Monthly Archives: January 2015

Help Make the Movie, “Gods in Shackles”

Sangita Iyer, an award winning journalist and nature & wildlife documentary film maker, is on a mission to free elephants in India from their shackles. Her vehicle is a dramatic movie now in production called “Gods in Shackles.”

Elephant leg wound.The title is literally the problem. Temple elephants suffer deep leg wounds from the iron shackles that keep them bound so they can be used in lavish parades and celebrations. While the people attending the festivities may wonder at the beauty of these brightly decorated animals, the elephants themselves are often in pain. 

Sangita wants to help relieve the suffering of by improving the living conditions of elephants throughout India. This dramatic presentation can be the catalyst in raising awareness among the public to demand that elephants receive better treatment. As you might expect, such an undertaking is not cheap. Even with experts donating their time, tens of thousands of dollars are needed to finish the pos-production phase and get the moving into public release.

One means of doing that is through the Gods in Shackles campaign on Indiegogo. As a contributor at any level, you have the opportunity to support this important project and garner a valuable thank-you gift for yourself. One piece in particular is very special. That is an actual chain link from a previously shackled elephant, now released. It’s yours at the $75 contribution level. Many other desirable premiums are also available starting as little as $5.

Won’t you help? Just to give you an idea of what you’ll see in the movie, here is a 5 minute preview:

Buy or Bid on Mango Wood Elephant to Benefit FAE

Mango Wood Elephant #2 available for purchase or bid on eBay.Here’s your opportunity to own a large hand-carved mango wood elephant crafted in Thailand. There’s actually an entire herd of these gorgeous elephant figures, but they are finding homes fast and will only be available to adopt for a short time. The elephant shown in this photo is called #2. She weighs 3 lbs and is 9 inches tall. The beautiful mango wood gets darker as finish is applied. Right now, #2 has only a light application of clear oil.

You can bid on this wonderful carved elephant right now. Don’t dawdle… the first bid has already been received. This eBay auction ends next Monday (Feb 2) at about 4 PM. After that you’ll likely be out of luck.

Not only will you be acquiring a unique work of hand crafted art, but you’ll also be helping to support a real elephant hospital in Thailand. Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital treats sick and injured elephants at no cost to their owners and depends on donations from caring people worldwide. Jody Stickney is donating 100% of this sale to FAE, so your money will go far… and you’ll have a valuable elephant too!

You can visit the eBay auction for elephant #2 and see pictures of the other available eles right now. Hurry, she could find a new home at any moment.

Note: 2/5 update. I’m happy to say that I’m the proud winner of the auction for elephant #2 (shown above) She should arrive in the next few days. Don’t worry if you’ve missed out on any of the auctions to date. There are more eBay auctions in progress right now to benefit FAE

Our Design Store is Open For Business

A main goal of our Loves Elephants site is to encourage donations to worthy elephant rescue and conservation organizations, and to generate revenue that we can contribute ourselves. It’s always fun when you can do a good deed and get something you’d like for yourself at the same time. Here’s your opportunity.

Wispy Cloud Elephants Throw PillowOur new design store is now open for business. What will you find there? It’s an eclectic collection of elephant related products based on our own designs. For instance, do you like our graphic of two elephants at sunset? Would you like a mousepad, button, puzzle, license plate or cosmetic bag with this picture? How about this comfy pillow with all the white little elephants among the wispy clouds? Yes, they’re all available.

You’ll find a sampling of our latest designs at the “Design” tab in this site’s navigation bar above. There are more, many more, available at For Elephant’s Sake. That’s our Zazzle shop. What’s Zazzle? It’s  an exciting place to shop and to create your own custom products. You simply supply the creative content, such as photos or artwork, and you can make everything from T-shirts to coffee mugs to holiday ornaments, pillows, plates and much more.

For every item we sell, Zazzle pays us a small commission. We use this income to support elephant charities worldwide. You can sign up with Zazzle and create your product store to support yourself or causes that you consider important. What’s more, you can promote anybody else’s designs on your website, blog or social media site and you’ll receive a referral fee from Zazzle if someone buys that product through your link. We would be honored if you’d promote our products for our mutual benefit. In the future, we may also feature elephant related designs by other talented artists.

Bid on Sparkle to Benefit FAE

Sparkle elephant at homeYou’ll love to have this gorgeous glowing Gemmy Sparkle Elephant in your home or, if you can, set her outside for the holidays. She’s nearly baby elephant size, measuring 39 in. tall to the tip of her upraised trunk and approx. 40 in. long from trunk tip to tail. Sparkle glows an elegant gold color lit by 70 LED lights that are pre-wired and is standing on a red ball that flashes.

Sparkle is being auctioned on eBay as a fundraiser for Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Thailand, the world’s first hospital just for elephants. Since 1993, they’ve treated more than 3,600 elephants for everything from minor injuries and illness to pregnancy & maternity up to elephants who have even lost a leg stepping on a land mine. They are entirely supported by private donation. So please be generous with your bids. 100% of the winning sales price will be donated to FAE.

Now, you must hurry to place your bid because the auction is already in progress and will end on Monday, January 12 at 8 PM Central Time. View the eBay auction and place your bid now. Good luck!

Update: January 13, 2014: Congratulations to Jody Stickney for having the winning bid on Sparkle the elephant. Thanks to everyone else who participated in making this fundraiser a winner for FAE.

A Little Time Left to Rescue Suzy

Hurry to help rescue Suzy and the other elephants..

Photo courtesy of Wildlife SOS

We have until January 6 to complete the Help an Elephant CrowdRise fundraiser for Wildlife SOS that will help rescue Suzy and all of India’s circus elephants. The 67 elephants need your help now to get them to elephant rehabilitation centers and camps. Can you spare $25 or even just $10 for this worthy cause? Take just a minute now to learn more, make your donation and see your name on the list of valued contributors.

Update January 14, 2015: Congratulations to Help an Elephant on raising $175 for this CrowdRise fundraiser. Overall, Wildlife SOS came in 3rd place which includes a $25,000 bonus donation. Their total was over $143,000 raised for this worthy cause.

Update February 5, 2015: Even more good news… Suzy has been rescued! That’s one down and 66 to go. Please continue to support this incredible rescue mission. 

Welcome

Welcome to Loves Elephants. Our name is our mission. We’re concerned about the welfare, and even the continued existence, of elephants worldwide. As you might suspect, we’re not quite up to speed yet. In the coming months, you’ll find informative articles, videos, and suggestions on how you can join in the quest to love and support elephants.