suffering of zoo animals. UK legislation in the form of 1981 Zoo Licensing Act forced zoos to promote ‘public education and awareness in relation to conservation’. Advocates will say zoos inspire the next generation of conservationists.

This has been categorically debunked by a number of studies, while little information is required to meet the standards of legislation. A 2014 academic study in the Conservation Biology Journal surveyed 2800 children following visits to London Zoo. 62% of the 2800 children were deemed to show no change in learning or, worse, experienced negative learning during their trip to the zoo. It was concluded that the zoo’s impact on children’s belief in their ability to actively do something about conservation was ‘weak’.

**In what way could this sad image of a Bear be considered educational?**

Do children need to see the animals up close to learn about them? Many children seem to have an encyclopedic knowledge about dinosaurs, far more so than Lions and Tigers. Perhaps the general public wish to see exotic animals up close as we attach closeness to care. But why, then, do they tap on the windows and show disappointment when the Lions are asleep? This is a misplaced, harmful interest, surely.

A Lion Is Taunted By Zoo Visitors At Animal City In Lebanon

In reality there is nothing sufficient in the mainstream that educates the public about animals and their conservation. Zoos, school, television – they all fail in this respect. The evidence is very clear: the World Wildlife Fund report that the planet’s fish, bird, mammal and reptile populations plunged 52 per cent from 1970 to 2010. That’s a stunning 52% of all fish, bird, mammal and reptile life lost in 40 years.

Human encroachment is destroying wildlife, but zoos do not consider that information entertaining and, as mentioned, entertainment is the only real driver of ticket sales. Paul Boyle, senior vice president for conservation and education at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, says “People leave their homes, and the intent is not to save animals in Africa—it’s to have a family outing.”

The Imprisonment Of Animals

An Oxford University study based over four decades of observing animals in captivity and in the wild found that animals such as Polar Bears, Lions, Tigers, Cheetahs show the most evidence of stress and/or psychological dysfunction in captivity. In the same study, 80% of carnivores show abnormal repetitive behaviour. This is a major problem for zoos as these animals are the most popular with visitors.

There are approximately 3200 Tigers left in the wild. In the United States alone, there are over 5000 Tigers in captivity. This is not the result of successful breeding programmes. These Tigers are being born in captivity and they die in captivity. They are the star attraction. It’s hard to imagine a zoo without a Tiger. One particular zoo in the US houses dozens of Tigers. They let visitors handle cubs and have their picture taken while talking up their conservation programmes, despite the fact that their average Tiger enclosure is about 18,000 times smaller than the animals’ natural roaming range. It is simply impossible for these poor Tigers to express instinctive behaviour.

Tourists watch a Tiger cub play with a stuffed toy during a petting and photo opportunity at Myrtle Beach Safari. Photo Credit: Steve Winter, Nat Geo Image Collection.

In two extensive studies, it was found that the lifespan of Elephants is more than halved by living in zoos. A government-funded study of Elephants in UK zoos found that 54% of the Elephants showed behavioural problems during the daytime. In 2016 18 African Elephants, a species designated as threatened within their natural habitats in Swaziland, were captured and transported to three zoos in the US to entertain the public there.

Despite the best intentions of zoo employees to create a happy environment for an animal, zoos are fundamentally unable to recreate the wild setting. Cheetahs cannot run at maximum speed, Elephants cannot walk hundreds of miles (except in circles), birds cannot migrate and fly long distances. Animals are unable to hunt, choose who to spend time with and find their suitable home. Another problem is privacy and noise levels. Human interaction is not normal and constant noise can cause problems. Animals often become depressed and obsessive.

Sometimes zoos are nothing but cages on concrete. Here in the UK, zoos have higher welfare standards, yet its employees and its visitors are still blissfully ignorant to the damage we cause to them. Zoos are well-versed in spreading misinformation and exaggerating the small areas of conservation they achieve to placate the public, ensuring visitor numbers stay high.

Today, the decisions relating to the conservation of animals fall under the power of Western organisations and trusts, not with local communities in Africa or the Amazon. So not only does the money firmly stay within the West, but so does the decision making process. Wildlife can only be saved by empowering their protection in their natural habitats.

