Indonesia's Shame

Shame Shame Shame Indonesia!

The rainforest is being felled for Palm Oil and other crops at an overwhelming rate with the remaining forest being degraded by drought and forest fires. Extinction of orangutans in the wild is likely in the next 10 years for Sumatran Orangutans and soon after for Bornean Orangutans.

Orangtuans are 97% genetically identical to humans. Orangutans are highly intelligent animals. Their intelligence is comparable to that of a five or six year old child. The blatant hunting and torture of these animals is absolutely abhorrent. Companies incentivise plantation owners and workers for productivity. Removing the "nusiance" orangutans is an ongoing and unobstructed activity. Government and corporate corruption know no bounds when the almighty dollar is at stake.

And what drives these shameful actions? Us.

We eat food and use products every day made from palm oil and its derivitives. The majority are unknowing - trusting that the world's corporations are "doing the right thing" by us. Some folks even subscribe to the "survival of the fittest" mentality. It's better us than them. I can't even continue with this thought; it gets me so frustrated and annoyed at the short-sightedness in the world.

Protecting the orangutan also protects the surrounding ecosystem and myriad of endangered and exotic species. Saving the orangutan saves the forest.

So sadly, the fight to save the orangutans goes on.

On 15th April 2012 we posted this video by Carlos Quiles. Saving Leuser, Tripa.



Recently, Australian Orangtuan Project Victorian State Representative Amber Partington visited Tripa. Here we share her story and her plea. Yes it's an Australian perspective but the message is global.

"On June 6th, I recently visited Sumatra, in particular an area called Tripa Peat Swamp Forest. Words cannot describe the devastion of what Jess and I witnessed.

Tripa Peat Swamp Forest

Three weeks prior, forest stood right where I am standing in this photo. Canals have gone in draining swamp, killing trees. Large hardwood trees, logged and sold. Rest of forest burnt. Palm Oil plantations planted where forest once stood. Local people kicked off land, threatened with their lives if they talk. All protected land under Indonesian law. MAJOR corruption = MAJOR problem.

As Australia (and other parts of the world) does NOT import Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO), [this has a direct effect], forest is destroyed, local people displaced and many animal lives lost. [Goodman Fielder is one of Australia's largest companies and the largest importer of Palm Oil. Their products including Meadow Lea margarine includes Palm Oil.]

Therefore we are asking Goodman Fielder to make a public commitment to use Certified Sustainable Palm Oil in their products by 2015.

It would mean the world to me if you could add your name to this important issue. Every name that is added builds momentum around the campaign. And hopefully, more likely for us to get the change we want to see. (Blog note: Hey! It worked for KFC changing to canola oil - we can do it!)

http://www.communityrun.org/petitions/meadowlea-we-don-t-think-you-ought-to-be-congratulated

After you've signed the petition please also take a moment to share it with others."

Amber Partington
Victorian State Representative
orangutan.org.au| facebook.com/australianorangutanproject | twitter.com/ausorangutan


For you to appreciate these amazing great apes even more, here's a couple of videos.

1 - Shawn Thompson is a writer passionate about orangutans. His book The imtimate Ape is a must read. In preparation for his second book, Shawn heads back to the orangs. There's some funny bits in this and whilst it is a bit warm and fuzzy, it's a tear jerker for me!



2  - Ami (Borneo tour guide) and Jana join forces for this cute song celebrating not only orangs but the primates of Borneo. Stunning video footage shows those fun loving macques dive bombing into the river and gibbons leaping great distances, and a gorgeous orangutan stealing pen and paper and using them!

This video clearly demonstrates how much humans are encroaching upon wildlife habitat and how encounters are more and more common. The chorus repeats a bit but by the end of the 4 minutes I was singing along.



These videos and more can be found on our youtube channel right here

If these tasters haven't got you sold on these amazing creatures, perhaps a ONCE IN A LIFETIME TRIP will do it.

ONLY TWO SPOTS LEFT ON THE

LEIF COCKS SUMATRA TOUR

5th - 14th November 2012

See orangutans up close and personal the way they should be seen - in the jungles of Sumatra, and make a personal difference by directly contributing to the organisations helping to save the red ape from extinction.

