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Since 1984, The Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) has been at the forefront of efforts to rescue and provide appropriate, humane sanctuary for animals who have been the victims of the exotic and performing animal trades. PAWS investigates reports of abused performing and exotic animals, documents cruelty and assists in investigations and prosecutions by regulatory agencies to alleviate the suffering of captive wildlife. |
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PAWS IS HOME TO ASIAN AND AFRICAN ELEPHANTS
The five elephant habitats at ARK 2000 provide the elephants with hundreds of acres of varied natural terrain to roam, lakes and pools to bathe in, and elephant barns equipped with heated stalls and a indoor therapy pool.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Big Day of Giving starts at midnight on Thursday, May 2, 2024, and runs for 24 hours. PAWS will be raising funds for the care of the elephants, tigers, bears and other wild animals living at our ARK 2000 sanctuary.
More details to come. . .
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Take the Pledge for Bears!
At PAWS, we care for bears every day. (One of our bears, Ben, is pictured above.) Bears get far less notice than exotic animals like elephants and tigers – although once you learn more about bears, they’re just as fascinating.
As part of our Take the Pledge for Bears campaign, PAWS has been drawing attention to an animal that deserves more of our respect and protection in the wild and in captivity. For example: Each month in our newsletters during 2023, we provided interesting and sometimes little-known facts about bears – their intelligence, agility, and complex behaviors.
Read our 2023 newsletters here.
Captive bears are overlooked animals – and they suffer more than you know. YOU can make a difference!
Click here to learn more, sign our petition, and take the pledge for bears!
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Pictured: PAWS' rescued tigers Morris and Rosemary
You Can Help Captive Tigers!
By far, the largest number of animals rescued by PAWS are tigers – making them one of the animals most desperately in need of your help. We have rescued tigers from cub petting operations, circuses, roadside zoos, and private owners.
Caring for tigers is expensive. It costs $20,000 to care for one healthy tiger for a year – about $400 a week per big cat. That’s why we need your help.
Your donation to PAWS works in two important ways:
You provide rescued tigers with large habitats filled with trees, grass, pools, and native vegetation. Our expert staff provides daily care, veterinary attention, nutritious food, and 24/7 monitoring.
You support PAWS’ efforts to end the exploitation of tigers for entertainment. Click here to learn more.
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PAWS Co-Founder Pat Derby:
Remembering a Legendary Figure for Captive Wildlife
On February 15, 2013, we mourned the passing of Pat Derby, who co-founded PAWS with partner and PAWS President Ed Stewart. Pat truly was legendary, known for her ferocity in the battle against animal abusers and her relentless drive to end the exploitation of captive wild animals used for entertainment – whether in circuses, film and TV, the exotic “pet” trade, or zoos.
Pat’s early career as a well-known Hollywood animal trainer planted the seeds for her later rescue and advocacy work. No longer able to tolerate the behind-the-scenes abuse of captive wildlife used for film, TV and advertising, Pat wrote a tell-all book, The Lady and Her Tiger (1976). For the first time, the public got an inside look at a shocking world they never even knew existed. This launched her life’s work to educate the public about the suffering of wild animals for entertainment, and to rescue and provide sanctuary for those in need. In 1984, Pat and Ed founded PAWS to fully realize that vision.
PAWS continues this important work under Ed’s able leadership, always working harder and reaching higher in order to change the world for captive wildlife. While she may not have considered herself to be a legend, no one who met Pat could ever forget her and her great passion for animals. She left an indelible mark on the world and our hearts – and she will never be forgotten.
PAWS ARK 2000 SANCTUARY
al behaviors in the comfort of their individually designed enclosures. PAWS' animals are not bred, traded, sold, rented or forced to perform in any way. PAWS educates the entertainment industry, public officials and the general public in humane care and treatment of captive wildlife.
Through our public awareness campaigns, more and more actively concerned individuals are becoming aware of the problems inherent in the breeding of wildlife in captivity and the use of animals in entertainment. Learn More »
PAWS Celebrates 40 Years
A Message From PAWS Chairman of the Board
and Cofounder
Ed Stewart
I have good news. . . and more good news.
First, PAWS is celebrating 40 years of tremendous success, with the same core management. The rest of the good news is that this success will continue with an important addition. After a worldwide search for several years, we have found a highly qualified replacement to take on some of my duties at PAWS.
