people helping animals

[Guest guest]

New Straits Times - 4th Jun 01.

A British animal lover Lucy Fensom gave up her job as a flight attendant for

British Airways and left her family in England to brave Israeli bureaucracy

and the jeering hostility of many people who simply cannot understand her

passion for donkeys. She has raised money in Britain for her Safe Haven for

Donkeys caught in clashes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Donkeys have been blown up, shot at, stoned, tear-gassed and abused. They

have become casualties of a modern-day conflict between Israelis and

Palestinians who have been waging war for the past several months. At least

two of the beasts of burden have been killed in horrific circumstances and

many others, caught in the crossfire, have narrowly escaped death in

clashes. One donkey was used by Palestinian militants in a botched attempt

to kill Israeli soldiers operating a checkpoint in the Gaza Strip. The

donkey died when a bomb hidden in a cart it was pulling exploded before it

reached the troops. Another was killed a few weeks later when Israeli

soldiers in Gaza threw a hand grenade at an approaching donkey they thought

was a walking bomb.

Fensom rescued her first Holy Land donkey, Donk, in l993 when she was

volunteering at an animal shelter near Jerusalem. The donkey's owner had

hobbled the animal's legs with barbed wire to stop it from roaming. The

wire made deep cuts in Donk's legs which nearly crippled him. Fensom managed

to raise enough money to send Donk to Britain. It was the start of her

quest to save what she believes may be the most abused donkeys in the world.

Fensom has also stumbled across donkeys that have been treated especially

cruelly. She has photographs of a donkey whose ears were cut off, another

whose genitals were severed and a donkey which was set on fire by a group of

children. One donkey had to be put down after someone hammered nails into

its head.

Her eyes water as she recounts seeing a baby donkey donkey tethered in a

filthy cage at a zoo in the town of Qalqiliya. The donkey was not an

exhibit at the zoo - it was being kept as feed for the zoo's two lions.

Fensom is still trying to rent land for her donkey shelter with a shoestring

budget. But ultimately she hopes to teach Israelis and Palestinians that

donkeys deserve better. " Donkeys are very humble creatures. When they

suffer they tend to suffer in silence, " said Fensom.

 

The Star- 22 May 01. - Elephant Heaven

 

The sanctuary, located on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, opened last year with

11 elephants. Each elephant has the luxury of being cared for by a

personnel keeper. While Elephant Heaven sits on the mountain top, Elephant

Nature Park which was opened by Lek and her husband Adam Flinn in 1995 is

nestled at the same mountain. Visitors to the park can opt for a day trip or

an overnight stay. They are free to feed, bathe and spend time with the 48

elephants at the park. While Flinn takes care of business at the park, Lek

spends most of her time with her darlings in Elephant Heaven.

Sangduen Chailert, 40, better known as Lek is a Thai native who has devoted

her life to making her country a better place for these gentle giants to

live in. She travels all over Thailand to educate fellow Thais to take

better care of this national heritage. She goes around in her mobile

clinic, aptly called Jumbo Express, and visits homes to find out about sick

elephant which might need rescuing. " Tourists want to see these animals

perform. What they don't know is that the elephants have to undergo some

sort of training. Due to the stress, some die while many go on a rampage. "

Lek pointed out that now there are only 500 elephants left in the wild. Once

15 000 of these gentle giants roamed the land. About 2 500 elephants are

kept by loggers and other domestic owners. Many are not given proper care

and live in deplorable conditions. Those that are too old are abandoned and

left to die after serving their owners for many years. Lek's crusade to

better the lot of the elephants has finally prompted the authorities to look

into the cruel law that allows owners to do anything they want with their

animals. " The authorities are doing something, Now there is more action

against cruel owners. Elephants are such loving animals, I will never stop

talking about them, " said the crusader whose love for these animals may yet

change their fate back home.

 

Donations can be sent to: Elephant Nature Park, P O Box 185, Mae Ping Po,

Chiang Mai, 50301 Thailand. E-mail: info; website:

www.thaifocus.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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