Under the auspices of eco tourism group, Orangutan Odysseys, raising funds for the Australiam Orangutan Project, who in turn support the local NGO, the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, you will be guided through jungles, on an exclusive expedition led by two men who know orangutans and this location like few others in the whole wide world; Leif Cocks, one of Australia's foremost authorities on orangutans and the other guide, the most respected orangutan rescuer in Indonesia.

You will have to fight me for a space I think!

Please contact the Australian Orangutan Project directly:
Amber Partington
Victorian State Representative
www.orangutan.org.au
vic@orangutan.org.au

 

IT GETS WORSE

The impact of the Palm Oil industry in Indonesia spills over. Read Celine's article posted June 17th 2012.

Southeast Asian Haze: Who’s To Blame?

By Celine Fernandez  WALL STREET JOURNAL
http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2012/06/20/southeast-asian-haze-whos-to-blame/

Just when it seemed safe to take a deep breath in Southeast Asia, the smoky haze that envelops the region each year is wafting up from Indonesian forests again.

Increasingly, though, experts aren’t just blaming Indonesians, who in the past have been accused of recklessly burning forest land on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan to make way for palm oil plantations – a practice that produces the smoke that then drifts northward over Singapore and Malaysia. Indonesian authorities have typically said they are doing their best to police the problem, which is hard to do given the country’s vast size and limited enforcement resources.

The question is whether other actors are fanning the flames, says Anthony Tan, executive director of the Centre for Environment, Technology & Development, Malaysia (CETDEM).

 “The haze comes from Sumatra and Kalimanthan. Which companies own the estates? Malaysian and Singaporean as well as local plantation owners,” he said. As a result, “Malaysian and Singaporean companies in Indonesia also have to bear the responsibility of open burning, of slashing and burning, that is happening within their estate territories.”

Moreover, he added, “it is the respective governments’ responsibility to take them to task. Just because they operate in a foreign country, they can’t wash their hands and say it does not affect us” when it actually does.

The issue is flaring up again because the smoke, which tends to appear at least once a year, is intensifying again.

According to Malaysia’s Department of Environment, satellite images show the number of “hotspots” producing smoke in Sumatra increased to 122 on June 13 from 67 the day before. The image also showed haze drifting from Riau in central Sumatra en route towards the west coast of peninsular Malaysia. Satellite images released by the Asean Specialized Meteorological Centre on June 18 June showed hotspots in Sumatra had risen further to 310 from 163 the previous day.

The sun rises through a thick haze over the skyline of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on June 17.

Malaysia’s DOE also said that on the morning of June 15th, air quality readings in three areas reached an unhealthy level of 131. Air quality readings improved by Monday, June 18.

In Malaysia, at least, authorities agree that it’s not entirely Indonesia’s fault, and they say they are doing what they can to help alleviate the situation, including reducing burning within Malaysia’s own borders. The DOE has imposed a temporary ban on open burning in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor except for religious purposes and barbecues with a fine up to RM500,000 or imprisonment of up to five years or both.

Still, “from the trend of hotspots monitored through satellite imagery, it has always and clearly shown that most of the hotspots originated from Indonesia and (then) the smoke plumes trespass the neighboring countries,” a DOE official said in a written response.

That doesn’t necessarily address the issue of Malaysian companies operating in Indonesia, though. According to Indonesia’s embassy in Kuala Lumpur, as much as 25% of the palm oil plantations in the archipelago nation are owned by Malaysian companies. This is largely because scarcity of land in Malaysia has forced big plantation companies there to expand abroad.

Many of Malaysia’s biggest palm oil companies, including Sime Darby Bhd., IOI Corp. Bhd. and Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd., are members of the Roundtable On Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which is dedicated to making palm oil production more environmentally-friendly, and which has a zero burning policy. Its members must be certified by RSPO as responsible producers. Moreover, many analysts say they doubt many of the biggest companies would want to engage in burning because it could be too detrimental to their reputations.