If you really care about putting an end to poaching, saving wildlife and keeping wild animals where they belong then pound for pound, your donation should be going to conservation organisations that protect animals in their natural habitats. You won’t receive anything in return and you will have to find somewhere else to visit on your Saturdays, BUT you will be directly saving wild animals. They are the FUTURE: zoos are the PAST.

An Original Article By Andy Davidson, Vegan Society.

Stereotypic behaviors, also known as “zoochosis” are performed sometimes for hours each day, sometimes endlessly. It is unnatural & indicates underlying stress. Credit: In Defence Of Animals

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP WILDLIFE

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It is vital that we protect animals against acts of cruelty, abuse, and neglect by enforcing established animal welfare laws and, when necessary, take action to ensure that those who abuse animals are brought to justice.

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They Spent Years Locked In A Train Carriage In Argentina. Now The Four Tigers, Known As The ‘Train Tigers’, Can Feel The Grass Beneath Their Feet.

**The train carriage that was ‘home’ to four Bengal Tigers. Credit: Four Paws/Nicolas Cabona.**

The four Bengal Tigers, who lived 15 years in a train carriage in Argentina, have now been at their new home in South Africa for two years.

FAMILY OF FOUR

In 2007, a travelling circus abandoned the 18-year-old male and 15-year-old female Tiger in a train carriage in San Luis province in the west of Argentina. The circus asked a local farmer to temporarily take care of them, but never returned. The animals remained in the train carriage and had two babies.

The farmer didn’t inform the authorities of the situation given that it is illegal to keep wild animals privately in Argentina and simply tried to take care of them as best he could.

**PRISON. Credit: Four Paws/Hristo Vladev**

In 2021, Argentinian authorities became aware of the bad living conditions of the Tigers and began looking for solutions for the animals.

FOUR PAWS TO THE RESCUE

By February 2022, through the bars of their cages, the four Tigers had watched the sunrise over the meadow more than 5,000 times. Freedom had always been right in front of them, yet so far away.

The cages were barely larger than the size of two parking spaces and were part of an old train carriage – unfit for any animal. In the beginning, it was only two of them. Then two cubs were born, who are 10 years old today. They were trapped behind bars in dirty conditions, with little space to move on a train wagon – which has been stood still since then.

Animal welfare organization Four Paws rescued Sandro, Mafalda, Messi and Gustavo from their cages and transferred them to LionsRock Big Cat Sanctuary.

Veterinarians of Four Paws spent weeks on-site to prepare the Tigers with positive reinforcement so that the transfer would be as safe as possible for the animals.

“These Tigers spent over 15 years in the same 75m² space, surrounded by the same landscape and without any stimulation of their instincts or natural behaviour. Our team needed to be around them so they would stay calm in our presence and during the transfer,” Four Paws veterinarian Amir Khalil, who led the rescue mission, said.

The Tigers had to be taken out of their cages, moved into transport crates and on a truck to the airport, flown from Argentina to South Africa, and taken off the airport on trucks to their new home. The total journey took more than 70 hours.

At LionsRock, Mafalda took a little time before leaving her transport crate, but the three other Tigers started to explore the new surroundings almost immediately, Four Paws said.

**Mafalda hesitantly enters her new life of freedom. Credit: Four Paws**

“These Tigers have never felt grass or earth under their paws. It’s the first time they can see the sky above them, not just metal bars and a roof,” Khalil said.

“Now they have hundreds of square meters full of new feelings, tastes and smells. It is overwhelming for them to be in a completely new environment, but animals are quick at adapting to better living conditions,” he added.

**Messi and Sandro enjoying their freedom. Credit: Four Paws/Daniel Born**

“The road to rehabilitation for these animals now begins,” Hildegard Pirker, who manages LionsRock Big Cat Sanctuary, said

There are only around 3,900 Tigers left in the wild, Four Paws said, adding that due to a lack of regulations, Tigers are kept in captivity and traded around the world for human entertainment and killed for their skin, fur, bones, and teeth.

The Train Tigers of Argentina – two years on. Credit: Four Paws.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP WILDLIFE

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Everyone who donates will receive a Certificate of Appreciation as a thank you for helping animals in need.

