Safe Haven for Donkeys showing the new First Aid boxes with basic equipment to help donkeys with wounds and pain relief, whilst working in the brick kilns in Egypt
Today, I’m so pleased to bring you another update on your support - this time through the launch of our new community mobile vet team in the Aswan region of Egypt.
Because of the kindness of all our donors, more working donkeys and horses in remote communities will now be able to receive vital veterinary care - as you have helped fund the new team, their equipment, medicines, and a car to reach remote communities.
We hope you enjoy reading all about it in this week's e-news.
Thank you,
Wendy Safe Haven UK Office
An update from Egypt
Our new Egypt veterinary team has now completed their training, as we prepare to expand our work with a third mobile clinic.
Dr Ahmed, a veterinarian with eight years of experience, has joined Safe Haven alongside veterinary assistant Ali. They will begin travelling across an area known as Upper Egypt, covering Aswan, Luxor and Qena to reach working donkeys and horses in urgent need of care.
Dr Ahmed (second left) and Ali (far right) - our new mobile vet team in Upper Egypt
The team started work alongside our brick kiln vet teams, learning directly from Dr Shaaban and the wider team members, to deliver the same high standard of practical veterinary care.
Understanding the reality of working in the brick kilns will provide a thorough grounding. From the harsh conditions and common injuries faced by the animals, to how our teams calmly handle donkeys and carry out full health assessments in difficult environments.
Our new team completed their training in the harsh conditions of the brick kilns
The training also included hoof care, lameness assessment and learning how to recognise problems such as tendon injuries and poor body condition. By building these skills from the very beginning, the new team will be able to deliver consistent and effective care to working animals.
People were soon queuing up with their donkeys and horses to receive veterinary treatment - these remote regions have little access to such care
We're pleased to report that Dr Ahmed and Ali have now carried out their very first mobile clinic in a village in the El Abasia district of Aswan.
Working in the intense heat, they treated 25 working animals - including 22 donkeys and 3 horses - many of whom had no previous access to veterinary support. Every animal received essential treatment, including deworming medication. All funded thanks toyour support.
Our team will work hard to help animals in desperate need of veterinary care - their condition is in stark contrast to working donkeys in the 'green' brick kilns
The team found many animals suffering from painful wounds, chronic tendon problems and poor body condition caused by undernourishment. These early findings highlight just how urgently veterinary care is needed in these remote communities.
Donkey owners were happy to see our team - the health of their animals is a huge concern, but veterinary care is scarce in the area
Owners were incredibly grateful to the team, thanking them for helping improve the health of their animals. Our initial work has also helped identify other villages in urgent need of our vet team's help, allowing us to plan future visits with local authorities.
Thank you for helping us bring care to more working animals in need.
Thank YouErna
Your support helps us fund our vet teams in Gaza, the West Bank, and Egypt, bringing vital veterinary treatment directly to working donkeys, mules and horses indesperate need. You are also caring for rescue donkeys at our sanctuaries in Israel and the West Bank, where they receive nutritious food, specialist care, and the safety of a forever home.
From rescuing animals in desperate need and providing life-saving veterinary care, to supporting communities through education and prevention, and advocating for stronger protections against cruelty and abuse – your support is transforming lives every single day.
One Health – Protecting Animals and People
Our One Health teams work with communities every day island-wide to provide sterilisation, rabies vaccinations, and education. With limited access to veterinary care, most dogs remain unsterilised – and most female puppies are abandoned.
So far this year, our One-Health team has sterilised 1,434 dogs, vaccinated 2,281, and treated 1,804.
The impact is immediate and lasting: vaccinations protect people and animals, sterilisation prevents the suffering of unwanted puppies, and education builds compassion – helping dogs be seen as companions, not threats.
In this way, your support enables us to prevent suffering before it begins – reducing the spread of disease and stopping the cycle of abandonment and suffering at its source.
While the challenges we face are urgent, we are equally committed to building a more compassionate future through education.
So far this year, 12,702 children across 72 schools have taken part in our education programme – learning to understand, respect, and care for animals.
Working closely with schools across the island, we are teaching children about responsible dog ownership, rabies prevention, and kindness towards animals
These young minds are the future of Bali, and every lesson creates a ripple effect – from the classroom to families, villages, and beyond.
BAWA’s hotline has responded to 683 emergency calls just this year – from dogs trapped in river gorges, roadside accidents, motherless newborns, to severe abuse and neglect situations.
Rehabilitation & Rehoming: From Survival to Love
Every day, BAWA cares for over 400 rescued dogs – not just feeding them, but rebuilding their lives through medical care, nourishment, and trust, until they get to live the life we dream of for them... not just surviving, but truly thriving.
So far this year, we have rehomed 70 dogs and cats into loving families.
Every rescue, every classroom, every vaccination, every treatment is part of something bigger. You are helping reduce suffering and to build a future where animals are safe, valued, and protected.
