MAKING A DIFFERENCE: "His Tail's Wagging Again!"

Ailing Dog's Life Saved By

Donations After Viral Photo

of John Unger & Schoep

Touches Millions

Last month, the above photo of John Unger cradling his loyal dog, Schoep, in Michigan's Lake Superior melted hearts across the world. Unger had take Schoep into the lake so that the water could soothe the arthritic 19-year-old dog to sleep.   Empathetic readers felt compelled to send cards, dog treats, messages of support, and money to Unger and his ailing pet, resulting in over $25,000 in donations.  

Only two months ago, Schoep was facing euthanasia because Unger could not afford his medical bills; the worldwide reaction to their relationship, however, has given him a second chance at life.  Schoep is now receiving weekly laser therapy, pain medication and glucosamine — all with encouraging results.

 

That stunning photograph of John lulling his arthritic dog to sleep in Lake Superior has touched so many people that John Unger, 49, and his dog Schoep,  have started a foundation to help other dogs in need. The Schoep Legacy Foundation has raised more than $25,000 to help low-income families care for their aging dogs thanks to donations from people as far away as Saudi Arabia and Japan, all inspired by that gorgeous image.

Unger's good friend Hannah Stonehouse Hudson, who is a professional photographer, captured the heartbreaking moment between the man and his aging rescue dog in Wisconsin when Unger thought his best friend was at the end of his life.

Thanks to the generosity of strangers, Schoep has been receiving top-notch care and is wagging his tail more than ever before, allowing Unger and his dog more time together. 'Schoep is doing incredible right now,' Unger said to MailOnline. 'The therapies that the people have donated — it's like turning back the clock a year and a half.'

Dr. Erik Haukass, Schoep's veterinarian, said that the 19-year-old dog is doing very well and that they are optimistic the treatments will allow Unger and Schoep many more months. 'Without treatment, John and I were talking about euthanasia at the end of July,' Dr. Haukass said.

Dr. Haukass was on the front line when the donations to Schoep's care came in, shocked by their magnitude. 'I've never seen anything like this before,' he said. 'We realized we had received more money than we would reasonably spend on Schoep's care.' Together with Unger and Mrs. Hudson, the three formed Schoep's Legacy Foundation.

'The idea is to pay it forward; give it to other organizations, to help out other animals in the area and use the money in the spirit it was given,' Dr. Haukass said. The $25,000 will be used in a variety of ways to help low-income families care for their animals, both in the care of older pets and the spaying and neutering of new pets. 'It could help another 30 or 40 Schoeps,' Dr. Haukass said. 'It's incredible to be in a position to help others,' Unger said.

But beyond helping other animals, Unger said that he's found himself counseling people who have had to deal with a devastating loss in their lives. Along with donations, people have been sending Unger their personal stories of woe. 'They're going through some depression of their own. They're very deep and emotional letters. Those are the ones that hit home a lot,' Unger said. 'But they look at the picture that Hannah took and it helps them have a better time with it. That's pretty extraordinary.'

Unger knows firsthand about love and loss. He and his ex-fiancée adopted Schoep 19 years ago, but when the relationship ended, Unger was on the brink of suicide. 'To be honest with you, I don’t think I’d be here if I didn’t have Schoep with me (that night). He just snapped me out of it. I don’t know how to explain it. He just snapped me out of it. … I just want to do whatever I can for this dog because he basically saved my ass,' he said.

PUPPY LOVE: HOW JOHN & SCHOEP
BECAME BEST FRIENDS

John Unger, 49, adopted Schoep, who is named after a famous brand of Wisconsin ice cream, when he was just a puppy and it was love at first sight. He and his ex-fiancée had been searching for a rescue dog for a year, going to dozens of humane societies. 'We wanted every single dog,' Unger said to the MailOnline. 'We just hadn't found the right one.'

His then-fiancée spotted the pup at the Ozaukee Animal Shelter 19 years ago. 'We fell in love with him immediately.' Schoep was in a cage with another dog, possibly his mother, crouched in the back quietly staring at the corner with his back to Unger. 'I knew — that's him,' Unger said.

At the time Schoep was named Tramp by the shelter staff and showed signs of abuse. 'He didn't even know what toys were,' Unger said. 'I really wanted this dog because I wanted him to enjoy life.'  The couple worked hard to establish the trust of the dog and eventually brought out its 'full potential'.