The Mission of Protect All Wildlife is to prevent cruelty and promote the welfare of ALL animals.

We believe EVERY animal should be treated with respect, empathy, and understanding. We raise awareness to protect and conserve wild, captive, companion and farm animals.

When A Three-Year-Old Toddler Fell Into A Zoo Enclosure In 1996 He Was Rescued – By A Gorilla.

Days after a young boy fell into the gorilla exhibit at the Cincinnati zoo — prompting the zoo’s decision to shoot and kill Harambe, a 17-year-old Gorilla — an archived video emerged showing a similar incident 20 years earlier, with a very different outcome.

**Binti Jua gently cradles the young boy**

In summer 1996, a 3-year-old boy slipped away from his mother and squeezed through a barrier at Brookfield Zoo in Illinois, plummeting more than 15 feet into the enclosure holding seven Gorillas. Gorillas are known to be fiercely territorial animals. They will fight to the death to defend their families.

However, one of the Gorillas, a rare Western Lowland Gorilla called Binti Jua, meaning “daughter of sunshine” went over to the boy and cradled him in her arms, all while her own young child Koola was on her back. She then went over to the edge of the enclosure and waited for the zookeepers to come and collect the child. Binti handed the child over peacefully before returning to the rest of the Gorillas.

An ABC News broadcast of the drama that unfolded at Brookfield Zoo.

Binti received worldwide praise. The boy and the mother have never been identified, but the boy did stay in a hospital for 4 days. Animal behavioral experts claim Binti used her maternal instincts to look after the child. This may have been influenced by the fact that she had her own baby Gorilla with her at the time.

**Binti Jua feeding one of her babies.**

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP WILDLIFE

You can support ‘Protect All Wildlife’ by donating as little as £1 – It only takes a minute but it can last a lifetime for an animal in need. Please donate below.

Everyone who donates will receive a Certificate of Appreciation as a thank you for helping animals in need.

The Mission of Protect All Wildlife is to prevent cruelty and promote the welfare of ALL animals.

We believe EVERY animal should be treated with respect, empathy, and understanding. We raise awareness to protect and conserve wild, captive, companion and farm animals.

Theme Park History: The Dark Story Of Thomas Edison And The Electrocution Of Topsy The Elephant For Murder

Much has been written about the controversial movie Blackfish, the 2013 film that vilified SeaWorld for use of captive orcas. Many in the theme park community have attacked the movie as a hit piece, while others in the anti-animal captivity community used it as a call to arms. But for all the discussion and passion that the movie generated, history tells us that this issue is as old as the industry itself. If told completely, this story shines a different kind of light on the culture of the times, and also on an iconic figure in American history. Once upon a time, a 110 years before Blackfish and Tilikum there was another movie, and an Elephant named Topsy.

Sometime around 1875, Topsy was smuggled as a baby out of Asia and brought into America to perform in the Forepaugh circus. Billed as the first “American born elephant,” she became the star of the show. Like many circus performers at the time, she was subject to harsh treatment during training sessions. Trainers of the time were vicious towards the animals in their attempts to control them, prodding the elephants with sharp hooks between the eyes and in the head. Beatings, hot pokers, and even guns were also common methods of training. By most accounts, Topsy was one of the fan favorites. Behind the scenes though, she endured years of harsh treatment. Her crooked tail was a point of emphasis with promoters. In reality, it was the result of a particularly severe beating. Over the years, her temper became shorter and shorter, and she attacked several handlers and was reportedly responsible for the deaths of three of them. In 1902, one particular (alcoholic) trainer named James Fielding Blount foolishly met his end. After a night of heavy drinking, Blount went into the elephant tent and offered Topsy a drink of whiskey. Her refusal angered Blount, who reportedly then stuck a lit cigar on the tip of her trunk. He was then promptly thrown down and crushed.

