Category Archives: Advocacy

Help Energize The Elephant Hospital

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What happens when you have a power failure in a hospital? The lights go off, the fans stop, water doesn’t flow, and all the computers, phones & other equipment cease to function.

Ele-Meds-NightAThat’s exactly the problem the world’s first hospital just for elephants is having, especially during the rainy season in northern Thailand. When big storms come rolling through, the lights flicker and then go out for hours or even days.

Like any hospital, Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital has critical needs to meet for the care of its 5 permanent residents and 12 current in-patients. There’s also no telling when another elephant with a difficult labor, debilitating illness or severe injuries will show up for help. Often that means medication, veterinarian care or even major surgery in the middle of the night. You can’t really expect to do this with a flashlight… although that’s exactly what the staff had to do during a recent emergency.

We’re going to keep the lights, fans, and other equipment on with backup power from the sun. A stand-alone package of solar panels, charge regulator, storage batteries and power inverter is reasonably priced, supplied locally, and can be quickly installed at each of the 20 or so units to power the infirmaries, offices, staff & visitor acSolar-Panel-InstallationBcommodations. The systems are silent, don’t emit noxious fumes and will keep running during extended outages. Even if major storm damage knocks out one or two systems, the others will keep running.

The total cost of this project may be as high as $18k to $20K, but we’ll fund the systems one by one so the hospital can get immediate help and continuing improvements as time goes on. Your gift of $10 to $100, or more if you can afford it, will make a big impact right away. We’ll keep you up to date on how the project is proceeding and the difference it is making in the lives of the elephants and the people who are taking care of them.

Will you be one who keeps the lights on for elephants? Please support the Keep The Lights On For Elephants fundraiser now. Thank you so much.

Help Complete The Elephant Leg Factory

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Mosha Wearing LegD The prosthetic leg factory, just for elephants, will soon be operating at Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Thailand. This is a unique and wonderful facility that can make and repair custom-fit artificial limbs for elephants who need them.

Why do elephants need replacement legs? For the same reason people do. Something horrible has happened to these elephants and one of their legs was damaged so badly that it needed to be amputated. The most common situation is that a working elephant accidentally steps on a hidden land mine from some long forgotten conflict in Southeast Asia. In seconds, massive amounts of flesh are shredded, leaving the poor, unsuspecting elephant to limp back to its camp.

An elephant with half a leg can barely walk, much less work. The most dire option is to mercifully euthanize the elephant. Nobody wants that option if there is any hope whatsoever. Today, there is.

LegFactoryEquip3Friends of the Asian Elephant is dedicated to treating sick and injured elephants in the Thailand – Burma area. They have worked with leading prosthetics doctors to develop an artificial leg that can take the weight of a walking elephant, yet cause no pain or further damage.

The legs work beautifully. Two pioneering patients, Mosha and Motala, have proven that elephants nearly killed from exploding land mines can recover and lead relatively normal elephant lives. The only problem remaining is that the legs need frequent repairs from the enormous stresses of movement. Growing younger elephants, like Mosha, need new legs the way we need new and larger pairs of shoes as we grow up. Often this means long waits for equipment and expertise to arrive at the hospital.

LegFactory021316EAThis is what the new elephant prosthetic leg “factory” will fix. A building has been constructed on-site and tools and equipment ordered. Everything is being installed right now. Within the next month, they hope to start working on the first elephant leg repairs and replacements.

Does this sound like a worthy effort that you would like to help finish? Your support is needed right now to pay for all of the construction, specialized equipment, tools, and supplies that are needed to make new elephant “legs.” We’ve raised over half the amount required, and now must make a final push to collect the money needed to pay the bills and ensure that when elephants need legs, everything will be there to make or repair them.

Please consider making a donation right now, while you are thinking of it. Any amount from $10 on up will be greatly appreciated. Our CrowdRise fundraiser can take credit card payments worldwide.

Building a Factory to Make New Legs for Elephants

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mosha82809fHere’s an opportunity to be part of an amazing project that will make a huge difference, indeed the difference between life and death, for Asian elephants disabled by land mine explosions.
Oh, you didn’t know that elephants could step on land mines? It happens in former battle zones in Southeast Asia. Cheap land mines that were once intended for enemy armies still lie abandoned by the thousands. All it takes in one wrong step in the jungle and… the loss of a foot or even an entire leg.

