This morning, I received an email from someone in PETA. In all honesty, I’m not quite sure what PETA means so I researched and found out that it stands for People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals.
I’ve heard about organizations like these but never really had a chance to learn from them. I’m not good with words so will just grab something from their blog to better explain the situation.
To give you an overview, they are asking help to sign a petition letter addressed to Secretary Proceso J. Alcala of the Department of Agriculture, the Philippines. The petition is MALI, an elephant in Manila Zoo to be transferred to a sanctuary in Thailand.
I always loved Zoos but never really thought of it as animal cruelty. It’s still best that animals be free with their own kind. That’s why I love the Safari in Calauit Island in Palawan (this is a pending post, apologies). They have a huge place for animals to be roaming around freely. That way, I think they are not restricted or deprived with nature.
Anyway, here’s a video of MALI:
And to those who are also not acquainted with the said elephant, here’s the background of MALI: (grabbed from PETA’s blog)
Mali is the Philippines’ only captive elephant – and perhaps one of the world’s saddest. In the wild, elephants roam territories of up to 50 kilometers every day, but Mali is confined to a very small enclosure at the Manila Zoo, which itself covers an area of only 0.055 square kilometers.
Every minute of every day, Mali is confined to her barren, concrete enclosure. She has lived this way for about 35 years. She had been denied the opportunity to engage in activities that elephants need for their physical, mental, and emotional health, such as grazing, plucking fruit and leaves from trees, taking mud baths, and spending hours a day swimming and playing in the water. She hasn’t seen another elephant in over 30 years. That’s just sad.
But Mali has an opportunity for a second chance at life. A sanctuary would be able to provide Mali with vast spaces to roam, ponds to bathe in, fresh vegetation, foraging opportunities, and the company of many other elephants. President Aquino has issued a directive stating that Mali’s health must be evaluated and she must be sent to a sanctuary. But, we still need your support – this is a critical time to keep the pressure on to ensure Mali is transferred without delay.
There are numerous ways to help them like the following:
- Sign the petition asking for relief for all the animals at the Manila Zoo. Share it will friends and family and ask them to get involved.
- Post this feature and PSA on your MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, or Multiply page.
- Like their Facebook: Free Mali page and share.
As of July 31, 2012, they have reached 12,500 signatures!
Have you signed the petition already?
Pass and Share it to help them reach 50,000 signatures!
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