Now, 19 years later when Schoep was in so much pain, it was Unger's time to return the favor. Suffering from excruciating arthritis, the animal was not sleeping through the night and could barely walk.

‘Schoep falls asleep every night when he is carried into the lake. The buoyancy of the water soothes his arthritic bones. Lake Superior is very warm right now, so the temp of the water is perfect,' Mrs. Hudson explained.

Unger could not afford the costly treatments, which at $200 dollars a session, would ease Schoep's pain. But after Mrs. Hudson's photograph traveled across the world, thousands of dollars came pouring in.

Schoep has been getting joint laser treatments, which reduce pain and swelling while healing the animal's limbs, as well as pain medication from the Bay Area Animal Hospital.

'He's walking so much faster,' Mr Unger said. 'His stride, his gait, is longer. It's unbelievable.'

Dr. Haukass has also seen a change in the animal. 'He sleeps through the night. He's interested in going for more walks during the day,' Dr. Haukass said. 'He walks with less of a limp. His ears are standing up and his tail is wagging better.'

JOHN AND SCHOEP: 

THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOGRAPH

 Inspired: This image has touched thousands After professional photographer Hannah Stonehouse Hudson took this photo of her friend John Unger and his 19-year-old  rescue dog, Shoep, taking one of their therapeutic evening swims in Lake Superior, she posted it on Facebook and it went viral. 
Courtesy of Hannah Stonehouse
 Hudson/StonehousePhoto.com

 'I took Schoep in for a check up because he was limping,' Unger said. The doctor recommend pain medication, but said that it may be temporary or not help at all. Then, Unger said, the doctor told him, ' "If there isn't any improvement, we should probably..." a good vet won't say "put him down," but he said at that point I may start to want to think about it.'

Faced with the possibility of losing his best friend, he called up Mrs. Hudson for an impromptu session. She met the pair at sunset on Lake Superior, because Schoep's cataracts prevent him from seeing in sunlight.

'She couldn't believe he fell asleep in my arms,' Unger said. Mrs. Hudson watched the man and his dog float around the lake for maybe five minutes before Schoep began to get cold and shake. Unger said he had to take him out of the water to let him warm up and was worried she hadn't had the chance to snap an image. 'I didn't think she even took one picture,' he said. 'But then she told me she got what she wanted.'

Schoep Today 

"It's our turn to give back," Unger told Yahoo News. To honor the outpouring of support that they received, Unger began the Schoep Legacy Foundation for other struggling pet owners. http://www.johnandschoep.com/

VIDEO: 
 http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/dog-photo-schoep-arthritic-lake-180953849.html

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: In South Africa

THE ELEPHANT WHISPERER

Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South Africa, bravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during US invasion in 2003. On March 7, 2012, Lawrence Anthony died. He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons and numerous elephants.

Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two large matriarchs. Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to their beloved man-friend. A total of 20 elephants had patiently walked over 12 hours through the Zululand bush to get to the South African house of Lawrence Anthony, the conservationist who saved their lives. The formerly violent, rogue elephants, destined to be shot a few years ago as pests, were rescued and rehabilitated by Anthony. For two days the herds loitered at Anthony's rural compound on the vast Thula Thula game reserve in the South African KwaZulu — to say goodbye to the man they loved. But how did they know he had died? Known for his unique ability to calm traumatized elephants, Anthony had become a legend.

Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in awe, not only because of the supreme intelligence and precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence 's passing, but also because of the profound memory and emotion the beloved animals evoked in such an organized way:  Walking slowly — for days — making their way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house. Lawrence's wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for well over a year! But yet they knew where they were going. The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep respects, honoring their friend who'd saved their lives — so much respect that they stayed for 2 days and 2 nights. Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back home.

There are two elephant herds at Thula Thula. According to his son Dylan, both herds arrived at the Anthony family compound shortly after Anthony's death."They had not visited the house for a year and a half and it must have taken them about 12 hours to make the journey," Dylan is quoted in various local news accounts. "The first herd arrived on Sunday and the second herd, a day later. They all hung around for about two days before making their way back into the bush."  Elephants have long been known to mourn their dead. In India, baby elephants often are raised with a boy who will be their lifelong "mahout." The pair develop legendary bonds — and it is not uncommon for one to waste away without a will to live after the death of the other.