Elephants are very resilient creatures, but even they can’t hobble around in pain on shredded limbs. Of course, its not possible to make them whole again… but it is possible to give them the closest thing possible to the mobility they enjoyed before the accident. Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Thailand has pioneered a process to create prosthetic legs that can take the  weight and stresses of movement of massive elephants. They work much the same as artificial legs for humans, but built sturdier. Two land mine victims, Mosha and Motala have worn theirs for years. The only problem is how do you get one-of-a-kind custom fit elephant legs repaired when they break and how can you quickly make more when new patients arrive at the hospital?

Whmoshaslegsm2.10.01.09at FAE hospital has decided to do is create a workshop “factory” to fabricate, adjust and repair prosthetic limbs for elephants on-site. This will make it possible to help disabled elephants almost in real-time compared to the weeks and months the process takes now.The one snag is… it’s not cheap to build such a facility. The cost is estimated at 400,000 THB equi
valent to over $11,300 USD. Even so, can you think of a more valuable asset to help these ailing eles.

Here’s where we come in. I’ve launched a CrowdRise fundraiser to Help Build The Elephant Leg Factory. We’re going to raise the money needed to build and stock this new workshop with the tools and supplies to serve Mosha, Motala, and any other elephants in need. Will you help us raise the $11,500 we’ve set as our goal as soon as possible? You can donate quickly and easily through our CrowdRise fundraising page.

 

Finding Money For Elephants: Ibotta Shopping Rebates

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By: John Shepler

Have you taken advantage of shopping rebates to make a little extra money? This has always involved mailing in your store receipt with a coupon form that has your name and address. Some weeks or months later you get a small check or a store discount. It’s nice “found” money that you can use to support your favorite cause. Wouldn’t it be great if these rebate opportunities came around more often and didn’t involve a lot of busywork and having to pay for a stamp?

johnsibottaaccountYou’re in luck!
Ibotta has brought the world of shopping rebates into the smartphone era. It’s so easy to use. You simply open the app to see what offers are available (there are lots of them), unlock the rebates you want, scan the product barcode when you shop and then take a photo of your store receipt when you’re done. In usually a few hours, Ibotta has verified your purchases and deposited the rebate money in your account.

Everyday Shopping at Your Favorite Stores
What makes this exciting is that the rebates are for items you are going shopping for anyway. You don’t have to buy stuff you don’t need. Do you use coupons to save at the cash register? That’s another way to get “free” money. The problem is that you have to find the coupons in the first place and then make sure you bring them along to the store. No coupon. No savings. By having everything on your phone, you don’t have to clip or keep track of paper coupons or rebate forms. It’s all done electronically.

How Much Are These Rebates?
They can vary from 25 cents on up to $5 or more per item. That’s comparable with paper coupons and mail-in rebates. You’ll find that your savings mount up quickly because there are so many rebates on things like milk, eggs, cereal, hand soap, paper towels, cookies, juice, even beer. Different stores have different rebates available. Many are for $1 or more.

Now the Most Fun Part: Cashing Out
When you get a balance of $10 or more, you can “cash out.” You simply push the button and your money is sent to your PayPal account almost immediately. You also have the option to redeem for gift cards, if you prefer.

Teamwork Pays Extra
Want more money for no more effort? Join a team and you’ll get bonuses when the you and the team meet a monthly goal. For instance, the April level 1 bonus is $5. You earn an extra $5 when you personally earn $10 in rebates and your team earns $20 in rebates. This is all tracked automatically by the app. You can check your own and your team’s progress any time.

Let’s Team, OK?
How do you join a team? Glad you asked! It’s really pretty easy. If you already have the Ibotta app, then simply connect your Facebook account. All your friends who do the same will be automatically added to each other’s teams.

If you haven’t joined Ibotta yet, then please sign up through my personal Ibotta link. Make sure you see the code: rpgfyue in the referral box so we’ll be teammates. You’ll be able to set up your account in a couple of minutes and get a link to the free Ibotta app for your iPhone or Android smartphone. Join using the Facebook option and you’ll automatically have friends with Ibotta accounts added to your team.

Helping Elephants
I really like this application because it doesn’t cost me anything, just a little extra effort when shopping, and you get a substantial amount of rebate money. As you can see by screenshot image, I have earned over $22 in a little over a month. My wife and teammate, Barbara, has over $61 in rebate earnings.

We’ve committed to using our Ibotta rebates to support the FAE Hospital in Thailand and have already used Ibotta cash for a contribution to Nancy Nortell’s “Help Asian Elephants Get Medical Treatment” fundraiser on CrowdRise. If you are not already one of the FAE supporters on Facebook, you’re invited to come and join us.

Help Make the Movie, “Gods in Shackles”

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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:

A Little Time Left to Rescue Suzy

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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.