Jan. 9, 2005
Hello Everyone,
This is a little long but there has been a development in Kei`s status,
so do please try to read through all the way to the Actions For Today
and to re-energise yourself with the positive news and recommit to
networking, e-mailing and letter writing. I feel/have hope that
utlimate success could be nearby if our numbers and voices grow louder.
>>NEWS FLASH<<
The zoo has buckeled and has moved Kei to another enclosure. Her new
enclosure is a little bigger than her old enclosure size. And it is an
earthen floor -- not like the concrete slab they had her on for the
last 12 years of her life. BUT IT IS STILL TOTALLY UNSATISFACTORY! --
really not that much bigger.
They did this merely because they have been targeted by Kei`s
supporters all around the world and hope that these little superficial
improvements will blunt any further criticism of them and cause us to
not demonstrate in front of the zoo again. They hope that this will
make our supporters say, !H(BThere, Kei is all well now in a little larger
place and off the concrete. Let`s leave this zoo alone now and stop
calling for her return to North America where wolf sanctuaries are
waiting for her arrival.!I(B But it is still totally inadequate as
compensation for the 12 years of suffering with her life she has given
them. She still paces and her whine is one that elicits abject pity
for any who hear it. In fact, one of our supporters on the ground
here, Kim Petersen, has a 15 second short of her and her sad whine in
this new cell of hers. Hopefully she will get it up soon and then you
can view it. Check her site page for Kei at:
Anyway, Kei was moved into the enclosure that held the African Caracel
cat. They opened the doors to the other two adjoining enclosures so
that Kei would have all three. The Caracel cat was moved into Kei`s
old enclosure which was a little improvement in size for it -- but it
now has the concrete life that Kei once had.
ANALYSIS:
So, it looks like we have the zoo playing musical enclosures with their
animals. They are showing that they are sensitive to exposure and
criticism, and are worried about an image that is being painted blacker
and blacker by not taking any action to not only release Kei, but to
also not better the living conditions of the other aniimals in thier
charge.
But you know what is greatest about this news? Sure you do! The
domino affect of focusing on one animal (Kei) had an impact on another
animal -- the Caracel cat. Not only did it get a little bigger
enclosure (although concrete), they went out of their way to throw in
some big logs for her to climb on and scratch. It didn`t have that in
her old enclosure -- the one where Kei is now. So, they are at least
thinking a little about environment other than just naked space. But
please, don`t think that the Caracal cat is living in luxery in Kei`s
old enclosure. For those of you who are not familiar with the terrible
physical condition this cat is in, please look at the main page of
looks like it has been licked/chewed off -- probably due to stress and
burden.
But here we have the zoo jumping to do something because of our
campaign for Kei. So they are moveable when they are scrutinized by
the world and when direct action is taken in front of their facility
giving them a black eye for all visitors and passerbys to see. None of
that (minor improvements) happened when Rika and I were wasting our
time going back and forth to talk to them. It took action. It was
equivelent to the punch in the nose to the zoo. They are not used to
western style protests. It must have come as a big shock to them that
someone would be willing to picket for or against anything other than
military bases being here. Huge wake up call for them.
ON STRATEGY:
Now is the time to tighten the screws even harder.
Our campaign is really getting a lot of momentum and it is just a
matter of time before we get that concientious celebrity who in his or
her spare time at home is surfing the web and happens upon us and our
network of supporters and then decides to lend their name to our cause.
I also think that one of the smartest things we are doing now is
including the Okinawa Tourist Office in our targeting and exposure. By
now, they have already called to the zoo to ask why they are getting an
avalanche of e-mails and the beginnings of snail mail trickling in. I
am sure this has also been forwarded to the governor of Okinawa by
now.
I`m playing around with demonstrating either in front of the tourist
office one day or to do it in front of one of the resort hotels where a
fleet of tourist busses pick up scores of tourists everyday. Perhaps
even outside the airport gate -- to greet the visitors to Okinawa with
the news that the place they have chosen as their 3 day holiday from
mainland is in fact a place of cruelty and a hell hole for Okinawa
City`s zoo animals. Another helping of Embarrassment Pie and a punch
in the nose for the zoo is being ordered up. Perhaps they are gluttons
for punishment. Wow. Now my brain is really moving.
And get this, as bad as we are bothering them now, we haven`t even
called for a formal boycott of the place yet. If we could just cause
them to lose 5% of ticket sales, that would be a terrible blow for
them. They would have to try and regain those visitors by using their
buddgett for promotion and advertising. So, eventhough they may keep
the same number of visitors coming in, they would have to spend an
offsetting amount of money to attract those visitors. Bottom line is,
we, operating on a shoestring budgett of loyal volunteers, will cause
them to spend and lose money -- causing them to think and brainstorm
how to further appease us and blunt criticism of them. All ultimately
benefitting the animals in the long run.
I`m very pleased -- but not satiated. My appetite for Kei`s release
and better living conditions for those animals has just been whetted
all that much more.
Like I`ve said before, when your opponent shows blood -- it is time to
go frenzy on them. A blistering assault is soon to come.
CHECK THIS OUT: Kei is rolling all over the net. Go to google.com and
type in Kei. Then hit !H(Bnews!I(B and Kei`s pic icon pops up with a lead to
there directly, be sure to do the google search like I just explained.
Take a moment to thank Exurn for posting Kei`s story.
Also, don`t forget to visit Kei`s story on Baku`s `Zine, (
Wolf from Wolf Mountain Sanctuary (
And don`t forget, at Sam McCreesh`s site page for Kei,
links and samples of letters that can be used. Her banner there is for
all to take and spread. Sam has designed an official website for Kei
and it will be up soon.
Okinawa City`s Kiddie Land Zoo officials have denied Kei, the North
American Timber Wolf at their facility, her chance to retire in dignity
to a wolf sanctuary in Colorado that has agreed to let her live out her
remaining days in peace and tranquility in a spacious, safely, enclosed
naturalized environment.
For months, Okinawa ZAP (Zoo Action Project) volunteers have been
trying to win her release from the concentration camp like conditions
she has languished in for the whole 16 years of her life. On November
11th 2004, zoo officials formally denied her bid for a better life
stating it was best she lived to the end of her life in the zoo under
their care. They also cited that this decision was justified based on
the fact that she and even her parents were born in the zoo so it
therefore would be the best place for her to die. This thought is one
of `once a prisoner, always a prisoner.` They also feel that despite
the fact that her enclosure is very small and virtually all concrete,
she should remain there in order to allow the children of Okinawa to
see a real, live wolf.
It is important that the world and as many people as possible be
witness to this very callous decision based on selfishness and wanton
exploitation in which children are cowardly used as a cheap excuse and
weapon to keep kei from returning to her ancestral home of North
America. In order to remind the zoo officials that the world is
watching their embarrassing act of cruelty in which they do have the
power to alleviate a creature`s torment from pacing, isolation, and
screaming kids throwing things at her, this message has been created
for others to copy and forward to message boards and friends to
encourage them to forward it back to the zoo officials with the days of
Kei`s death counting up. Just increase the day with each new day
passing and mailing.
Please, remember to notice Kei with each day be sending this message to
zoo officials, counting up to her last day of life and then her death
on concrete -- the time when she will truly be free of the terrible
life her Okinawan captors here have given her.
Okinawa ZAP ( okinawazap.com )
Lending a voice to those with none.
Resend this to the Okinawa City Zoo at :
