If elephants could fly ...

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Dear Anne, If only the real-life Dumbo could fly! For if she could fly – like the legendary 1940s Disney character who shares her name – I know in my heart that she would, wherever she is now. Dumbo would find her elephant friends who are held captive in cold, cramped, concrete zoos and squalid circus pens across the country – gentle creatures living year after miserable year at the end of electric prods and painful bullhooks – and she would whisk them away to freedom, to sanctuary. Forever. Dumbo can't help her elephant friends. But you can. If you can envision the constant terror that your skin – thick, but so sensitive it can feel the sting of an insect – will be pierced yet again by the sharp bite of a metal bullhook. If you can imagine being forcibly ripped from your home - from your family - and forced to stand for hours, alone and afraid, in the solitary confinement of a barren and tiny cell. If you believe that fifty cents or a dollar a day is a worthy investment to help IDA save these elephants. Your donation today to IDA of fifty cents a day works out to about $15.50 per month. A dollar a day, about $31. Click here to donate now! On the one-year anniversary of when the real Dumbo the African elephant dropped out of sight (IDA will find her – we know she's alive and struggling to survive somewhere), your gift will give her brave and beautiful spirit wings to fly ... ... to Topeka, for Tembo and Sunda At 39 and 48 years old, Tembo and Sunda suffer frigid winters at their "home," the Topeka Zoo in Kansas. They cram themselves into a closet-like concrete enclosure where they stand for hours, to escape temperatures that can plummet below zero ... a cruel change from the balmy breezes of their native Africa. Sundra has serious foot disease that will likely claim her life. Tembo may have arthritis and her nails are severely cracked. Labeled by IDA as one of the Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants, the Topeka Zoo has a history of inhumane treatment of animals. IDA is working with Kansas activists to convince city leaders and the zoo that Tembo and Sunda deserve a life far closer to what nature intended, at an elephant sanctuary. Your donation can also give us wings to fly ... ... to the Liebel Family Circus, for Nosey Imagine that, for half your life, you are shackled and transported around the country in a trailer. Denied basic health care. Forced to perform unnatural tricks. Held alone, without companionship. And don't forget the bullhook. This is 29-year-old Nosey's life in the circus. IDA has documented violation after violation of the Animal Welfare Act by her exhibitors – a circus that frequently changes its name as it roams about the country – and submitted a mountain of evidence to the USDA - amassed by ten people across five states, including an animal control officer! Your support today will help pressure the USDA to act for Nosey, to allow her to receive medical attention and experience the companionship of other elephants at a sanctuary. ... and yes, you'll help us find Dumbo and give her wings to fly! Nearly a year has passed since Dumbo, an African elephant who performed with the circus under constant threat of pain, kicked and killed her trainer. Since 1990, at least 15 human deaths and 135 injuries in the U.S. have been attributed to elephants; the majority in circuses. Maybe years of the bullhook ... the shackles ... the isolation and confinement ... and the electric prod were enough to drive Dumbo and other elephants over the edge. IDA can't say for sure what happened to Dumbo. We don't even know if she's alive. After the "accident" at the Shrine Circus last year, Dumbo dropped out of sight. Here is how your donation will be put to work to help elephants in zoos and circuses: IDA will continue our efforts to convince Topeka city leaders and the zoo that Tembo and Sunda are suffering and that the compassionate action is to relocate them to a sanctuary. IDA will continue to monitor Nosey's welfare, amass more evidence and mobilize activists to pressure the USDA to act and rescue her. IDA will continue our work to locate Dumbo, monitor her condition, and get her to a sanctuary. And of course, IDA will continue to publish our Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants list to educate the public and increase the media focus on the cruelty and suffering. As a 4-star charity (the highest rating awarded by Charity Navigator), you have my guarantee that your money will be wisely used to help elephants find safe haven. Thank you so much for caring about these magnificent creatures. Respectfully,     Elliot M. Katz, DVM President and Founder In Defense of Animals In Defense of Animals, located in San Rafael, Calif., is an international animal protection organization with more than 100,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA's efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi, Mumbai, India, and Cameroon, Africa. In Defense of Animals is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We welcome your feedback and appreciate your donations. Please join today! All donations to IDA are tax-deductible. In Defense of Animals 3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901 Tel. (415) 448-0048 Fax (415) 454-1031 idainfo@idausa.org To unsubscribe, or to change your email preferences, please click here.

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