Long ago another line of elephants approached the Anthony house, but these were wild elephants in the 21st century, not some Rudyard Kipling novel. The first herd to arrive at Thula Thula several years ago were violent. They hated humans. Anthony found himself fighting a desperate battle for their survival and their trust, which he detailed in The Elephant Whisperer:

"It was 4:45 a.m. and I was standing in front of Nana, an enraged wild elephant, pleading with her in desperation. Both our lives depended on it. The only thing separating us was an 8,000-volt electric fence that she was preparing to flatten and make her escape."Nana, the matriarch of her herd, tensed her enormous frame and flared her ears."'Don't do it, Nana,' I said, as calmly as I could. She stood there, motionless but tense. The rest of the herd froze."'This is your home now,' I continued. 'Please don't do it, girl.' I felt her eyes boring into me.

Anthony, Nana and her calf

"'They'll kill you all if you break out. This is your home now. You have no need to run anymore.'" Suddenly, the absurdity of the situation struck me," Anthony writes. "Here I was in pitch darkness, talking to a wild female elephant with a baby, the most dangerous possible combination, as if we were having a friendly chat. But I meant every word. 'You will all die if you go. Stay here. I will be here with you and it's a good place.'" She took another step forward. I could see her tense up again, preparing to snap the electric wire and be out, the rest of the herd smashing after her in a flash. I was in their path, and would only have seconds to scramble out of their way and climb the nearest tree. I wondered if I would be fast enough to avoid being trampled. Possibly not. Then something happened between Nana and me, some tiny spark of recognition, flaring for the briefest of moments. Then it was gone. Nana turned and melted into the bush. The rest of the herd followed. I couldn't explain what had happened between us, but it gave me the first glimmer of hope since the elephants had first thundered into my life."

It had all started several weeks earlier with a phone call from an elephant welfare organization. Would Anthony be interested in adopting a problem herd of wild elephants? They lived on a game reserve 600 miles away and were "troublesome," recalled Anthony."They had a tendency to break out of reserves and the owners wanted to get rid of them fast. If we didn't take them, they would be shot." The woman explained, 'The matriarch is an amazing escape artist and has worked out how to break through electric fences. She just twists the wire around her tusks until it snaps, or takes the pain and smashes through.'"  'Why me?' I asked."'I've heard you have a way with animals. You're right for them. Or maybe they're right for you.'"  What followed was heart-breaking. One of the females and her baby were shot and killed in the round-up, trying to evade capture.

The French version of "The Elephant Whisperer"

"When they arrived, they were thumping the inside of the trailer like a gigantic drum. We sedated them with a pole-sized syringe, and once they had calmed down, the door slid open and the matriarch emerged, followed by her baby bull, three females and an 11-year-old bull."  Last off was the 15-year-old son of the dead mother. "He stared at us," writes Anthony, "flared his ears and with a trumpet of rage, charged, pulling up just short of the fence in front of us." His mother and baby sister had been shot before his eyes, and here he was, just a teenager, defending his herd. David, my head ranger, named him Mnumzane, which in Zulu means 'Sir.'  We christened the matriarch Nana, and the second female-in-command, the most feisty, Frankie, after my wife. We had erected a giant enclosure within the reserve to keep them safe until they became calm enough to move out into the reserve proper. Nana gathered her clan, loped up to the fence and stretched out her trunk, touching the electric wires. The 8,000-volt charge sent a jolt shuddering through her bulk. She backed off. Then, with her family in tow, she strode the entire perimeter of the enclosure, pointing her trunk at the wire to check for vibrations from the electric current.

"As I went to bed that night, I noticed the elephants lining up along the fence, facing out towards their former home. It looked ominous. I was woken several hours later by one of the reserve's rangers, shouting, 'The elephants have gone! They've broken out!' The two adult elephants had worked as a team to fell a tree, smashing it onto the electric fence and then charging out of the enclosure. I scrambled together a search party and we raced to the border of the game reserve, but we were too late. The fence was down and the animals had broken out. They had somehow found the generator that powered the electric fence around the reserve. After trampling it like a tin can, they had pulled the concrete-embedded fence posts out of the ground like matchsticks, and headed north."