After this highly-publicized incident, Topsy was then sold to Coney Island amusement operator Paul Boynton. When Boynton sold his operation to the founders of Luna Park, Topsy and her trainer were part of the sale. Luna Park was under construction at the time, so for a brief time she was put to work hauling loads of building material. After a new site for the “Trip to the Moon” attraction was cleared, the workers tried, but simply couldn’t move the massive structure to its new location. Topsy was called upon to do the job. With the help of a few horses, she pushed the building nearly a mile to its new location. Police arrested one of her handlers that day after observing “excessive” use of a sharp object to prod the elephant. Her trainers reportedly kept a pitchfork handy. He was tried for animal cruelty but later was acquitted because the amount of prodding was deemed acceptable. Subsequent incidents and moments of aggression occurred, all under the watchful eye of the press. The final straw came when trainer Whitey Ault got drunk and decided to ride Topsy down Surf Avenue. When Whitey was arrested and taken to the station, Topsy followed them down the street and then tried to go into the police station behind them. Whitey was fired for this incident, leaving nobody on the staff that could handle Topsy. With costs of her care high and no one to take care of the elephant, Luna Park owners Thompson and Dundy tried to get rid of her. However, all the bad press over the past year had tarnished the elephant’s reputation. No zoo would take her, no show would have her. They tried to raffle her off, then to give her away for free, but had no success. After exhausting many options, the decision was then made to euthanize Topsy.

Killing a 10-foot tall, three-ton elephant in 1903 wasn’t a simple proposition, let alone doing so in a quick and humane way. They didn’t have a gun big enough to quickly do the job, and even though it had been done to other elephants before, the idea of hanging her was thrown out.

The owners of Luna Park turned to inventor Thomas Edison, who by 1903 had fought and lost the “battle of the currents” for the electricity standard to be used in the United States. Edison’s direct current (DC) methods had been used extensively at first, but the more efficient alternating current (AC) method, invented by Nikola Tesla and backed by industrial giant George Westinghouse, had gained traction and was becoming the standard for distribution. Trying to keep his standard intact (and preservation of the royalties), Edison had engaged in a propaganda war, discouraging the use of AC by lobbying Congress, spreading false rumors and misinformation, and staging public demonstrations of its danger by electrocuting stray and unwanted animals. For a time his technicians were regularly dispatched for this matter, killing dogs and cats, and in some cases horses and cows. He commissioned a partner to develop the electric chair for the state of New York with AC current, even though he himself was reportedly an opponent of capital punishment.

Edison’s “experience” with the matter and his standing as an authority on electricity prompted Thompson and Dundy to call. Even though the current war was over, he apparently for one reason or another couldn’t resist the opportunity to demonstrate the “dangers” of AC one more time…this time on the largest land animal in the world. Some say he was still fighting the war in his own mind, others say Edison still harbored a grudge from the loss and participated out of vindictiveness. Whichever the case, he signed on to do it, and he would document the whole thing with another one of his inventions, the movie camera.

In another sign of the times, the ever-enterprising owners of Luna Park knew the attention the story had gotten, and they initially intended to charge admission for the public execution. The press coverage though had also attracted the attention of the SPCA, who flatly refused to allow that to happen. In turn, the admission fee idea was thrown out, but the public would still be allowed to watch. By this time, Topsy had been characterized in the press like a convicted killer condemned to death, and so the people came to watch.

The ‘execution’ of Topsy the Elephant

The execution date was set for January 4, 1903. A crowd of about thousand gathered in the courtyard of the half-finished Luna Park to witness the spectacle. Topsy’s old trainer Whitey Ault was offered a then handsome sum of $25 to help bring the Elephant to her demise, but the saddened trainer turned it down, saying he wouldn’t do it for a thousand. With no qualified people to handle her, leading a very docile Topsy to the platform proved difficult. She wouldn’t cross the bridge to the middle of the lagoon. After technicians moved the wood and metal platform to her, she wouldn’t stand in place, then she shook off the electrodes that were hooked to her, and then refused to eat the cyanide laced carrots that were offered to her…almost as if she knew what was going on. After some coaxing, Topsy finally ate the carrots and the switch was thrown.

She died almost instantly, and almost took one of the Edison technicians with her. He was also electrocuted when he threw the switch. Even though she had already been pronounced dead, workers tightened a noose around her neck for ten minutes to make sure. SPCA doctors on hand pronounced it as the most humane way to kill an animal they had ever seen, and Edison had his documentary. The film “Electrocuting An Elephant” depicted the first actual death on screen, and was seen by audiences across the country. A part of it remains intact online [warning: disturbing images] for the curious to view. Ultimately, the film did nothing to either advance his agenda or raise any kind of awareness for animal cruelty. Audiences of the time were simply more interested in the novelty of the motion picture, the spectacle, and being entertained. Perhaps some things haven’t really changed after all.