But last year, the London based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and its Indonesian partner Telapak said they had documentary proof that KLK subsidiary PT Menteng Jaya Sawit Perdana was burning land. KLK denied the accusations. In a statement, plantation director Roy Lim said “KLK has long abandoned using fire to clear land for new planting or replanting. Our policy and practice is zero burning for such activities.”

Whatever the case, Indonesian officials say it’s hard to police an industry that covers so much terrain and they suspect some other producers might be burning land, or buying land from farmers who burn the trees themselves.

“Of course we don’t know who does it,” said Suryana Sastradiredja, an Information, Social and Cultural Affairs Minister-Counselor at the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur. But it’s hardly surprising some land owners would want to set fires, he says. After all, “burning is the traditional method – the cheapest way to open new land.”

LA Zoo's Elephant Exhibit Goes on Trial

After winding its way through the courts for five years, a taxpayer lawsuit against the Los Angeles Zoo regarding its controversial $42 million elephant exhibit has finally gone to trial. The lawsuit, filed by attorney David Casselman, seeks to stop the display of elephants in a small, inadequate exhibit that does not meet their needs. The zoo currently holds a male elephant Billy, and females Tina and Jewel, on little more than two acres of useable space.

Billy - one of three elephants in captivity at LA Zoo

Filed in 2007, the suit alleges ongoing illegal, damaging and wasteful actions by the zoo, including construction of an exhibit that does not provide the large space and natural conditions elephants need for health and well-being. The plaintiffs charge that inadequate conditions perpetuate captivity-caused foot and joint diseases that kill elephants prematurely, and that the risk of abusive handling practices still exists.

Witnesses in the trial include world-renowned elephant researcher Dr. Joyce Poole, wildlife veterinarians Dr. Mel Richardson and Dr. Phil Ensley, Emory University neuroscientist Dr. Lori Marino, Born Free Foundation CEO Will Travers, and The Elephant Sanctuary CEO Rob Atkinson. IDA Elephant Campaign Director Catherine Doyle, who has been fighting for the elephants at the Los Angeles Zoo since 2003, was also called to testify.

Tina & Jewel at LA Zoo. With little more more than 2 acres,
LA Zoo does not provide a usable, natural space for the elephants

The trial is attracting media attention and is sure to open the eyes of the public to the outdated practice of confining elephants in unnatural zoo exhibits that lead to terrible suffering and premature death. A win in the lawsuit would set a precedent that could send shockwaves through the zoo industry. The trial is expected to last through the week.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
In Defence of Animals (IDA) has been fighting for elephants confined in inadequate zoo displays that cause them to suffer and die prematurely as well as those who are chained and beaten in circuses. They have a Hall of Shame for zoos exploiting elephants in the USA. Sadly there are many.You can support IDA's Elephant Protection Fund here

Article thanks to IDA

IPads for Apes?

With the unfortunate predicament and sad necessity for captive animals comes our responsibility to provide them with the most natural way of life possible. Even progressive zoos are acknowledging that a concrete box is no place for an animal.

At the RSPCA Scientific Conference 2007 research presentation ‘How much space does an elephant need? The impact of confinement on animal welfare’ by John L. Barnett, Animal Welfare Science Centre, Primary Industries Research Victoria, Australia the following statement was made;

“Nevertheless, impacts of confinement can include behavioural changes/stereotypes (Lawrence and Terlouw, 1993), rebound behaviours (Cronin et al., 2003), behaviours indicative of frustration (Ekstrand and Keeling, 1994) and changes in time budgets (Kobelt et al., 2006) and acute and chronic

stress and associated physiological changes in immune function, health, metabolism,

nitrogen balance and growth and reproduction.”

We completely abhor the captivity of animals however often rescues cannot be rehabilitated and returned to the wild. That should not forfeit their lives however they deserve the best care we can give them. Enrichment is imperative. We have witnessed many ingenious gadgets and activities that help to give those captives a chance to use their bodies and brains. And so it seems technology has taken hold even in this. Read on…..