The reserve staff chased them — but had competition. "We met a group of locals carrying large caliber rifles, who claimed the elephants were 'fair game' now. On our radios we heard the wildlife authorities were issuing elephant rifles to staff. It was now a simple race against time." Anthony managed to get the herd back onto Thula Thula property, but problems had just begun:

"Their bid for freedom had, if anything, increased their resentment at being kept in captivity. Nana watched my every move, hostility seeping from every pore, her family behind her. There was no doubt that sooner or later they were going to make another break for freedom. Then, in a flash, came the answer. I would live with the herd. To save their lives, I would stay with them, feed them, talk to them. But, most importantly, be with them day and night. We all had to get to know each other." It worked, as the book describes in detail, notes the London Daily Mail newspaper. Anthony was later offered another troubled elephant — one that was all alone because the rest of her herd had been shot or sold, and which feared humans. He had to start the process all over again. And as his reputation spread, more "troublesome" elephants were brought to Thula Thula.

Anthony is the author of three books, Babylon Ark, detailing his efforts to rescue the animals at Baghdad Zoo during the Iraqi war, the forthcoming The Last Rhinos, and his bestselling The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild.  

So, how after Anthony's death, did the reserve's elephants — grazing miles away in distant parts of the park — know?  "A good man died suddenly," says Rabbi Leila Gal Berner, Ph.D., "and from miles and miles away, two herds of elephants, sensing that they had lost a beloved human friend, moved in a solemn, almost 'funereal' procession to make a call on the bereaved family at the deceased man's home."

IN HIS ELEMENT: Lawrence Anthony on his KwaZulu-Natal
reserve, relaxing in a game-viewing vehicle with his dog, Tug

"If there ever were a time, when we can truly sense the wondrous 'interconnectedness of all beings,' it is when we reflect on the elephants of Thula Thula. A man's heart's stops, and hundreds of elephants' hearts are grieving. This man's oh-so-abundantly loving heart offered healing to these elephants, and now, they came to pay loving homage to their friend."

His sons say that their father was a remarkable man who lived his life to the fullest and never looked back on any choices he made. He leaves behind his wife Francoise, his two sons, Dylan and Jason, and two grandsons, Ethan and Brogan. Lawrence will be missed by all.

BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN BY ROB KIRBY:
  http://www.robkerby.com/

CONTRIBUTED BY TREASURED INSPIRATION LINE READER
AND FRIEND, PAZ, WHO LIVES IN THE PHILIPPINES

REPRINTED FROM:
http://delightmakers.com/news-bleat/wild-elephants-gather-inexplicably-mourn-death-of-elephant-whisperer/

READ MORE: 
 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9131585/Lawrence-Anthony.html

MOMENTS THAT MATTER: Doggy S.O.S.

Clever Canines Call For Help...

George the Basset Hound
was choking — so he dialed
the emergency operator...

After George, the two-year-old Basset Hound from West Yorkshire, England, got so tangled in a phone cord that he began choking, the frantic pup somehow managed to alert authorities by dialing 999 — the British equivalent to 911, the Sun reports. Concerned by the heavy breathing on the other end, the emergency operator dispatched police to the home.

COPS who raced to a house after hearing desperate heavy breathing during an emergency call found a DOG had rung 999 while strangling itself with the telephone wire. George, the two-year-old Basset Hound, had knocked the phone to the floor and got entangled in the wire — winding it round his neck.

And he panicked so much he incredibly managed to ring 999 as he pawed at the phone trying to free himself.  The emergency operator alerted police who dashed to the empty home of driving instructor Steve Brown and his daughter Lydia, 18, on Saturday night.

They were preparing to smash down the door when a family friend from a nearby house ran out with a key to let them in. Four officers sprinted through the house in South Hiendley, West Yorkshire, searching the rooms.

Pals ... George and owner Lydia

And then neighbor Paul Walker walked into the living room and found terrified George choking — with the phone lead wound tightly round his neck.  Paul, 41, ripped the phone apart to wrench the wire from George's throat.

He said: "The police split up and ran through the house thinking someone had either been attacked or was desperately ill. I went to look round as well and walked into this room and saw George choking.