Ultimately, Topsy’s story provides a bit of perspective on today’s state of affairs. Her story of a systematic life of abuse in the circus and the spectacle surrounding her death is the true epitome of animal cruelty. Topsy was not the only circus animal of the time to endure this kind of treatment, to be killed, or to kill a human being, but she was the most well known and well documented. Her brief role in the early theme park industry as well as American history makes the story worth telling, however horrible it may be. As for today, the debate continues. People may or may not agree with the use of marine animals in a theme park, but SeaWorld’s animal treatment methods, and its practices of conservation, animal rescue and rehabilitation, research, and education stand in stark contrast to the brutality of the Forepaugh circus and its contemporaries.

For years there were reports of ghost sightings, but the story of Topsy largely disappeared for a long time. In recent years Topsy has reappeared in pop culture, namely the television show Bob’s Burgers and the 2009 video game Assassin’s Creed II. A book about Topsy and the early American circus written by Michael Daly was published in 2013. A memorial dedicated to her sits in the Coney Island museum.

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The Mission of Protect All Wildlife is to prevent cruelty and promote the welfare of ALL animals.

We believe EVERY animal should be treated with respect, empathy, and understanding. We raise awareness to protect and conserve wild, captive, companion and farm animals.

After Whales And Dolphins, Ottawa Intends To Ban Captive Monkeys And Elephants.

After Whales and Dolphins, Ottawa intends to ban keeping Elephants and great Apes in captivity in the country “because of the cruelty they represent”.

A new bill, called The Jane Goodall Act, was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday to ban anyone from taking an Elephant or a great Ape, a term that includes Chimpanzees, Gorillas and Orangutans.

Canadian zoos won’t be able to bring in new elephants or apes under new federal legislation introduced this week, except under specific circumstances. Bill S-15 looks to ban all new captivity of the species except where a licence is granted for conservation, research or an animal’s best interest.

“The recapture of any Elephant or great Ape in Canada must meet very strict criteria demonstrating that the activity is for animal welfare, conservation or science,” commented the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault.

Senator Marky Klyne of Saskatchewan sponsored the bill that was introduced on Tuesday. “It is upsetting to know that according to current standards, a person does not need to hold a permit to own a chimpanzee in some regions of Canada,” he lamented to explain the interest of his fee.

Elephants, for their part, are very intelligent animals that suffer when kept in captivity or presented to the public in an unnatural environment, added the senator in the second reading of the law on Thursday.

Minister Guilbeault announced the ban on the import of ivory from Elephant tusks and Rhino horns, including hunting trophies and articles carved from ivory, for which it is necessary to obtain a permit. Few exceptions are planned for museums and scientific research.

**Elephant ivory and rhino horn imports have been banned by Ottawa**

Tightening the laws

The law banning the captivity of great Apes and Elephants is part of a series of laws adopted to better protect animals in Canada and elsewhere in the world.

In 2019, Canada also banned the keeping of Whales and Dolphins in captivity.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP ANIMALS IN NEED

You can support our work by donating as little as £5 – It only takes a minute but it can last a lifetime for an animal in need.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO HELP ANIMALS IN NEED

Everyone who donates will receive a Certificate of Appreciation as a thank you for helping animals in need.

The Mission of Protect All Wildlife is to prevent cruelty and promote the welfare of ALL animals. We believe EVERY animal should be treated with respect, empathy, and understanding. We raise awareness to protect and conserve wild, captive, companion and farm animals.

Louis Vuitton Continues To Fully Embrace The Company Ethos Of Ignoring Animal Cruelty For Profit.

Earlier this year musician Pharrell Williams took on a new role as creative director at Louis Vuitton, and it seems that he has fully embraced the company ethos of ignoring animal cruelty for profit.