Providing enrichment for the orangs

Orangutans across the world may soon join the ranks of millions of humans as proud owners of new iPads. As strange as that may sound, a conservation group is testing its "Apps for Apes" program, allowing orangutans to communicate with each other remotely via the iPad's video chat technology.

Orangutan Outreach founder Richard Zimmerman says has iPads have already been donated to zoos in Milwaukee, Atlanta and Florida. A board member of the Houston Zoo also recently donated an iPad. More of the tablets will soon be sent to the Memphis Zoo, the Center for Great Apes in Florida and to the Toronto Zoo. Orangutans are considered to be amongst the most intelligent of primates, making them a good case study for the interactive technology.

"It's not a gimmick," Zimmerman told Yahoo News in a phone interview Tuesday. "If they don't want to do it, they won't. There are actual measurable benefits."

Zimmerman said that orangutans in zoos and other primate facilities usually receive all the food and love they need. However, during winter months they are forced to spend long periods of time indoors, which is counter to their natural habitat. And living indoors for extended periods of time can result in boredom and stunt social growth among other primates.

"They need stimulation, especially indoors," Zimmerman tells Yahoo News. "The zoo keepers can see the benefit from this sort of enrichment. We're doing this as enrichment as opposed to research. But researchers are getting involved, that's just not our jurisdiction."

Scientists and layman alike have long speculated on ways to better indoctrinate primates and other animals with human technology. Dolphins have already demonstrated an ability to interact with iPad technology with researchers using it as a language interaction device between dolphins and humans. There are even several iPad games made specifically for cats.

But even more interesting possibilities present themselves once a number of zoos have their orangutans acclimated to using the iPads. Zimmerman said he hopes they will be able to use Skype or the iPad's FaceTime feature to communicate remotely with orangutans at other zoos during "play dates." Zimmerman said he recently visited Jahe, an orangutan at the Memphis Zoo who used to live at the Toronto Zoo. When Zimmerman showed Jahe a photo on his iPhone of some of her relatives still living in Toronto, she appeared to recognize them.

"Given an opportunity to demonstrate that intelligence, it's pretty amazing," Zimmerman tells Yahoo News.

The biggest obstacle for now is coming up with the funding to purchase more iPads. Orangutan Outreach refuses to use its funds on the tablets, saying its priorities must be toward conservation and helping to rescue orangutans that are victims of violence in the wild.

Zimmerman said so far he has been unable to reach Apple directly about any possible donations for the project. "I could get them to the zoos tomorrow," Zimmerman said, if Apple were to make such a donation. "Our Plan B has been to hopefully get their attention through this effort."

When the tire swing or the rope hammock no longer entice, what’s a bored orangutan to do? Reach for the iPad, because there’s an app for that ape.

The Toronto Zoo is at “the top of the list’’ to get a donated iPad from Orangutan Outreach, a conservation group spearheading an Apps for Apes program.

Founder and director Richard Zimmerman said he has been watching the Milwaukee Zoo’s iPad program involving its three orangutans, which started last year, and is extending Apps for Apes to other zoos.

“It’s incredibly exciting,’’ he said.

In Milwaukee, a keeper holds an iPad through a mesh screen while the primates have fun manipulating a painting app with their fingers.

Zimmerman, whose charitable group raises funds for orphaned and rescued orangutans in their native Malaysia and Indonesia, and promotes awareness of orangutan conservation issues, said the painting program stimulates the primates, who get bored in captivity.

“Orangutans like to paint and they’re capable of using this digital device,” he said, adding “there’s no paint to eat.’’

Zimmerman has been in touch with the Toronto Zoo about sending an iPad once more devices are donated. “We wish it could go faster.’’

(Funds donated to Orangutan Outreach only go to its overseas programs.)

A Toronto Zoo spokeswoman said it’s trying to get donated iPads for the orangutan enrichment initiative. Staff have been working with York University animal behaviour expert Suzanne MacDonald to line up suitable primate-friendly apps.

“They have performed a couple of trials with iPhones, and there is response from the orangutans,’’ said the zoo’s Katie Gray.

