Episode 6: PAWS

Today we will be speaking with Catherine Doyle, Director of Science, Research, and Advocacy for the Performing Animal Welfare Society also known as PAWS.PAWS was co-founded by the late Pat Derby and Ed Stewart, 37 years ago as a sanctuary for abused, captive, and retired performing animals. Such animals included elephants, lions, tigers, and bears.PAWS operates three sanctuaries in California including the ARK 2000 that covers 2300 acres.  Not only have the late Pat Derby and Ed Stewart become pioneers for saving captive and exploited wildlife, they have championed the more humane management of elephants, without the use of bull hooks, weapons, or aggressive training techniques!  Since 1985, PAWS has been known to use this non-dominance approach and have become a model to elephant handlers around the world. I had the good fortune of visiting PAWS in 2011.  I was able to have lunch with Ed Stewart and meet the residents of PAWS.  Nicholas, a bull elephant and Gypsy, his surrogate mother, stole my heart.  It was a lunch date made in heaven for me and it inspired my journey of becoming a voice for elephants and all animals.  In this podcast, we will learn what types of situations the rescued wildlife at PAWS have come from, what it means to be a true wildlife sanctuary versus a pseudo wildlife sanctuary, how to help captive big cats, and how the humane non-dominance approach to handling and caring for elephants should be the gold standard as opposed to using bull hooks!Website: http://www.wildforchange.comTwitter: @WildForChangeFacebook: /wildforchangeInstagram: wildforchange