**Every crocodile-skin handbag represents the hideously gruesome death of a sensitive animal. Credit: PETA**

Pharrell has just launched a new Louis Vuitton bag that costs a million dollars and is made of crocodile skin. This bag is not only a symbol of the most grotesque, tone-deaf aspects of extreme wealth and privilege, it is also the product of the torture and death of innocent animals.

This embarrassing choice comes on the heels of Gucci, in partnership with ethical superstar Billie Eilish, announcing the release of their classic 1955 Horsebit bag made from a next-gen vegan leather, proving that high-fashion can and should change with the times. Meanwhile Louis Vuitton is stuck in the past ignoring compassion and common sense and completely missing the moment.

**Pharrell Williams with the £1m bag made of crocodile skins**

Every year, more than 30,000 crocodiles are violently killed in Vietnam just so that out of touch clothing brands like Louis Vuitton can use their skins to make wallets, shoes, and handbags. These helpless animals endure horrific living conditions crowded into small, barren, tanks and cages for months or even a few years before they are killed. Crocodiles can live for 60 years in the wild, but in the name of old-fashioned fashion they are killed before they even reach the age of two. These ancient, feeling, creatures often have their throats cut and their spinal cords severed but continue to remain conscious as they are skinned alive, suffering unimaginable agony.

**Every year, more than 30,000 Crocodiles are killed for the fashion industry**

Over 20 major fashion brands, including luxury designers like Chanel and Vivian Westwood have made the ethical decision to stop using exotic animal skins in their products, but Louis Vuitton continues to be on the wrong side of history and continues to profit off of the suffering and abuse of these animals.

Please Join Species Unite in letting Louis Vuitton know there is nothing luxurious or fashionable about animal cruelty.

Sign the petition here: Tell Louis Vuitton to Stop Torturing Crocodiles

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP ANIMALS IN NEED

You can support our work by donating as little as £5 – It only takes a minute but it can last a lifetime for an animal in need.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO HELP ANIMALS IN NEED

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‘World’s Loneliest Orca’ Kshamenk Seen Swimming Alone And Barely Moving In Tiny Pool TWENTY Years After Partner’s Death

A LONELY orca has been filmed swimming by itself in captivity – barely able to move in a tiny pool.

**Kshamenk has lived in captivity at Mundo Marino since 1992 Credit: UrgentSeas, Phil Demers**

The 35-year-old whale, known as Kshamenk, has lived in captivity at Mundo Marino since 1992 when he was caught in the wild. He had a mate, known as Belen, but she died in 2000, leaving the lonely orca alone. Now a new video shared online shows the orca in a tiny pool at the marine site.

The devastating video shared to social media has gone viral 20 years after the heartbroken orca’s partner died.

Kshamenk has lived in captivity at Mundo Marino since 1992 Credit: UrgentSeas, Phil Demers

He appears very still, floating in the middle of the pool, as a Dolphin swims around him. In the wild, Kshamenk would swim anywhere up to 140 miles in a single day as they swim huge distances over the course of a year.

Animal activist and co-founder of UrgentSeas, Phil Demers, visited the park where he filmed the footage to share knowledge of the lonely Orca’s troubling existence. Phil from Canada, said: “Kshamenk was captured from the wild and brought to the park to accompany another Orca, Belen Sadly, Belen died in 2000 after pregnancy complications, leaving Kshamenk to live with only two Dolphins.

“His sperm has been sold several times to SeaWorld to impregnate orcas. The Argentina government refuses to release Kshamenk or export him out of the country. He appears to be losing weight and is more lethargic in recent videos causing growing concerns for his well-being. Unless Kshamenk is rescued soon, he too will die tragically and senselessly. We must fight for Kshamenk!”

Phil put the video up on his Instagram page. The post has had more than 13,135 likes, as well as 1,290 comments from shocked users.

One said: “This is horrifying. No animal should live like this.”

As another commented: “Imagine being locked in a white padded room for 50 years since you were a baby.

“No education. This is a jail. Solitary confinement.”

Other posts called the treatment “so awful”, as he can’t even move around while some called it “so sad and heartbreaking”.

A final man went on a passionate cry for help on behalf of nit only Kshamenk but all orcas trapped in captivity.

The man known as Mickey said: “Immoral to the highest degree. #FreeKshamenk and GLOBAL BAN these damn parks, already.