If energy could take shape, climb trees, and demand chunks of watermelon, it would probably look a lot like Jenny.
But Jenny’s story didn’t begin with all this play and curiosity that we’re about to tell you of. It began in the forests of Madhya Pradesh, where she was found as a tiny cub, just 2 months old, after a tragic encounter at the edge of human habitation. Separated from her mother far too soon, she was brought to our care at the Agra Bear Rescue Facility (ABRF) by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department. Fragile and uncertain, Jenny was in need of constant support. What followed was a journey shaped by round-the-clock care, careful nutrition, and slow building of trust. Her journey with us turned fear into curiosity, and hesitation into the bold, spirited personality we see today.
[Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/Vineet Singh]
From the moment she wakes up, Jenny, now a year old, doesn’t just casually begin her day, she launches into it with utmost vigour. One minute she’s peeking out of her resting spot, and the next, she’s already plotting her next adventure, whether that’s conquering a log, splashing through water, or turning a simple tyre into a possible hula hoop!
With all that energy, we had to make sure that the little one has a big enclosure to exhaust all of it. In a way, keeping up with her vivacious spirit is a full-time job in itself. Inside her enclosure, there’s a curvy wooden hanging enrichment made of logs. She stands on her two legs, grabs the enrichment, and just as it turns, she too swings along with it! While doing so, what’s within it are the hidden dates that come tumbling down. She is also seen wrestling with this structure, in case it has more of these dates that haven’t made it through!
[Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/Mradul Pathak]
Jenny doesn’t just like water, she celebrates it! Her enclosure has a small pond, where she truly comes alive, splashing with such enthusiasm that it feels less like a bath time and more like a water park adventure. Water droplets fly in every direction as she stomps, rolls, and rejoices.
When North India saw heavy showers before the summer set in, most bears under our care did what one would usually expect of them: stayed dry and cosy within their indoor dens. Jenny, however, had other plans. She woke up, peeped out of her shed to “check” the weather, and within seconds decided that this was, in fact, the best muddy day ever. What followed was hopscotching through puddles, splashing, and turning the rainy day into a playful game day.
[Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/Sanjeev Marskole]
Inside Jenny’s enclosure stands a tall tree with a wooden platform built at the top, an enrichment designed to boost their climbing ability. Most bears enjoy it. If climbing had a scoreboard, the other bears would comfortably score a six, and a more jolly one like our recently rescued bear Gracie, who loves climbing trees, might reach a nine. But Jenny can simply outrun and demolish all records set by her forerunners at the centre. Her swiftness easily surpasses a measly scale of 10! She races up the tree, settles on the platform attached, and then casually starts playing with branches all around within the “verandah” made specially for her.
[Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/Atharva Pacharne]
Jenny isn’t just active, she’s remarkably sharp. Target training cues that usually take time for other bears to recall are nothing but pieces of cake for Jenny. Take sleeve training, for instance, where she’s required to calmly present her forearm so the team can monitor her health. While many bears need time to understand the process, it only took two attempts for Jenny to figure it out. It’s the kind of learning curve that even makes her caregivers go, “Wow, that was fast!”
[Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/Sanjeev Marskole]
For Srinu Srikanta Maharana, Wildlife SOS’s Senior Research Assistant at ABRF who has been working closely with her, watching a young sloth bear grasp concepts this quickly is as fascinating as it is rewarding. While Jenny may be independent in her adventures, she shares a close bond with both Srinu and her caregiver, Deshraj. When Jenny first came to our centre, she was dealing with health challenges like diarrhoea that were brought on by stress. Specialised hand-rearing care was given to the cub, with required supplements blended into her milk formula she received. Caregivers were committed to provide constant nourishment, comfort, and reassurance to Jenny, which has worked wonders for her well-being.
[Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/Atharva Pacharne]
Graduating from milk, Jenny was led to a nourishing porridge, and it quickly won Jenny’s heart. Among fruits, watermelons and apples are her firm favourites, and she would choose them every single time over the others offered. With the onset of summer, there’s an all new fresh scent in the air: will mangoes make it to her list of favourites as well?
Jenny’s unstoppable curiosity and liveliness show how she’s growing up to be a healthy and happy sloth bear. Every run, every climb, every splash of water is a reflection of a bear who is thriving, physically and mentally. She is equal parts an athlete, an explorer and a problem-solver, an exceptional young bear who makes each day a joyful experience.
Jenny has brought a fresh zest of life at ABRF with her childhood mischief that we absolutely love. Donate today and help Wildlife SOS continue caring for sloth bears like Jenny.
Viola doesn't have to perform anymore but she is waiting for a sanctuary to spent her last years in with good veterinary care
After months of sustained pressure from PETA and growing public backlash over the use of wild animals forced to perform under threat, Jordan World Circus has officially removed elephants from its performances, effective immediately, according to PETA.