"He was absolutely terrified and could not free himself. I knew I had to get him free quickly so I just ripped the wire out. Incredibly you could see where his paw print was on the phone to ring 999 — he literally saved his own life.

"When the police came into the room and realized what had happened they burst out laughing. They told me they had been sent out because of a 999 call in which the operator could only hear heavy breathing and gasping. They thought someone had collapsed or been attacked."

Lucky escape ... George managed
to paw the emergency number

Paul had been left a key with college student Lydia to feed George later in the evening while she went out to do an evening shift as a waitress.  Lydia said: "By the time I got back the police had gone and George was looking a little sorry for himself."

"It is just so lucky that his paw managed to ring 999 otherwise he would have died. We still don't know how he managed it. It's one of those old-fashioned phones with the dialing ring. He's not usually very smart. He's really dopey and just likes to chew socks."

Singing sensation Patches the Pup,

is saved from death because he 

could howl 'Happy Birthday'

Last year, 15-year-old Patches saved his own life by singing "happy birthday," the Daily Mail reports. Up until then, the pooch was reportedly on death row after accidentally ending up at the pound. They say that every dog has its day, but the days of Patches the mongrel seemed numbered — until he was able to sing Happy Birthday. Patches was due to be put down at a dog pound because no-one who could prove they knew him had come forward.

That was until a dog foster caregiver called at Mildura pound in Australia, where 15-year-old Patches was being kept on death row and tried to get him to sing Happy Birthday. He obliged — and his life was spared.

Patches' elderly master, Eddie Vassallo, an Italian migrant living in northern Victoria, used to spend hours sitting with his pet on his knee. But when 82-year-old Eddie died three months ago, Patches got caught up in the confusion that followed and ended up in a pound.

Working on behalf of Mr Vassallo's daughter, who lives in far-away Sydney, Kaye Grivec, a Victorian Dog Rescue foster caregiver, helped in the hunt for the much-loved pooch. When she arrived at the pound, Miss Grivec was asked if she could prove that Patches belonged to someone.

'There's only one way to find out,' said Miss Grivec,

and started singing Happy Birthday to the dog.

"At first, he had a sad, faraway look in his eyes, just like he was thinking about something or missing someone," said Miss Grivec. "Then he just put his head back and started howling along with me, and I just burst into tears of joy," she told Melbourne's Herald-Sun newspaper.

Marie Vassallo, daughter of Patches' late master, was overjoyed when she learned that the dog's enjoyment of Happy Birthday had saved his life. "When they finished singing, Dad would say, 'Bravo, bravo, Patches' and Patches just loved it," she said. "Also, when it was anyone's birthday, Dad would telephone them and he would sing Happy Birthday to them with Patches singing along. "It was Patches' favorite song and it became a family tradition for Dad and Patches to sing it together."

When she learned that Patches had disappeared following her father's death, Miss Vassallo was heartbroken. "He'd been impounded for quite a while and his time on death row was almost up. Thank goodness he's been found and saved and it was all due to that song. We're now arranging to have Patches brought up to Sydney to live out his life with the family."

Max the Chocolate Lab

saves his own life after being

mistakenly left inside a hot car

A very clever canine left in a dire situation decided to take matters into his own paws and it saved his life.  Two years ago, Max, a chocolate Lab from Macungie, Pa. saved his own life after his owner, Donna Gardner, accidentally locked him in her car in 90-degree heat.

11-year-old Max loves a good game of catch and what dog doesn't. But his owner Donna Gardner of Macungie, Pa. says she knew from the moment she got him that he wasn't like most dogs.

"He's just a strange dog, he does things that normal dogs don't do," Donna said. Max can climb out of swimming pool using the ladder and he rings a bell when he has to go out. But on a steamy summer day when Donna accidentally left him in the car, Max needed to send out an S.O.S.

No, he didn't bark. To get his owner's attention, Max laid on the horn — much to Donna's surprise. "He did it twice ... two times," Donna said. That's because the first time Donna looked out, she didn't notice anything, so Max laid on the horn again. "I'm thinking 'Who is blowing the horn out there."

"I went out on the porch this time and there is Max

sitting in the front seat of my car. Well,

obviously it was him that blew the horn."

