Animal Defenders International is currently in Peru undertaking the biggest and most complex animal rescue of its kind ever attempted: Operation Spirit of Freedom. Their incredible operation has seen ADI travel the length and breadth of Peru to track down circuses and save every wild animal. They have now emptied Peru of all its wild circus animals, and they would like to invite you to meet the animals they’ve saved.
The mission they been a great success – in addition to saving all the wild animals from Peru’s circuses, they have been called on by the Government of Peru to help rescue monkeys and other wild animals from the illegal wildlife trade, and from Colombia’s circuses following a circus ban there. And most recently, they rescued Cholita, a bear that was kept illegally by a circus and confiscated by Peruvian authorities ten years ago. Since then, she had remained at a zoo as no suitable permanent home could be found for her. The scars of Cholita’s abusive past at the circus are clear to see – her fingers were brutally cut down to stumps and her teeth were broken, leaving her defenseless. Elderly Cholita is barely recognizable as an endangered Spectacled bear because she is suffering from severe hair-loss. Where she should have thick, black fur she has none, leaving her almost completely bald.
They now have 33 lions, 28 monkeys, 4 kinkajous, 4 coati mundis and an endangered Spectacled bear in their care.
The animals’ stories are all unique, and very touching. They have cut the chains from the neck of Pepe, the gentle spider monkey who was kept alone at the circus, reunited Kiara the lioness with her cubs after the circus refused to give them up, rushed to save the life of Smith, the lion who was threatened with death after an attack on a teacher during a performance and they took the risk and postponed the flight to negotiate with the US Fish & Wildlife Service to issue an import permit for Cholita to enter the US.
The animals are awaiting the next leg of their journey to freedom. They are building the monkeys and other native wildlife a habitat at Pilpintuwasi Wildlife Sanctuary in the Amazon rainforest and flying the lions on a 3,000 + mile journey to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesberg, CO.
Operation Spirit of Freedom. http://www.ad-international.org/SpiritofFreedom and Cholita here: http://www.ad-international.org/savecholita
Jan Creamer
President of Animal Defenders International
Biography
Jan Creamer is the President and co-founder of Animal Defenders International (ADI), a world-renowned group committed to animal protection across the globe. Along with her husband Tim Phillips, Creamer has built a reputation for getting the job done; the team not only investigates animal cruelty, but also secures legislation to stop the harm and bring abusers to justice.
Creamer’s dedication to making a change sparked in the mid-1970s, when she saw a leaflet in the street about beagles being forced to smoke cigarettes in experiments. The leaflet called for action and Creamer responded, volunteering for the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS). Within years she left her graphic design job to become a full-time magazine editor for NAVS, their photographer, public speaker and later their Chief Executive.
While working on animal protection campaigns, Creamer met her husband and future ADI Vice President Tim Phillips. In 1990 they founded ADI and have expanded the group’s presence worldwide, with offices in London, Los Angeles, and Bogota.
The approach of Creamer and Phillips was recently highlighted in South America, where they embedded an undercover team for two years inside the circus industry. The findings shocked a continent and a huge public awareness drive by Creamer and Phillips secured legislation to ban the use of animals in circuses in Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay and Ecuador, with legislation proposed in others. Creamer and Phillips then returned to Bolivia to assist the authorities in tracking down circuses defying the law, and in what became known as Operation Lion Ark raided and rescued every animal – closing eight circuses. The operation culminated in airlifting 29 lions to freedom in the USA (25 in one flight to Colorado and four to California). Now, “Lion Ark” the movie captures the behind-the-scenes plight of the animal rescue, the heartache, and their joyful flight to freedom.
Creamer firmly believes that evidence is the key to change. She leads her team from the front, presenting evidence to governments all over the world, appearing in the media, and organizing public outreach campaigns. Creamer also works undercover to capture the appalling treatment of animals on film. She creates false identities and elaborate cover stories to infiltrate animal trafficking operations, fur farms, and circuses. She even tricked her way into a laboratory dealer and left with a group of beagles that were headed for experimentation. Phillips and Creamer often head into harm’s way to collect evidence, and death threats and violent attacks from drug dealers and gunrunners do not deter these two heroes from fighting for animal rights.