Zimmerman is about to send an iPad to the Centre for Great Apes in Florida, and has already sent them to Atlanta. The Memphis Zoo is on his list but he doesn’t have one yet.

Once a number of zoos have iPads, Zimmerman hopes orangutans can get to “know each other’’ via a video chat app. He has no doubt orangutans can recognize other orangutans when they see their images.

At the Memphis Zoo recently, he visited an orangutan named Jahe, who used to live at the Toronto Zoo with her mother, Puppe, and brother, Budi.

Zimmerman showed Jahe, who’s about 12 years old, a photo of Puppe and Bude on his iPhone.

Jahe “was very close to her mother and her brother, they had a very strong relationship. She recognized them,’’ said Zimmerman. “Unscientifically speaking, they show recognition the same as we do — their eyes light up. She really demonstrated recognition.’’

The Orangutan Outreach is massive in the orangutan conservation arena.

Orangutan Outreach's mission is to protect orangutans in their native habitat while providing care for orphaned and displaced orangutans until they can be returned to their natural environment. We seek to raise and promote public awareness of orangutan conservation issues by collaborating with partner organizations around the world.

Richard Zimmerman is the Founding Director of Orangutan Outreach, a New York-based non-profit organisation whose mission is to save the critically endangered orangutans and protect their rainforest home.

The organization quickly began to thrive thanks to an affiliation with the Animal Planet series Orangutan Island. With little more than his Mac, his iPhone and his will to save orangutans by working with like-minded groups and individuals around the world, Richard has raised over a million dollars for orangutan conservation and made a real difference in the lives of orangutans. He has expanded Orangutan Outreach to work with an increasing number of partners and is now working with the UK-base International Animal Rescue (IAR) to build a new state-of-the-art orangutan rescue and rehabilitation center in Ketapang, West Kalimantan.

WHAT YOU CAN DO?

If you'd like to make a direct donation to Orangutan Outreach, you can do so here. Toronto Zoo orangutans may get iPad.

Information sourced for this blog from:

Orangutan Outreach

Yahoo News

Toronto’ Star.com

Precious ecosystem

This is a short video about the long term documentary Saving Leuser. Maximum support is needed, not just for Tripa but to save the Leuser ecosystem, the only place in the world that hosts five endangered species as tigers, rhinos, orangutans, elephants and bears.




WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Carlos welcomes comments or ideas. Contact : carlosquiles@carlosquilesfoto.com or LIKE on facebook by the same mail.
Oceans2Earth with best wishes welcomes your presence.

Illegal animal trade on the rise in Indonesia

The slow loris -
popular illegal pet thanks to Paris Hilton

Regular monitoring of trade in protected species at bird markets on Java and Bali has shown a sharp rise in prohibited animals in February 2012. The surveys, conducted by Born Free partner ProFauna Indonesia, highlight the illegal trade that occurs routinely in these busy, but mostly legal, marketplaces. Studies throughout 2011 revealed an average of 42 individual animals from protected species being traded each month. Figures from this February, however, showed a total of 62 individual animals from 15 different species. By far the most common were slow loris, followed by green turtle, with others ranging from the black-winged starling to the otter civet. Trade in these animals contravenes the 1990 law on Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems, and can be punished with up to 5 years in jail and a fine of up to 100,000,000 Indonesian Rupiah (nearly £7,000). 

Speaking of slow loris...big pat on the back for http://www.slowlorispet.com/ which draws the unsuspecting potential loris buyer in and convinces them how much a slow loris is sooooo not the pet for you. Worth a read...and a giggly.

Join the elephant march to Say No to Ivory

Oceans2Earth

DAY 13 - Where are the missing?

On this day - the 13^th day since their abduction

What has happened to the original MISSING 13?

Previously abused, mistreated and discarded, these animals have found care, love and sanctuary at the Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand (www.wfft.org).

In retaliation for the allegations by WFFT Foundation and other Wildlife Rescue organisations, the Department of National Parks (DNP) raided the WFFT Rescue Centre with 70 armed men and removed 103 animals from the Centre. This was without legal cause. They kidnapped the first 13 animals from the Centre on the 15^th and 16^th February, 2012 and took them away under armed guard.