Max's life-saving stunt has made him a celebrity of sorts, but Donna says at the time it was pretty scary. Max had been in the car for about an hour and it was 90-degrees outside. "I was hysterical. I could not call the vet, my daughter had to call the vet because I couldn't talk," Donna said. "I was crying. I just couldn't believe I did that to him."

After getting Max water and cooling him off with wet towels, Donna rushed him to her vet — Dr. Nancy Soares, whose office had gotten the emergency call and was ready for anything. "His cooling mechanism, which the only one dogs have really is panting, was pretty severe," Dr. Soares of Macungie Animal Hospital said. Dr. Soares says Donna did all the right things and Max did not need much medical care.

Still, she says Max is a lucky dog. Dr. Soares says even with the windows rolled down on a 72-degree day, the car temperature can hit 100 to 120-degrees in just 10 minutes. "The mortality rate in dogs that suffer heat exhaustion is about 50-percent. It's a pretty high number," Dr. Soares said. "Lucky for Max, he saved his own life."

Donna says she doesn't know where Max learned to honk the horn. She says she is not a honker, but obviously she is very glad he figured it out. Of course he wasn't the least bit interested in showing us his honking skill during our recent visit.

REPRINTED FROM:

www.thesun.co.uk

MOMENTS THAT MATTER: Terrified Orangutans Saved From Hunters

Don't hurt my baby!
Pregnant orangutan protectively

hugs her daughter, as ruthless

Borneo bounty hunters

move in for the kill

It's a remarkable photograph showing an orangutan mother and baby being saved in the nick of time from hunters in Borneo earlier this month. A team from a local orangutan orphanage had been searching the area near a palm oil plantation after reports of systematic killing of the apes.

The UK Daily Mail quoted primate scientist Dr. Signe Preuschoft, who was on the scene: "Our arrival could not have been more timely. A few minutes later and the orangutans could have been dead. We discovered a gang of young men surrounding them and both victims were clearly petrified. The gang meanwhile was jubilant in anticipation of their rewards for catching and killing the animals."

Palm oil companies are alleged to offer a bounty for killing the primates, which are considered to be pests. Orangutan skulls are sold internationally, and the illegal pet industry trades in baby orangutans taken from their mothers. WWF estimates some 200 to 500 orangutans from Borneo are sold into the pet trade every year; inevitably, the mother orangutan is killed when the poachers go after the baby.

The Bornean orangutan's habitat has been reduced by some 55 percent in the last 20 years, with a similar decline in the apes' population.  WWF estimates there are only about 40,000 Bornean orangutans left; the population is threatened by loss of habitat, as happens when forests are burned to make way for profitable palm oil plantations.

Rescue: When the animal rescue group found the 'clearly petrified' mother and baby in Borneo, they discovered a gang of young men who were looking to cash in on the palm oil companies' offer of $100 per orangutan

As bounty hunters with bush knives entrapped them in a circle and moved in for the kill, the only thing this mother orangutan could think to do was to wrap a giant protective arm around her daughter. The pregnant mother and daughter  seemed to be facing a certain death as a gang of hunters surrounded them, keen to cash in on the palm oil plantations' bid to be rid of the animals.

But, happily, a team from the British-based international animal rescue group Four Paws  arrived in time to stop the slaughter and saved their lives. Workers from Four Paws rescued the animals and transported them over rough terrain so that they could be released in a remote area of the rainforest where they would be safer. The animals were tagged and will be monitored to make sure they can adapt to their new surroundings.

Fresh start: The apes were released back to rapidly decreasing wilderness elsewhere in Indonesia by the charity group

Before the rescue, a Four Paws team had scoured the area on the Indonesian side of Borneo, which is shared with Malaysia, but found no other orangutans which had survived an earlier slaughter.

Deforestation has dramatically reduced their habitat and their numbers have dropped from 250,000 a few decades ago to only 50,000 in the wild. The very name orangutan means "person of the forest," as they spend most of their time in trees. And while the loss of their habitat by logging companies has created a major threat to their existence, a more brutal form of reducing their numbers has emerged in recent years — direct slaughter.