I will remain Chairman of the Board of Directors of PAWS. Dr. Chris Draper, formerly of Born Free Foundation, is taking my place as Chief Executive Officer. Chris has a rich background in exotic animal sanctuary operations, having worked in South Africa, Ethiopia and India.
The late Pat Derby and I met Chris more than 15 years ago at a PAWS’ Wildlife Conference. Many of you may remember hearing him present at subsequent PAWS events. I have been working with Chris daily for more than three years at PAWS’ ARK 2000 Sanctuary in San Andreas to ensure a smooth management transition. We have focused on animal care, construction projects, and future planning at the sanctuary. I have complete confidence in Chris’ ability to ensure that PAWS remains a global leader in the protection and care of captive wildlife.
Since 2020, Chris has also been working closely with our solid and experienced animal care management team, which includes: our Director of Science, Research and Public Policy (13 years with PAWS), Director of Veterinary Services (23 years), Elephant Care Manager (28 years), and our Tigers/Bears Manager (18 years). These core individuals and their diligent staff members care for our animals 24/7.
I remember 40 years ago, when I was 33 years of age, riding the train to San Francisco to secure PAWS’ letter of non-profit status from the IRS office. Pat and I then embarked on an uncharted journey filled with struggles and defeats, but mostly monumental victories. We decided early on that we would not only give individual animals sanctuary, but also attack the institutions that had put them in jeopardy.
I take great pride and satisfaction in all of PAWS’ accomplishments. Our motivation has come from the animals we have rescued. Many of their stories are heartbreaking. Some have come from the worst conditions imaginable. Each is a daily reminder that there is much more work to do.
I am humbled by your support for PAWS during our first 40 years. We are stronger now than ever before because of you. I will be forever grateful for your friendship and loyalty, and PAWS is eager to take on the next 40 years.
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PAWS Says Goodbye to Lulu –
Oldest African Elephant in North America
We are sad to announce the passing of African elephant Lulu at the ARK 2000 sanctuary on April 9. The most caring decision was made to perform euthanasia to prevent suffering, as Lulu had endured degenerative joint disease, a leading reason for euthanizing elephants in captivity. She passed from this life surrounded by many who loved and admired her.
At age 58, Lulu was the oldest African elephant in North America. She also established the record for the longest-lived African elephant in North America. She lived most of her life at the San Francisco Zoo, and her final 19 years at PAWS.
Lulu’s age was exceptional for an African elephant in captivity, where the stresses and unnatural conditions of their confinement mean that elephants tend to live much shorter lives than do elephants in the wild.
Wild African elephants can live well into their 60s. However, in captive situations their lives are frequently cut short by captivity-induced ailments such as premature arthritis and foot disease. When Lulu arrived at PAWS, she was already older than the median life expectancy for female African elephants in zoos.
Lulu was born in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). She likely was captured when her mother was killed in a government cull, a traumatic event that Lulu would have witnessed. At two years old, an age at which elephant calves are rarely apart from their mothers, she was sold to be a display animal.
When the San Francisco Zoo decided to no longer exhibit elephants, Lulu came to live at PAWS in 2005. Once there, she had access to wide-open spaces in her large enclosure where she socialized with other elephants and engaged in behaviors natural to an elephant. For the last several years, African elephant Toka had been her close companion.
“We are humbled that the people of San Francisco entrusted Lulu to PAWS for 19 years. We did our very best for her,” stated PAWS Co-founder and President Ed Stewart. “Until her health recently took a turn for the worse, Lulu enjoyed climbing to the tops of hills to graze on fresh green grass.”
PAWS CEO Chris Draper added, “No captive facility can truly meet the needs of elephants, and no one can repair the damage caused by a lifetime of confinement. Lulu’s life, and death, serve to remind us how elephants simply do not belong in captivity.”
“Lulu had incredible determination and spirit. We will all miss this truly special and dear elephant” said Stewart. “We thank our loyal supporters for their help which has allowed us to care for Lulu and the other animals at the sanctuary.”
To make a donation in honor of Lulu, click here.
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Have You Taken the Pledge
to Help Elephants?
PAWS has launched a new campaign called Take the Pledge! to bring attention to the use of elephants for tourism and elephant “encounters” overseas and in the U.S. The only way to stop this form of exploitation is through education and by decreasing demand for these attractions. Read more about PAWS' "Take the Pledge" campaign here.
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PAWS
Performing Animal Welfare Society
PO Box 849, Galt, CA 95632
(209) 745-2606 Office/Sanctuary
(209) 745-1809 fax
info@pawsweb.org