For more than 8 days the DNP camped outside the Centre in an attempt to intimidate and harass the staff and international volunteers trapped inside before taking the other 90.

They are now MISSING – where are they?

They are suffering for a second time in their lives now.

Somewhere away from home.

Without care and medical treatment.

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT

SEND ALL YOUR GOOD THOUGHTS OUT TO ALL THOSE STILL MISSING FROM HOME

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/urgent-plea-for-rescued-thai-wildlife/

On 27^th February, 3 civets; Charlie, Bangbon and Ayut, were returned to WFFT. It’s a start but we have a long way to go.

Charlie – bushmeat victim Masked Palm Civet (Paguma larvata)	Date Confiscated – 15/2/2012 Current Location – HOME SAFE AT WFFT
Bangbon – mistreated and illegal pet Common Palm Civets (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus)	Date Confiscated – 15/2/2012 Current Location – HOME SAFE AT WFFT
Ayut – mistreated and illegal pet Common Palm Civets (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus)	Date Confiscated – 15/2/2012 Current Location - HOME SAFE AT WFFT
Sandee – poaching victim Binturong (Arctictis binturong)	Date Confiscated – 15/2/2012 Current Location – Government Zoo/Breeding Centre

George – abusive caging at temple Northern Pig-Tailed Macaque (Macaca leonina)	Date Confiscated – 15/2/2012 Current Location – Government Zoo/Breeding Centre
Smokey – abusively kept caged at temple Northern Pig-Tailed Macaque (Macaca leonina)	Date Confiscated – 15/2/2012 Current Location – Unknown
Lila – abusively kept caged at temple Northern Pig- Tailed Macaque (Macaca leonina)	Date Confiscated – 16/2/2012 Current Location – Unknown

Tamairuak – chained and kept as illegal pet Northern Pig-Tailed Macaque (Macaca leonina)	Date Confiscated – 16/2/2012 Current Location – Unknown
Bertie – vehicle hit and run victim Long-Tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis)	Date Confiscated – 15/2/2012 Current Location – Government Zoo/Breeding Centre
Jaw – coconut monkey then dumped, found in chains Northern Pig-Tailed Macaque (Macaca leonina)	Date Confiscated – 16/2/2012 Current Location – Unknown
Oo an– illegal pet Long-Tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis)	Date Confiscated – 15/2/2012 Current Location – Government Zoo/Breeding Centre

Sparticus – gun shoot, hit and run, dog attack victim as well as electrocuted Long-Tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis)	Date Confiscated – 16/2/2012 Current Location – Unknown
Jeud – coconut monkey, ingrown neck chain Northern Pig-Tailed Macaque (Macaca leonina)	Date Confiscated – 15/2/2012 Current Location – Government Zoo/Breeding Centre

Please help us find all the missing animals from WFFT
www.wfft.org 

or 

Facebook Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand

Oceans2Earth goes to the circus

The circus is in town in Melbourne, Australia. Oceans2Earth volunteers headed to Stardust Circus to join forces with other animal welfare activists to peacefully protest against the inclusion of animals in this entertainment program.

Stardust rates the performing animals as the lynchpin of their circus.

The circus includes lions, monkeys, horses, ponies and dogs. Stardust stubbornly remains one of the last circuses in Australia to keep animals on the bill for the entertainment of kids.

Interesting for me was the feedback from punters heading in to buy tickets, keen to find a distraction to keep the kids out of their hair for the day. Check this...

"I didn't know they had animals. That's unusual"

"I know they shouldn't do it but I haven't seen animals for ages so its cool"

"Give me that flyer. My daughter needs to read this. She does't get how wrong it is"

"No son, no animal should be kept in cages all the time"

"Have you ever trained an animal? You train with kindness so this isn't cruel".


Here's the images taken by Thomas King and Tray Leske on the day. Thanks guys

 The Stardust circus is doing the Melbourne rounds in February and March 2012.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Talk to your kids if you have them. Explain the situation. LIVE the concept that animals are wild.