Palm oil is used in hundreds of products from chocolate to oven chips, but the demand for buying it at a low price has resulted in significant deforestation as habitats are being destroyed to make way for plantations. Some palm oil companies see orangutans as pests, a threat to their lucrative business, and have placed a bounty on their heads.

 

Everything must go: The plantations, which are carving great swathes through Southeast Asia as they cut down trees to farm palm oil for the West, view the orangutans as a pest

Company executives are reported to be offering up to $100 to employees for each orangutan killed on the palm oil plantations. While such stories were at first denied, proof of the slaughter emerged last September when graves and bones were found by investigators.

'Killing of orangutans is illegal in Indonesia but the law is lacking enforcement,' said a British Four Paws spokesman. 'Before November last year only two low-level arrests had ever been made. But in the last two months 10 more arrests have taken place including the arrest of the senior manager of the plantation where the worst graves have been found.'

In an equally tragic scenario, babies left alive after adult orangutans have been slaughtered have been put up for sale in the pet trade by hunters. When traumatized babies are found by Four Paws and other animal rescue teams they are taken to a sanctuary and taught skills they will need in order to return to the wild.

Watch 5-Part Informational Video

About the Samboja

Orangutan Rescue Center:

Video  Part 1 Here

Video  Part 2 Here

Video  Part 3 Here

Video  Part 4 Here

Video  Part 5 Here

www.four-paws.org.uk/website/orangutans

Sources:
www.dailymail.co.uk
www.care2.com/causes

BEING THE CHANGE: Stop Animal Overpopulation and Abuse

Grizzled Truckers Transport
Rescued Animals To Safety

 Kiel, a 46-year-old truck driver from Oregon, is pictured with 5-year-old Johnny,

the first dog he transported to safety. "He's a really cool dog," Kiel said.

"I felt really, really wonderful knowing that I helped somebody else." ...

Sean Kiel is a no-nonsense guy with a gruff voice and a tough demeanor. A truck driver for 30 years, he describes himself as an “alpha male” who tends to keep his emotions “hidden pretty well.”  But get him talking about the curly white Bichon Frise he helped rescue from a dark life in a puppy mill, and all of that changes.

“Here I am, a big ol’ tough truck driver, and I’m sitting here choking up right now,” said Kiel, 46, who just transported the grateful fluff ball to a woman in California who was eager to give the dog a good home. “She was so happy to get that dog — just absolutely happy. It was so touching to see.”

Kiel is a new recruit to an informal and ever-growing network of animal lovers who are transporting rescued dogs, cats, bunnies, ferrets and even the occasional monitor lizard or pot-bellied pig to loving homes, even if those homes are located hundreds of miles away. This unofficial Underground Railroad is powered by truckers, pilots, animal rescue groups and volunteers who provide “layover homes” to all kinds of creatures as they journey to new and happier lives.

Their work happens on their own dime and takes plenty of time, but these volunteers are determined to keep animals moving in the face of seemingly intractable problems: animal overpopulation, and downright abuse, neglect and abandonment of animals by their owners. According to the American Humane Association, about 3.7 million stray and unwanted animals are put to sleep in U.S. shelters each year.

“Shelters nationwide are filled with animals that are going to be killed,” said Sue Wiese, 68, a former truck driver from Joshua, Texas. “You just have to do something.” In September 2005, Wiese founded Operation Roger, an organization made up of regional and long-haul truckers who transport pets in the cabs of their trucks as they deliver freight all across the country. She got the effort started after Hurricane Katrina left an estimated 250,000 pets stranded and struggling to survive.

     Robert Montagna, a truck driver from Michigan, is pictured with Sue Wiese,
the founder of Operation Roger, an organization made up of
truckers who transport animals to safe situations.

“My heart was just breaking from all the stories about the pets,” Wiese recalled. “I was driving down the road and I was praying, ‘Lord, what can I do? I’m just a truck driver.’ And then I heard one word: Transport.”

Thanks to the abundance of animal lovers on the Internet, Wiese’s calling wasn’t all that hard to fulfill. An animal shelter or rescue organization might not be able to adopt out all its dogs and cats to homes locally — but what if nice people in other states read about those animals online and want to adopt them? Then, basically, those fortunate furry friends just need a ride.

