A day of protest for "Lucy" the elephant

It was a chilly day for a protest, with a temperature of -7 degrees celsius. And even though it might not seem that cold to many, that wind made it almost too cold to bare. My feet and fingers were completely numb by the time we called it a day. And yet as I stood in the cold with at least fifteen other protesters, blocking the cars from entering the Edmonton "Valley Zoo", all I could think about was how cold Lucy must of been. She is an asian elephant who was born in the tropical forests of Sri Lanka, and is kept in both an inside and outside enclosure year round. (She's able to access her outside enclosure from inside, but tends to stay inside most of the time in the Winter season as it is most likely too cold for her). She must of been freezing for the last 35 years of her life, living in such a cold and chilling environment. This was my first protest for Lucy, even though there have been numerous protests over the years as Lucy's situation continues to gardner local and international attention. Iconic TV show host Bob Barker, known more now for his animal rights work was in Edmonton back in 2009 to see Lucy; and has even gone as far as to say he will put up $100,000 dollars if the City of Edmonton would be willing to move Lucy to an elephant sanctuary in California, where she will be able to live a better life, away from the tortures of solitude and confinement. The City of Edmonton however, has refused to move Lucy to Paws (Performing animal welfare society) in California. The City and the Valley Zoo state that she is too sick to move, and that if she were to be moved, it would most likely resolve in Lucy's death. Lucy has a long list of health issues which include chronic respiratory problems, rheumatoid arthritis, foot problems, teeth trouble, was diagnosed with colic in 2008, is obese and has abnormal/stereotypic behaviour. All of Lucy's health related issues are due to the fact that she is living in an unnatural environment that is unsuitable for ANY elephant. The myth that elephants are able to acclimatize to cold weather is hog wash. Simply untrue and complete nonsense.

I really do hope that the City of Edmonton and the Valley Zoo come to it's senses, and send Lucy to an elephant sanctuary in California. No animal deserves to be locked in an enclosure all alone, and unable to properly move around in. The Zoo even stated that they will no longer keep elephants anymore, even though they refuse to move Lucy to a sanctuary because of a mysterious illness that she apparently has, but hasn't been diagnosed. Even former NHL hockey player Georges Laraque, has stated that he would give the City $100,000 that could be used to fund a city sports program, if they were to move Lucy to PAWS. (Georges is a big animal rights advocate, and also did the french narration for the documentary "Earthlings") Free link  http://www.movie4k.to/Earthlings-watch-movie-1117534.html

Either way you look at it, you can't honestly say that Lucy looks like she is comfortable in her home at the Valley Zoo. An animal of that size doesn't belong in a tiny enclosure. She belongs in the wild, where she can roam free and live in her natural habitat. Obviously, this isn't possible after being placed in an unnatural environment for thirty five years of her life. However, she can be moved to a sanctuary where she will be able to roam through 2300 acres of space, go for long walks without her keepers, and build and develop lifelong connections in a warm environment suited for elephants.

This will not be the last protest for Lucy, and I fully intend to go to every other protest until she is moved to an elephant sanctuary, far away from such ignorance and greed.

Thanks for reading my blog. And a big thanks to Sheryl Zaharko for inviting me to this protest.

Damian

My experience in Taiji, Japan

I made the long journey home from Taiji two weeks ago today.  During my two weeks there, I experienced a whirlwind of different emotions, and seen a lot of innocence being lost due to ignorance and greed. The experience of being in Taiji, is an experience that is hard to explain in the context of a blog. However, I will say that it’s an experience that will stay with, and haunt me for the rest of my days.

Being on the ground in Taiji, and experiencing first hand what takes place here is truly unforgettable. The town itself is very strange. Images of dolphins and whales are everywhere. On sidewalks, on top of buildings or, even on the sides of tunnels. You'd think that this town loves these beautiful marine mammals. Yet, we all know that it's known for the tragic and inhumane slaughtering of these magnificent beings. 

Waking up every morning before sunrise with my fellow cove guardians, and heading to the harbor to greet the fisherman is something that I will never forget. Seeing the faces of these men as they walk towards their boats, made me realize that these fisherman have absolutely no empathy, or compassion for these dolphins and whales they hunt everyday. They can be seen smiling, and laughing while a slaughter is taking place or just after. And even though this behaviour is crude and ignorant, I do not hate these fisherman. I hate what they stand for, and truly don't know how they can go out everyday and mercilessly end the life of a living being. But, I do not hate them. Though I wish they could see for just a moment, why so many people from around the world care, and come to Taiji. It's not because we hate Japan, or the people of Japan, but because we can't stand to see these intelligent and innocent sentient beings forced into a tiny cove and inhumanely slaughtered, or, taken from their families to be enslaved for human entertainment and greed. They don't see this unfortunately, and that is an absolute shame, as if they could just see what we see for just a moment then maybe, just maybe they would change their way of thinking, and stop this senseless slaughter once and for all.

Being apart of this campaign, and seeing what these dolphins and whales go through on a daily basis has completely changed my life. In my regular everyday routine, im constantly reminded of the images and sounds that I witnessed in Taiji. It truly never leaves you, and I will never forget those beautiful souls who lost their fight, and the ones that remain held up in jail because of such speciesism. When my time in Taiji came to a close, I had NO desire to leave. If I could of stayed for the rest of the campaign I would have. Leaving was incredibly tough to say the least.

 I met some of the most incredibly passionate, brave, selfless, inspiring and truly genuine human beings in Taiji, Japan, who traveled around the world from six different nations with the same desires and reasons for coming here as my own. Together we got up everyday before sunrise to defend the rights of these beautiful, innocent and intelligent sentient beings, who have every right to swim wild and free. Whether that be in the waters close to Taiji, or anywhere else in the world. I love and admire everything that Sea Shepherd stands for, and their unwavering commitment to protect and conserve the world's oceans and all it's beings. I will continue to be a voice for the voiceless, and plan to go back to Taiji every season until the "Cove runs blue forever". It might sound cliche but, my heart will always remain in Taiji with the dolphins and whales of the Pacifc ocean. 

Thank you for reading my blog. 

Damian

(Captive Bottlenose dolphins at Dolphin Resort)

(Risso dolphin pod being driven into the Cove)

(Photo above is copyright of Sea Shepherd USA) 

(Myself and Ric O' Barry)

(Photo above is copyright of Suzette Ackerman. Cove Guardian's with Ric O' Barry and the Dolphin Project)