Come down to Cranbourne on 3rd March at 3pm and hand out some flyers. Email or FB O2E if you need directions.

Joni the Facebook event page for the protest on the 3rd. See you there!

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.4

The attempt to silence the truth

For most, their lives started with trauma, others suffering injury and harm from accidents or human conflict. All of the wildlife at Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand (WFFT) finding sanctuary and safety in the care of the full time staff and international volunteers at the rescue centre near Phetchaburi, Thailand.

The country undeniably has a checkered history - and present, when it comes to the treatment of animals. Just taking a look through facebook and tripadvisor demonstrates that for many overseas holiday makers, a ride on an elephant or a photo with a monkey dressed in dolls' clothes in the street or nightclub is a memorable highlight of their trip. The trade corridor from Thailand to China provides opportunity for collectors and natural medicine enthusiastics to procure exotic specimens at cheap prices, no questions asked.

The entertainment of our human race is a lucrative business the world over. One which sees the prevalence of NGOs in animal welfare and conservation adding their voice in an attempt to stem the tide of the mistreated, uninformed, malnourished and all out mutilation of our planet's biodiversity.

My sister and I found WFFT online a couple of years ago and have volunteered there twice now. The devastating flood of 2010 ripped apart many of the enclosures at the centre and washed out the volunteer housing. It was going to be a hard road back. In 2011 I was amazed at how much had been achieved. The animal enclosures were vastly improved, the enrichment programs advanced and all the wildlife residents were healthy and well feed. It seemed that adversity just set the resolve of WFFT to fight and work harder for those animals who relied on the care and protection of staff and volunteers.

In 2011 I spent some time with WFFT Founder Edwin Wiek looking over the new enclosures and plans for the developing areas of the centre. It was amazing how big the place was becoming. Actually sad that so much space was needed and that so many animals were in need. Edwin wandered (quickly and with purpose as he always does) pointing out plans for this space and that. All the while taking time to chat to the animals we passed. Edwin knows them all by name. All 450 of them. He can tell you when and how each one came to the centre. Some particularly hold a very dear place in his heart; Meow the tiger, rescued from chains at a petrol station, now forever tormented by a moto- neurological condition creating epileptic-like fits, or Jojo the primate with such psychological trauma that he can not control his reflexes. Jojo adores Edwin, and he Jojo, so much so that on the rare occasion Edwin gets some downtime, the two of them can be found in a hammock reading a book and grooming as primates do.

Jojo with Edwin Wiek at WFFT

It was during this visit in December 2011 that the centre lost a second elephant in as many months. I had spent a couple of the few days Joan had spent at the centre after her release (for payment) from an elephant camp, trying to care for her, along with fellow volunteer Rene (O2E phlogs on Joan here and here). It wasn't any use, she was too sick and died. Given up for money after her owners realised she couldn't carry or entertain the tourists anymore. The owners told a story with half truths and promise and handed over the 60 year old to spend her remaining days in retirement. None of us were to know her days were to be so few. Joan's story is a sad one and so common in Thailand. She was a lovely lady, quite partial to bumping us females just so we knew she was there. She had her first swim, her first juicy pineapple, her first affection at WFFT. She held on for a few days revelling in this new found joy until the illness that had gripped her won.

We were devastated. Edwin particularly so. The frustration, the disgust we all felt, he gathered up around him and set himself firmly to fight. With 22 years experience in life in Thailand, Edwin knows the place and the people well. He is outspoken and is known to be so. Many quotes come to mind from famous and infamous people in history that were suited to the situation at hand. Ralph Waldo Emerson, 17th century poet and individualist said “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”. Edwin told me that day Joan died that he had been writing about the elephant trade. It was time to release his thoughts to the media. For Joan and every other tortured living creature in Thailand and the world over.

So we buried Joan that day and life at the centre continued, set in its resolve that we would care and protect those we could and remember Joan and everything she stood for. Pragmatically aware that Joan is one of many and the list of wildlife that needed saving was growing by the day. I waited. Anxious for the day Edwin's words would be released.