Following the announcement, PETA has suspended its campaign targeting the circus’s elephant acts, which included dozens of demonstrations at tour stops nationwide, more than 600,000 emails sent by supporters, and formal complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The shift comes after renewed scrutiny of the treatment of Viola, an elephant long used in circus performances. In March, PETA released a report from a leading elephant expert detailing serious foot and joint conditions affecting Viola—who has been described as “The Most Desperate Elephant in the World” due to multiple attempted escapes during her lifetime in captivity. Taken from her family in Asia as a calf, Viola has spent approximately five decades in chains with Carson & Barnes Circus,which has supplied elephants to Jordan World Circus. Throughout those years, she has been forced to perform physically demanding tricks despite her age and deteriorating health. PETA has documented that elephants used in traveling circuses are frequently transported across the country for most of the year, often denied consistent veterinary care, and controlled through violent training methods involving steel-tipped bullhooks.
“Jordan World Circus has heard the message loud and clear that kind people don’t want to see elderly elephants hit with sharp metal bullhooks and threatened into performing tricks,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “This is a great step forward, and PETA will continue pushing for these elephants to be released to reputable sanctuaries where they’ll never be chained or beaten again.”
While PETA has welcomed the circus’s decision to end elephant performances, the organization is now urging everyone to call on Carson & Barnes Circus to transfer Viola and the other elephants to accredited sanctuaries where they can receive proper care and live out their remaining years in peace.
The organization, whose motto is that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way,” advocates that Every Animal Is Someone while offering free Empathy Kits. For more information, Click HERE!
Viola’s Desperate Attempts to Escape Abuse in the Circus Industry
Elephants like Viola don’t perform in circuses because they want to—they perform because they’re afraid of what will happen if they don’t. Trainers use sharp weapons called bullhooks to threaten Viola and bully her into performing tricks and giving rides. The circus has been caught violently hitting Viola and other elephants with bullhooks during training and performances.
Viola being forced to give rides by a handler carrying a sharp metal bullhook. Photo: PETA
Viola has attempted to escape her captors on at least four separate occasions, demonstrating both her desperation to escape and the circus’s ineptitude to keep animals secure. Viola escaped as recently as 2024, dodging cars, pedestrians, and other chaos in a busy city center.
Escaping puts her and everyone around her in danger, but after decades in the circus, it seems like she’s willing to do anything to get away.
Viola and Other Elephants Suffer Even When Not Used for Circus Tricks
When not forced to perform uncomfortable and demeaning circus tricks, Viola and the other elephants she’s traveled with are confined at an elephant training compound misleadingly named the “Endangered Ark Foundation” in Oklahoma.
The Endangered Ark Foundation has a long history of elephant abuse and poor animal welfare. On March 14, 2026, Dr. Chris Draper, an elephant expert with over 25 years of experience in animal welfare science, visited the facility. There, he observed a trainer openly and forcefully using a bullhook on an elderly elephant named Traci who was trying to stand up during a “bathing” encounter. As the trainer approached her, it became abundantly clear why she had been so desperate to stand: She defecated very loose stool. Dr. Draper opined that the looseness may have been a result of trying to hold her down.
Viola has attempted to escape her captors on at least four separate occasions, demonstrating both her desperation to escape and the circus’s ineptitude to keep animals secure. Viola escaped as recently as 2024, dodging cars, pedestrians, and other chaos in a busy city center.
Escaping puts her and everyone around her in danger, but after decades in the circus, it seems like she’s willing to do anything to get away.
Viola and Other Elephants Suffer Even When Not Used for Circus Tricks
When not forced to perform uncomfortable and demeaning circus tricks, Viola and the other elephants she’s traveled with are confined at an elephant training compound misleadingly named the “Endangered Ark Foundation” in Oklahoma.
The Endangered Ark Foundation has a long history of elephant abuse and poor animal welfare. On March 14, 2026, Dr. Chris Draper, an elephant expert with over 25 years of experience in animal welfare science, visited the facility. There, he observed a trainer openly and forcefully using a bullhook on an elderly elephant named Traci who was trying to stand up during a “bathing” encounter. As the trainer approached her, it became abundantly clear why she had been so desperate to stand: She defecated very loose stool. Dr. Draper opined that the looseness may have been a result of trying to hold her Despite the crowd observing this incident and it being clear she’d been trying to stand in order to defecate, the trainer continued to insist that Traci needed to lie down for the bathing encounters, even if it meant lying in her own loose feces.
Dr. Draper also observed Viola at a 2026 Jordan World Circus performance. There, he saw her and another elderly elephant, Isa, being used for rides and a performance. During rides, Dr. Draper noted Viola was exhibiting signs of serious leg stiffness and chronic veterinary issues. According to his report, “[Viola] appeared reluctant or unable to bend the right front wrist, shuffling the leg forward without visible flexion.”
Viola’s abnormal gait is plainly visible, making it difficult to believe that Carson & Barnes is unaware of her condition, but they are still forcing her to carry as many as nine humans at once on a near-daily basis. This burden will only exacerbate her foot and joint issues.
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