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What is a Wildlife Sanctuary?
A wildlife sanctuary is a place of refuge where abused, injured and abandoned captive wildlife may live in peace and dignity for the remainder of their lives.
True wildlife sanctuaries do not breed or exploit for commercial activites (including, but not limited to : use of animals for entertainment or sport, sale or trade of animals, their offspring or animal parts and by-products.)
A true sanctuary respects the integrity of individual animals, providing safe, healthy and secure refuge in enclosures specifically designed for the unique animal which it supports.
Experts estimate that there are about 1,200 exotic animal facilities which provide the barest minimum of care for thousands of animals with little or no knowledge of animals’ nutritional or behavioral needs. These facilities often breed animals to provide cute babies as an attraction for public display and for sale, and many depend on public sale of “treats” for the animals as the major source of food. 
These facilities often function as the end-of-the-line for surplus animals who can no longer earn dollars for mainstream zoos, circuses, traveling shows and exotic pets. They often call themselves “sanctuaries” while they continue to breed and exploit the animals in their care. “Pseudo-sanctuaries” are really a part of the animal industry but attempt to cover themselves with the positive “sanctuary” label, using their animals as fund-raising tools with appearances on television shows to plead for funds or displaying them for photo sessions at shopping malls and fund-raising events.
At PAWS, rescued animals live in peaceful and natural habitats, free from fear, chains and harsh confinement. Individually designed enclosures encourage natural behavior and dedicated keeping staff monitor diet and health twenty-four hours a day.
No true sanctuary should be involved in breeding or commercial exploitation of the animals in its care. PAWS’ animals are not bred, traded, sold, rented or forced to perform. With the exception of a limited number of planned educational events annually, PAWS’
facilities are not open to the public.
Elephant ride puts couple in intensive care It is an unmissable photo opportunity for British tourists in Africa - the chance to ride on an elephant. But Michael and Lorna Denyard, on a safari holiday to mark their retirement, were left with a rather less desirable souvenir of their experience: several broken bones and a stay in intensive care. Former Cadbury executive Mr. Denyard, 50, and his wife, 49, were in hospital with 'severe injuries' after toppling from an elephant's back only a day after arriving in South Africa for a 17-day trip. The Denyards were visiting the Elephant Sanctuary at Hartbeespoort, an hour west of Pretoria, with another English couple and decided to finish off their morning tour with a bareback ride on one of its six rescued elephants. The beast lay down to allow the couple to mount, but as it stood up, they were thrown off-balance and crashed to the ground. The pair underwent emergency surgery on Thursday night: Mrs. Denyard for multiple fractures to her pelvis and legs, and Mr. Denyard for a smashed leg. Both are likely to remain in intensive care for several days. Speaking from his bed at the Sunninghill Hospital, a shaken Mr. Denyard said: "It was pretty clear from the way we hit the ground that we weren't going to get up. I thought I'd broken both legs." Witnesses said the elephant's trainer was also unseated in the accident, but sanctuary owner Craig Saunders insisted the elephant had not behaved erratically. Mr. Saunders denied the accident could have been prevented by the use of a saddle or stirrups. "In my experience, if the foot gets caught in a stirrup, it's got its own set of problems," he said. To exacerbate matters, the Denyards were nearly turned away by two private hospitals - one for emergency treatment and one for surgery - because their travel insurance was not recognized in South Africa. Only after friends stepped in with cash and credit cards to guarantee payment were the couple admitted. Experts claimed this was not uncommon in South Africa, and urged holidaymakers to get confirmation in writing from their insurers that their policy covered their destination. In 2005, British gap-year student William Andrew, 18, sustained serious head injuries after being knocked over by an elephant he was helping to train at a South African safari centre. |
PAWS
Performing Animal Welfare Society
PO Box 849, Galt, CA 95632
(209) 745-2606 office/shelter
(209) 745-1809 fax
info@pawsweb.org