Creamer and ADI have succeeded in rescuing and protecting animals worldwide:
- Prohibited the use of chimpanzees and wild monkeys in experiments in Europe
- Secured bans on animal circuses in 20 countries
- Ended cosmetics testing on animals throughout Europe
- Provided evidence for the prosecution of Hollywood animal trainer Mary Chipperfield, the owners of Bobby Roberts Circus, and employees of Have Trunk Will Travel, all caught on film physically abusing their animals
- Developed and promoted human computer simulations in university laboratories, saving hundreds of thousands of animals around the world from experimentation
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To learn more about the campaigns of Animal Defenders International, please visit http://www.ad-international.org and www.lionarkthemovie.com.
http://www.ad-international.org/adi_home/
http://www.lionarkthemovie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AnimalDefenders
https://twitter.com/animaldefenders
Donate to ADI’s Operation Spirit of Freedom rescuing animals from Peru’s circuses:
Animals https://www.secure.adi-navs-ldf.org/donate.asp?id=1396&cachefixer
Monkeys https://www.secure.adi-navs-ldf.org/donate.asp?id=1387&cachefixer
Cholita https://www.secure.adi-navs-ldf.org/donate.asp?id=1410&cachefixer
Further information about Operation Spirit of Freedom rescue with video: http://www.ad-international.org/animal_rescues/go.php?id=3825&ssi=24
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TIM PHILLIPS
Vice President of Animal Defenders International
Biography
Tim Phillips is the Vice-President and co-founder of Animal Defenders International (ADI), a highly respected organization that campaigns across the globe investigating animal issues, creating public awareness, securing progressive animal protection legislation, and rescuing animals in distress.
Phillips’ passion for saving animals grew from a documentary he saw in 1981 titled “The Animals’ Film.” At the time, there was little support for modern animal rights, but the film’s exposure of cruel animal treatment compelled Phillips to make a change. Within two weeks, he became a vegetarian, left his banking job, purchased a camera, and began capturing evidence of animal abuse. Phillips’ video and photographic images have revealed shocking practices in entertainment, farms, and laboratories. He has received numerous awards for his animal protection documentaries, advertisements, and training videos.
In 1990, Phillips co-founded ADI with his wife Jan Creamer, a fellow animal rights activist. With Phillips serving as Vice-President and Creamer as President, the tenacious duo built a worldwide reputation with committed teams stationed in major cities. Last year, Phillips and Creamer, following a series of dramatic ADI exposés leading to laws prohibiting animals in circuses in South America, embarked on enforcing these laws. In Bolivia, almost every circus defies the law, so Creamer and Phillips and their team set about tracking down the illegal circuses. In a series of surprise raids called Operation Lion Ark, they closed every circus and saved every animal, the climax was a huge airlift of 25 former circus lions to Colorado (four other lions were flown to California). Now, ADI’s upcoming documentary “Lion Ark” will astonish audiences with a behind-the-scenes experience of this breathtaking story of courage and compassion.
Phillips describes ADI’s approach as “holistic,” gathering both physical and scientific evidence to stop animal mistreatment. He uses hidden cameras to capture footage of the suffering and relies on animal experts to analyze the behaviors. The covert surveillance and research provide the necessary evidence to prosecute abusers in court. Phillips and Creamer must often dodge angry mobs and handle dangerous animals in order to pursue their cause, but they persevere in their campaigns to end animal suffering.
Phillips and ADI have succeeded in rescuing and protecting animals worldwide:
- Established new controls over cross border movements of traveling circuses in over 170 countries
- Have secured legislation to ban the use of animals in circuses in countries all over the world and currently have a Bill (the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act) to do so in the US before Congress
- Received invaluable support from renowned television host Bob Barker for Operation Lion Ark
- Tracked down and rescued a suffering chimpanzee from Chile to relocate him to his natural home in Africa
- Spearheaded the shutdown of half of the British circus industry within six months
- Exposed the cruel treatment of elephants in Hollywood movies through undercover investigation
- Secured measures to prohibit the use of apes and wild caught monkeys in experiments in all European countries
To learn more about the campaigns of Animal Defenders International, please visit http://www.ad-international.org and www.lionarkthemovie.com.
http://www.ad-international.org/adi_home/
http://www.lionarkthemovie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AnimalDefenders
https://twitter.com/animaldefenders
Donate to ADI’s Operation Spirit of Freedom rescuing animals from Peru’s circuses:
Animals https://www.secure.adi-navs-ldf.org/donate.asp?id=1396&cachefixer
Monkeys https://www.secure.adi-navs-ldf.org/donate.asp?id=1387&cachefixer
Cholita https://www.secure.adi-navs-ldf.org/donate.asp?id=1410&cachefixer
Further information about Operation Spirit of Freedom rescue with video: http://www.ad-international.org/animal_rescues/go.php?id=3825&ssi=24