Since 2005, Operation Roger has given nearly 600 animals a lift. The organization has detailed requirements and checks in place to make sure its drivers aren’t transporting animals to or from for-profit breeders, puppy mills or show circuits. Instead, the emphasis is on rescued animals who need permanent homes, and pets who have an opportunity to be reunited with their owners. For instance, if a lost pet turns up hundreds of miles away and is identified with a microchip, that pet could get a comfy ride home in the cab of a truck.

Robert Montagna, 56, a truck driver and Operation Roger volunteer who is based in Michigan, has witnessed some emotional reunions between pets and their owners. In one instance a waitress in Colorado had been separated from her chocolate Labrador retriever for several months in the wake of a divorce. “When they saw each other, they just ran together toward each other like it was in a movie,” Montagna said. “She cried and cried when she saw that dog.”

In other cases, Montagna has fallen so in love with the pooches he’s transported that he’s had a hard time saying goodbye to them. He still speaks wistfully of Milo, a Jack Russell terrier who liked to curl up and sleep on Montagna’s chest when he napped in his truck.

When Robert Montagna transported Milo the dog to safety in his truck,
Milo liked to curl up on Montagna's chest for naps.

I just love doing this,” Montagna said. “I always say that if I won a big lottery, I’d buy a big RV and I’d call Sue up and say, ‘Where’s the dog at? I’ll deliver it.’ And after that, I’d call her and say, ‘OK, where’s the next dog at?’ I’d just keep doing this all over the country.”

Sometimes the logistics involved with getting a pet transported exactly where it needs to go by truck can be tricky. That’s when pilots fill a huge need. Since it was founded in 2008, Pilots N Paws — a South Carolina-based organization that connects shelters and animal rescue organizations with more than 2,100 pilots and plane owners — has transported thousands of pets to safety in small airplanes.

Pilots N Paws has transported thousands of pets in airplanes since 2008.

"You see the look in the animals’ eyes," said the group's

co-founder Debi Boies. "They just know they’re safe."

“People have just really pulled together over this,” said co-founder Debi Boies. “It’s actually a great combination. Pilots are everyday working people who love to fly — it’s a passion. If they’re going to spend the money to do what they love to do, why not make a difference while they’re doing it? Why not save a life? And they do.”

Occasionally volunteer pilots will team up with volunteer truck drivers to coordinate a pet transport. In other cases, when the weather turns bad and pilots know families are eagerly awaiting special animal deliveries, they’ll spend their own money to rent cars and make sure the deliveries happen. “You can’t imagine what these pilots are willing to do,” Boies said. “Some of them even end up adopting the animals they transported.”  Story click here: How one high-flying dad is making pet rescue a family affair

Finding a new home — in a truck
Some organizations work with truckers — not by proving transport, but by helping to connect truck drivers with animals they'd like to adopt.

Susanne Spirit, a country and blues singer based in Southern California, has started an energetic, music-filled, on-site adoption program for the hundreds of truck drivers who visit the TravelCenters of America truck stop in Ontario, Calif. The MusicalTruckin' Dogs Adoption Program founded by Spirit does not facilitate transport for animals, but helps match truckers with rescue pets of their own.

The truckers who adopt dogs through Spirit’s program are set up with everything they need for seven to 10 consecutive days: water, bowls, collars, harnesses, leashes, blankets, a kennel if needed, toys, treats and food. She’s even arranged to have a mobile groomer and a mobile veterinarian in the parking lot. Over the course of 11 months, Spirit and a number of volunteers have managed to find rolling, loving homes for more than 900 dogs.

“These truck drivers can’t just stop at Wal-Mart or Petco — they’re hauling freight,” Spirit said. “So with those care packages, all they have to worry about is the dog. We don’t make a dime off of any of the dogs, and I don’t know how many truckers have put together care packages. Everything is donated.

Operation Roger always needs more truck drivers and volunteers to provide layover homes for animals in transit. To get involved, visit the organization’s website or email operationroger01@yahoo.com

Pilots N Paws always needs pilots to transport animals to safe situations. General-aviation pilots who are interested in helping out should visit the organization’s website or email info@pilotsnpaws.org

To help support Susanne Spirit’s Musical Truckin' Dogs Adoption Program, visit this website or Facebook page, or email info@musicaltruckindogs.com

By Laura T. Coffey Today - MSNBC