dictation's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brother, can you spare a dime for a pachyderm? This is such great news! If you have a buck to spare - and really, it doesn't have to be a lot of money, it can be anything! - please consider helping the Elephant Sanctuary fulfill its goal to adopt an additional sixteen elephants that have been removed by the US Department of Agriculture from a hideous and notorious circus industry supplier: Hawthorne Corporation. These elephants have suffered beatings, neglect, inappropriate nutrition, starvation, tuberculosis, and foot rot. Delhi, the Asian elephant who was rescued almost 6 months ago by the USDA, had her feet soaked in formaldehyde by Hawthorne. It's incredible I know, but they really did this to her. It was supposedly "a treatment" for her feet. Delhi is seriously ill but she improving steadily because she has such good care now. It's obvious she's very happy, despite the condition of her feet, which the Sanctuary is treating. So many elephants who are "on the road" stuffed and chained in barely ventilated trailers, supplying entertainment at small towns and county fairs suffer terribly. This sideshow industry should be illegal, but it continues to flourish in some states because of a lack of awareness. These assinine productions still draw crowds largely because the public doesn't realize the animals suffer. Let's face it, JQ public at a county fair has the attention span of a gnat and evidence of abuse isn't always obvious to people who wouldn't know what to look for anyway. Maybe it's normal for animals to pace or have droopy sad sagging eyes, or legs that bend funny (Jenny entertained crowds with a broken leg for months before she was dumped - as useless - at the side of the road by her circus). But gradually people are being educated - by channels like Discovery and the National Geographic. They are noticing things or they aren't comfortable with the whole chains and cages scene. Public complaints are the reason states have banned circuses and side shows. Unfortunately, the Vegas show acts (where elephants live in the basements of hotels) continue. These animals are probably treated better because looking good in Vegas is paramount, but their lives don't have any quality. Wildlife shouldn't be dressed up in glittery outfits and jumping through hoops for us anymore...we should be well beyond this crap. Anyhoo, if you have a ten or a twenty or more, please make a donation. Whatever you can. It only takes a second and it means a whole wonderful life for a wonderful species and a chunk of good karma points. (I'd email Paris Hilton but she and Nick are busy freeloading from a nudist trailer park this week.) 7:45 p.m. - 24 June 2004 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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