Welcome ERNA Facilities Director Roby Castillo |
Please help us give a warm welcome to Elephant Refuge North America’s (ERNA) new full-time facilities director, Roby Castillo. Roby has spent over 15 years working with animal welfare organizations, including the ASPCA Animal Relocation Team. Roby’s passion for animals extends to his education with a M.S. in Animals and Public Policy from Tufts University, and a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law Center for Animal Law. His support of EAI dates back to our first volunteer day at ERNA! With a vast skill set, Roby’s management of the facilities combined with his love of animals has already proven to be a great benefit. |
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Bo has taken to his retirement with gusto. He grazes all day and much of the night resulting in a healthy amount of physical activity and consumption of nutritious live vegetation. After only two weeks in his 7-acre yard, Bo was released into the 100-acre habitat which hosts a natural pond, expansive pastures with a wide variety of grasses, and an abundance of wooded areas. |
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With the cooler night temperatures, Bo wanders back to the barn around midnight. He fashions a cozy nest in the yielding sand and falls asleep under the warmth of an infrared heater. At daybreak, he can once again be found in the pasture grazing. |
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A microchip Bo received decades ago became undetectable, so he needed a new one. This simple procedure did not require anesthesia. Without hesitation, Bo voluntarily lay on his side allowing the vet access to his neck to implant the microchip. Bo was amazing, fully cooperative, and calm. Afterwards, he chirped with pleasure when he received a handful of grapes for his participation.
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Bo’s relationship with Mala the dog continues to blossom. They play often, and take turns pursuing each other, filling the air with trumpets of joy and playful barks. This video captured during their lively game of hide and seek has over three million views combined on all of our social media platforms!
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It is a delight to see Bo enjoy a variety of activities every day. From playing with his big ball “Wilson” to his daily skin care routine of a mud bath and scratch, Bo lets us know he feels comfortable at ERNA. |
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For years, Elephant Aid International has worked tirelessly to provide chain free corrals, elephant pedicures and training of mahouts in a gentler, more progressive way of managing elephants. The mahouts’ reception to new ideas and better care of elephants has been positive. Where we find resistance is from the owners who use their elephants for tourist rides. After these elephants generate enough revenue to put the owner’s children through college and build new homes for their family, the broken down, crippled and geriatric elephants are illegally sold to India where they become street beggars or temple statues.
Recently, we participated in an effort headed by Pro Public, a Nepali legal firm, who filed a writ petition to make the government enforce their captive elephant regulations. On September 12th, the Supreme Court issued an interim order to immediately stop the international smuggling, sale and transfer of elephants. It also instructed all owners to register elephants by October 30th of this year which includes microchipping for identification purposes. Read more in this article.
We are eternally grateful to Pro Public and all involved in this effort to protect captive held elephants in Nepal. Registration will not resolve all the problems facing these elephants, but this way their whereabouts can be tracked.
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EAI Essay Contest 2021 “Welcome, Bo!” |
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Our Education Committee recently rolled out the First Annual Elephant Aid International (EAI) Essay Contest. The 2021 contest focuses on Bo’s arrival at ERNA. Students will learn more about elephants and their habitats, become an Elephant Ambassador, and have the chance to win prizes.
The contest is open to students in Grades 3–8. Submissions are due by January 22, 2022, which is Bo’s 35th birthday!
Full contest details and submission form are available on EAI’s website. |
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Be like an elephant and don't forget - Giving Tuesday is November 30th! |
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As always, we greatly appreciate your interest, commitment and help. You make our work for elephants possible. Thank you! |
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Support EAI Every Time You Shop |
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One World... One Elephant at a Time
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