URGENT: Help needed on the Thai/Australia import campaign!

July 20, 2005

Dear all

I apologise if this is not the intended use of this forum, but I desperately

need your help! As you may know IFAW - International Fund for Animal Welfare

together with the Humane Society International and RSPCA Australia and supported

by numerous other international conservation and animal welfare groups including

many in Thailand - have been working for 2 years to prevent approval being given

to the importation of 8 Asian elephants from Thailand to stock zoos in Australia

and New Zealand as part of a " Conservation Breeding Program " .

Unfortunately the Australian Minister for the Environment, Senator Ian Campbell

today announced (during a press conference at Taronga Zoo in Sydney and

Melbourne zoo) that he has given his approval to the import of the elephants.

IFAW, HSI Australia and RSPCA Australia, have immediately launched an appeal in

the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. We will obviously keep you posted on these

developments, but we need your immediate help! The Sydney Morning Herald has

set up a poll on its site and is asking whether the elephants should be able to

come to the Australian zoos. Please vote " NO " as soon as possible to this

question! We believe the zoos are getting their supporters to hit the internet

and it is showing in the results!

http://smh.com.au/polls/national/form.html

You are only able to vote once, so please circulate this message to all your

colleagues to do the same! Thank you very much for your help!

For further information on this issue please take a look at the Stop the Live

Trade in Elephants link at

http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=23036

Cheers

Rebecca

Rebecca Brand Asia Pacific Campaigns Officer, IFAW

8-10 Belmore Street Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia Direct Phone (+61) 2 9288

4944 Mobile 0412 345 008 Fax (+61) 2 9288 4901/32

Email rbrand

The International Fund for Animal Welfare

July 20, 2005

Dear Rebecca,

I have forwarded your e-mail to 12 other having atleast 1600

subscriptions. I also voted 'NO'.

Regards,

Nilesh

PAWS

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On Wed, 20 Jul 2005 Brand,Rebecca wrote :

>Dear all

>I apologise if this is not the intended use of this forum, but I desperately