I didn't have to wait long. As it happened, several events hit the news back to back. Poachers in the national park, runaway "tamed" bull elephant...it seemed Thailand was determined to place their wildlife trade issues right out there for all to see. Edwin and WFFT made comment, releasing articles and opinions on these recent, tragic events. The air is ripe for change. And as in anything in life, some don't like change.  They stamp their feet, they argue, they sabotage, they fight back.

Coinciding with this, was the international conference on tiger crime, hosted by the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), attended by such global enterprises as CITES and INTERPOL.Bangkok was the host. All the international major stakeholders were in town for two days. By all media generated accounts, it was a huge success. The outcome - a signing of mandates and conventions detailing the parties commitment to eradicating tiger crime. It's all very high level UN type stuff; "we condemn this, we support that, we are committed..." Edwin was interviewed several times and again made comment highlighting the overarching issues of corruption and governmental restrictions.

On the 13th February 2012, the Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand and a northern elephant rescue park, Elephant Nature Park were raided by the Department of National Parks (DNP). Demands for ownership papers for all of the 450 animals at WFFT were made. The timeframe to produce. 2 hours. Edwin's wife Noi (Jansaeng Sangnanork) was arrested and escorted to the police station by 30 armed officers. The siege on WFFT and Edwin Wiek had begun.

The heartbreaking story is well documented through Facebook and Twitter. You can read for yourselves, if you haven't already, how those days panned out. The threats, harassment and abusive handling of animals confiscated is evident as you read and watch the images (www.wix.com/anoelle45/wffthelp is a great site by a volunteer that gathers resources and information from around the world on the raid).

After just 5 days the social media was reaching an audience of 381,200 tweeters, about 20,000 facebookers and 16,064 signatures on the petition site . The exposure was monumentuous. The support for those on the ground was overwhelming. Support from organisations such as Care for the Wild, Animals Australia, Bornfree Foundation and WWF flooded in, tapping in to their readership.

After threats of 103 confiscations the 70 armed DNP officers have taken 13 animals in 6 days. They camp outside the centre at night and show their presence, always that constant threatening promise that come daylight, they will be back inside to confiscate more. That's an incredible show of force, an intriguingly massive number of manpower for the 6 day (and counting) operation. Imagine what could be achieved with that resource? The DNP official 'S' still at large, wanted in connection with elephant poaching, for example...just saying...

Whilst things are quieter at the centre the past two days, with no confiscations pending discussions between WFFT legal representation and the DNP, the officials wait and the staff and volunteers also wait. Meanwhile there are 13 scared and lonely animals somewhere in a zoo in Thailand away from their home at the centre, being traumatised all over again.

We all wonder when will they be returned? It seems that with the paperwork all in order for WFFT's legal ownership of all wildlife at the centre, the DNP have no legal grounds to continue this charade, and yet even today more threats from officials that come Monday the reprisals will continue.

For all of those who have spent time at WFFT, the centre has changed our lives. My sister and I started Oceans2Earth Foundation in 2010 after volunteering there. We only hope the impact we can make in future years will compare to that of Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand, Edwin Wiek, Lucy Clark (Vet), Tommy Taylor (Volunteer Co-ordinator), Laurene Heuguerot and everyone involved with WFFT.

Our voices are with yours. Our thoughts and hopes too that this will be over soon. Edwin has published a letter which raises the very questions we have all been asking as we watch the seige unfold. Please have a read.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
You CAN make a difference. The supporters of WFFT have reached thousands of people, media and organisations and the story is out there for the international scrutiny it deserves.

Please go to http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/urgent-plea-for-rescued-thai-wildlife/ and sign the petition

Check out and follow @Edwinwiek and @Lucywildlife on Twitter (all captions in this blog are taken directly from Edwin or Lucy's twitter feed)

Join Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand Facebook page

Go to www.wix.com/anoelle45/wffthelp for video and pics, news stories on the raid. Click the Resources link for contact details of every organisation you can write to. There's even a letter template if you need it. Contact as many people as you can. If you know of any other organisation that might help, contact them and post their contact details on Facebook.