“There are literally thousands on thousands of other things to do than spend ticket money on these hell holes.”

Many agreed with Mickey and labelled it as “complete torture”.

A woman said: “These animals are meant to live in the ocean, not in that damn tank.”

Phil added: “A campaign to outlaw his current captivity is gaining momentum in Argentina by local activists, so bringing awareness and sharing his story surely supports their efforts. It breaks my heart to see Kshamenk’s conditions. He needs to be rescued.”

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP ANIMALS IN NEED

You can support our work by donating as little as £5 – It only takes a minute but it can last a lifetime for an animal in need.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE PLEASE HELP ANIMALS IN NEED

Everyone who donates will receive a Certificate of Appreciation as a thank you for helping animals in need.

The Mission of Protect All Wildlife is to prevent cruelty and promote the welfare of ALL animals.

We believe EVERY animal should be treated with respect, empathy, and understanding. We raise awareness to protect and conserve wild, captive, companion and farm animals.

Help Save Baloo: A Bear Trapped In A Cage For The Last 23-YEARS!

**BALOO THE BEAR HAS BEEN LOCKED UP IN A CAGE FOR 23 YEARS CREDIT: JASPER DOEST**

Baloo the Bear has been locked up in a cage at a ski resort in Romania under horrific conditions for 23 years. But together with our supporters around the world, we are working to rescue Baloo from this nightmare.

Baloo was found injured as a cub in the Romanian wilderness and was taken in by park rangers for medical care. However, instead of being released back into the wild, Baloo ended up as private property of a ski resort. Despite a 2005 ban by the Romanian government on private individuals keeping Bears, enforcement of the law has been lax, resulting in the bear’s ongoing confinement.

Baloo has been living on display in a tiny cage next to a ski lift and is poorly cared for. He is fed cornflakes and lemonade, sometimes even alcohol to drink, and children frequently poke him through the bars of the cage with sticks. This is no life for a bear.

23 years ago, Baloo was found wounded in the mountains and he was taken to a hospital by the mountain rescuers from Straja. When he recovered, he came into the care of the businessman Emil Părău, who turned him into the resort’s mascot and has refused to give him up under any circumstances. Although it is obvious that it would be better for him to live among the old oaks of the Bear Sanctuary in Zărnești.

Two other Bears, Puppy and Pamy, would have tasted the same cake of frustration if they hadn’t been confiscated and released in the sanctuary at Zarnesti. They grew big and handsome, while poor Baloo remains to serve his punishment.

Animal protection organisations have been trying for years to free Baloo with no success. But fortunately, a petition started by Dutch television host, Floortje Dessing, is drawing much needed global attention to his cause. Floortje’s show “Floortje gaat mee” (“Floortje Goes Along” in English), explores the complex relationships between humans and animals. In the episode, she shows first-hand the distressing conditions Baloo faces.

BALOO THE BEAR: AN UNWILLING MASCOT!

Join us in our efforts to liberate Baloo from a lifetime of misery by signing the petition now!

23 years in an undeserved prison!

23 years of stress, inappropriate food, even alcohol given to him through steel bars!

23 years of objects thrown at him, noise, and lack of hibernation!

A mascot in a European resort, for selfish “love”… This is how Baloo lives his life in Straja, Hunedoara county.

**HELP FREE BALOO FROM HIS LIVING HELL! CREDIT: JASPER DOEST**

Please The Petition Here: FREE BALOO FROM A LIFE OF SUFFERING!

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP ANIMALS IN NEED

You can support our work by donating as little as £5 – It only takes a minute but it can last a lifetime for an animal in need.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE PLEASE HELP ANIMALS IN NEED

Everyone who donates will receive a Certificate of Appreciation as a thank you for helping animals in need.

The Mission of Protect All Wildlife is to prevent cruelty and promote the welfare of ALL animals.

We believe EVERY animal should be treated with respect, empathy, and understanding. We raise awareness to protect and conserve wild, captive, companion and farm animals.

Chained, Beaten, Whipped And Exploited Like Slaves: The Hidden Horrors Meted Out To Thailand’s Performing Elephants

When you pay they suffer!

