With deep sadness I write that we lost Minnie last Wednesday evening, January 21. The following is an update from Pat regarding her passing:

For the past few months, Minnie had been experiencing a recurrence of her urinary tract infections and bladder problems which have plagued her for many years. This was the first incident in three years, and we hoped that the miraculous effects produced by her cranberry diet might have cured her.

During this last bout, Minnie refused most food and water, except for cranberry sauce and cereal. We hand fed and watered her, and administered necessary medications at two hour intervals around the clock. We we all concerned that we might lose our beloved Minnie.

Miraculously, once again, she began eating and drinking on her own. During the month of January, she made incredible strides toward recovery, and we were optimistic that she would have one more summer in the lake with her friends.

On Wednesday, January 21, Minnie had her very best day in a long time, playing with Rebecca and chirping and squeaking at her keepers, who were delighted to see her behavior. Ed Stewart, one of her favorite people, spent most of the day with her, and Pat Derby fed her buckets of her favorite treats. Ed gave her a very warm bath, and she spent several hours throwing dirt, chirping and thumping. Everyone was delighted with her progress.

Minnie and Rebecca went into their dirt stall in the Asian barn and ate hay and dusted in the late afternoon. At 6:00 p.m., the afternoon keeper, Jon, served meals to Minnie and Rebecca. Minnie devoured every bit of her food. As Jon warmed water for their drink, Minnie laid down and seemed to be going off to sleep. Jon called softly to her, then realized she had stopped breathing.

Minnie, our 54 year old circus retiree whose vocalizations and sweet disposition charmed everyone at ARK 2000, died peacefully in her barn with Rebecca, her long time companion, and Pat Derby, Ed Stewart and her keepers at her side. Her peaceful posture and the serenity with which she slipped away were a great comfort to all of us. Minnie, who had endured years chained in railroad cars, died tranquilly among her old friends.

Rebecca slept next to her, and Wanda, Annie, Pat, Ed and her keepers Annamarie, Tom, Jon and Brian spent their last evening with the beloved leader of the Asian group.

We are so grateful to our dedicated staff and veterinarians who spent all their time and energy feeding, medicating and caring for Minnie. We take comfort in our loss knowing that her last days afforded the peace and dignity which this great lady deserved.
Fortunately, Pat had produced the following video update including Minnie the week prior to her passing.

We were thrilled yesterday when Tom Vacar of KTVU Channel 2 News in San Francisco visited ARK 2000 for an update on Lulu, formerly of the SF Zoo. Lulu's progress from an insecure and isolated elephant to a fully integrated member of the PAWS African group has been, as Pat says, "our biggest success story."

Click Lulu's picture to view the story.

During his visit, Tom also met Nicholas, the young Asian bull, and included an interview with Ed Stewart on the plight of captive bulls and PAWS' critical role as the only US sanctuary willing to accept them.

The story is an excellent launching point for our campaign, "A Buck for Bulls."
Too often, the lives of captive bull elephants consist of isolation, deprivation, abuse and neglect.

A Buck for Bulls gives YOU a way to help.

PAWS’ ARK 2000 is the only U.S. sanctuary offering refuge to bull elephants. If 100 people donate one dollar we can build almost a foot of habitat on bull mountain at ARK 2000.
Captive bull elephants are in peril. Their need is urgent. We must construct 5,000 feet of fencing right away. Please Click Here and with just $1 you can make it happen!

Enjoy a holiday greeting from Maggie herself, created by Alaskan wildlife cinematographer Daniel Zatz.




In addition to making this wonderful video, Daniel and his family have spent days up at ARK 2000 helping us with our webcam infrastructure. His company, SeeMore Wildlife, has been integral in our webcam expansion project and we can't thank him enough!

At last, Nicholas and Gypsy are HOME.

Construction of the bull barn finally complete, on November 23, 2008, Nicholas and Gypsy made the move to their new habitat at ARK 2000. Bob Barker was on hand to celebrate and welcome them home. Click here to read more on the PAWS website.



And to top it all off, today is Nicholas' birthday!

Maggie has now fully integrated into the ARK African elephant group and she is taking advantage of every inch of the habitat. In this update, join Maggie on her foray to the lake.

On May 15, 2008, Ruby celebrated the first anniversary of her transition to PAWS from the LA Zoo. Ruby's staunch benefactor, the wonderful Bob Barker, visited PAWS and brought Ruby a cake to commemorate the festivities.

See video of Bob Barker's visit, as well as Ruby's overall transition, in the most recent PAWScast video update.

And this just in: the Animal Planet series "My New Wild Life," featuring PAWS, has been slated to air daily starting June 30 at 3pm! Check the Animal Planet website for details!

We know it's been awhile since we brought you a new update... It's been a busy spring at PAWS!

The Animal Planet Series "My New Wild Life," featuring PAWS, is now on the air Sundays at 7am Eastern Time. (Yep, that's 4am on the West Coast. Groan.) If you love the show as much as we do, send Animal Planet an email asking for a better time slot.

Ruby celebrated her first anniversary with Bob Barker, and Bob also paid a visit to Nicholas and Gypsy in May. Check out the PAWS website for details and pictures.

And best of all, Maggie is now one of the girls: she's out in the habitat full-time with 71, Mara, Ruby and Lulu and she has integrated beautifully!

We've accumulated a lot of video content, so you can expect to see much more of the elephants in upcoming episodes.

This week, we thought we'd share Maggie's migration video for those of you who haven't seen it. The video covers her trip via the US Air Force from Anchorage to ARK in San Andreas, and ends with some of the highlights since she's been at PAWS.

Enjoy.

Nicholas and Gypsy, the last of the Illinois Hawthorn elephants, have been at PAWS for almost one full year, and news of them is long overdue. In this update, Ed Stewart talks about breaking ground on the bull habitat construction at ARK 2000 and the additional requirements of keeping bulls.

Gypsy and Nic are doing well and we're delighted that their quarantine period is almost complete. The first anniversary of their arrival at PAWS will be April 1st, 2008. We want to say thanks to all of you who have supported these two very special elephants on their long journey to PAWS. We are especially grateful to Bob Barker, a true friend of animals and without whom, this chapter of Nic and Gypsy's story might well have ended differently.

All the love and attention lavished on Maggie in recent weeks has diverted the limelight a bit from the dear Asian girls, and we know you're eager for news of them, too!

Maggie is doing beautifully, and her daily visits with her companions are growing longer and progressively less eventful every time. You can watch that process unfold on our webcam at approximately 2:00 pm Pacific time.

In this video update we spent the morning with Wanda, Minnie, Rebecca and Annie in the Asian Habitat at ARK. It was a gorgeous warm day in Calaveras County, and Wanda joined the other girls at the top of "Annie's hill" for a few snacks and a chat. We thought we'd let Wanda speak for herself. Enjoy!