They are the country’s icon – but behind the dazzle of religious festivals and tourist ‘attractions’, these giants of the wild are painfully abused in Thailand.

Some Elephants in Thailand are captured from the wild or bred in captivity and then forced to perform like monkeys to humans for the rest of their lives. When small they are beaten with sticks until they are broken, like a horse, or else they would not do what the humans tell them.

When small they are beaten with sticks until they are broken.

When they are not performing they are shackled in chains and when they come into heat or ‘musk’ they are re-beaten again to make them tame – THIS IS THE REALITY of your trip to see the Elephants in Thailand! Please do not support captive Elephants and only visit the ones that are free and not shackled – humans paying these people only make this continue – if we cut our money off, they will not continue doing this.

ALL temple Elephants are shackled and beaten – do not be tricked into thinking they are not.

When You Buy A Ticket They Suffer

I WILL STAND UP AND NOT BE AFRAID

I will stand up and not be afraid Of those who ask why I share the Elephants suffering And show them on video coloured pink

I do it, Not because I support what I see I do it, Not to encourage you to go I do it, Not so you find the link To the website advertising such horror shows

I do it, To remind those that have a life That many who walk amongst us Are suffering at the hands of man Because humans say they can As there is no law to fight And animals have no rights

I do it, So the voiceless will be heard. I do it, To show you that it it is wrong of man To sink so low as to abuse these magnificent beasts So you may feast Upon the evil show Now you know.

Sadly, the person clapping knows The Elephants do not love these shows These Elephants are forced to perform for your enjoyment They have been abused since very young With bull hooks and chains To force them to obey A command by the human, Which destroys their natural ways And makes them servants of man

I call the Elephants slaves to its mahout Because they cannot call a halt to the video shoot Because they cannot escape the strife That is their life.

Rachel Bose.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP ANIMALS IN NEED

You can support our work by donating as little as £5 – It only takes a minute but it can last a lifetime for an animal in need.

PLEASE DONATE HERE

Everyone who donates will receive a Certificate of Appreciation as a thank you for helping animals in need.

The Mission of Protect All Wildlife is to prevent cruelty and promote the welfare of ALL animals.

We believe EVERY animal should be treated with respect, empathy, and understanding. We raise awareness to protect and conserve wild, captive, companion and farm animals.

Undercover Texas Jaguar Cub Sting Results In Country’s First Charges Under ‘Big Cat Act’

A Texas couple was arrested for selling protected wildlife, marking the first case in the U.S. filed under The Big Cat Act.

On Wednesday, 29-year-old Rafael Gutierrez-Galvan and his wife Deyanira Garza, 28, had their initial court appearances in McAllen, as U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced.

Based on the criminal complaint, Gutierrez-Galvan was accused of selling a Margay cub for $7,500 in a parking lot of a local Academy Sports and Outdoors on Aug. 24. Later on Sept. 26, he tried to sell a Jaguar cub to the same buyer. He instructed his wife to bring a case filled with cash from their home to the meeting point. However, the police stopped her on the way and found the money.

**According to the criminal complaint, Rafael Gutierrez-Galvan tried to sell this Jaguar cub. Credit: JUSTICE DEPARTMENT**

Neither Gutierrez-Galvan or Garza possess a license to buy, sell, trade or transport exotic animals such as Margays and Jaguars, federal authorities said.

In December 2022, the Big Cat Act was put into effect, which made it illegal to import, transport, sell or possess any wildlife species that are prohibited. This includes Jaguars, which are considered a prohibited species.

**The rescued Margay cub. Credit: JUSTICE DEPARTMENT**

Gutierrez-Galvan and Garza face up to five years in federal prison and a possible $20,000 maximum fine if convicted.

Authorities said they were able to recover both animals in the case.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP ANIMALS IN NEED

You can support our work by donating as little as £5 – It only takes a minute but it can last a lifetime for an animal in need.

PLEASE DONATE HERE

Everyone who donates will receive a Certificate of Appreciation as a thank you for helping animals in need.

The Mission of Protect All Wildlife is to prevent cruelty and promote the welfare of ALL animals.

We believe EVERY animal should be treated with respect, empathy, and understanding. We raise awareness to protect and conserve wild, captive, companion and farm animals.