Kei |
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13 years of living like this is enough |
Hello my name is Kei, Welcome to my World,
As I lay here on this cold hard concrete,
I watch as people pass me by and stand at the gate.
They stare at me and whisper things I can’t hear,
How I wish they would just rub my ears.
All I want is someone to touch,
Wipe away my tears that hurt so much.
I am so lonely here in this place,
So I lay my head down and hide my face.
I am getting on into my years,
With nothing inside me but my fears.
I stand for awhile but my legs hurt and are weak,
If only I didn’t have to lay on that cold hard concrete.
I am known as a wolf to some who come by,
They seem not to listen to my cries.
I don’t have the strength to howl anymore,
I just look and listen as they ignore.
Will I ever be taken to a place away from here?
Will any one notice all my tears?
I don’t know what Freedom is here where I live,
But I do know I have in my heart to forgive
Well I must go now, I have enjoy your company,
I’ll close my eyes and dream of a place that isn’t so lonely.
Wolf Whisper/Cindy Minde
March 2006 update"
KEI'S BIRTHDAY APRIL 4TH
Name: Kei the Wolf
Date of Birth: April 1992
Breed: North American Timber Wolf
Colour: Whiteish-grey Lives:
On her own in a barren Concrete 7m x 5m enclosure at Okinawa Kodomo no Kuni Zoo in Japan.
History: Born in April 1992, she arrived at the zoo in July of that year and has lived in the Okinawa
Children's Zoo since July 1992.
Daily Activities: Eating, sleeping, pacing around enclosure in boredom and due to stress of living in
such a small space.
For those who want to read the New Address/Update first, please scroll down.
Topic:
Kei is a 13 year old female North American Eastern
Timber Wolf who has lived virtually her entire life on a 7 x 4 meter concrete slab in almost total isolation from others of
her species at the Okinawa City Kodomo no Kuni Zoo in Okinawa, Japan. There, she is routinely barked and howled at and spends most of
her time pacing in the hot sub-tropical climate of Okinawa.
THREE easy and quick STEPS Of Action YOU Can Take:
1. April 4 is Kei`s birthday. She will be turning 14
years old. Please send a card to Kei to show the zoo that the world is watching them and still caring about her. It usually
takes about 7 days for an international letter to arrive to Okinawa, so there is still more than enough time. If cards are
a little late, that is ok as well.
Address the envelope as:
Yoshinobu Higa, Executive Administrator, or
Genwa Higa, Zoo Director,
Okinawa Kodomo no Kuni
Address: 5-7-1 Goya Okinawa-shi
Okinawa City, Okinawa Pref.,
Japan
Be sure that the card is clearly addressed to
Kei inside the envelope. It is best to not put Kei`s name on the outside of the envelope for they may be tempted to lay it
in a pile set aside specifically for her incoming mail. Addressing it to either of the two men above will insure that time
is spent routing it to them and them opening it. You may want to include action #2 below in with the card. However, two letters
coming in the mail is better than one.
2. Send an e-mail or a letter to the zoo (at
address above) requesting Kei be released to a sanctuary or that her enclosure be improved. Things you should mention
for improving her enclosure are:
1. Provide wood-chips.
2. Take down the plexi-glass panels that surround
her bars that prevent a fresh breeze from blowing through her enclosure.
3. Groom her.
4. Make sure she is de-ticked and provided with
tick powder to repell ticks and fleas.
5. Leash her and walk her outside her enclosure
prior to the park opening and after the park closes each day to provide exercise for her and mental stimulation.
3. Spread Kei`s campaign to your network of friends
and family and ask them to also join her campaign by sending a letter or e-mail on her behalf. Also, help get Kei`s plight
out to others by adding a link to her homepage at www.keithewolf.com
on your homepage. Be sure to also check out the
chatter on her at the Care2connect site set up for her at: http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/Kei which acts as her forum site.
Remember, when it comes to e-mailing the zoo
or sending a letter from time to time, it is not necessary to wait for an Action Message/Campaign Update. It is great if from
time to time you can take the innitiative and send out something to the zoo on your own.
Address and Update; IMPORTANT Point Below:
Hi Everyone, and welcome all new supporters.
I just visited the zoo 4 days ago and there really
is not anything new to report on Kei. She was sleeping while we were there. We took one photo of her which we will get out
to the groups. In addition, I do have two QuickTime clips of her that run about 2 minutes. They were taken toward the end
of last year and really show her in her ragged condition. They are a little disturbing to look at. Please go to her site www.keithewolf.com in about a week from now to view them. A new clip that is up now of her was posted last month and shows her splashing around in her new wading
pool.
The zoo is really in a construction mode. A new
bear enclosure is under construction and that one, too, is still too small. Actually, I am dumbfounded that they are building
an enclosure for the bear because they had told us that after this bear dies (and she is old) that they would not obtain another
one. The construction of this bear enclosure is a bad sign that bears will continue to be obtained for displaying even after
the bear they have now passes away.
Another multi-million dollar building to sell
entry tickets/visitor center/ veterinarian building is under construction. The ammenities toward making the visiting experience
a pleasant one for visitors are being focused on before animal enclosures in general (except for the bear enclosure mentioned
above).
IMPORTANT
The zoo here is moving ahead with its plans of
obtaining elephants for future breeding. Two baby elephants from India, now living in a forest camp in West Bengal (alerted to us by a reporter
in Calcutta) with their family herds, have been identified as destined for Okinawa. We are still in a good position to stop that. The elephants
cannot be shipped until an enclosure is constructed for them and that has not happened yet. Even zoo staff, when questioned
about obtaining elephants seem not too confident whether or not it will happen. It will depend on if their accomidations are
approved (most probably by JAZA). I also think that approving elephants for this zoo will be harder to do if there are enough
voices speaking up against it.
PLEASE, speak up and express your disapproval
and opposition to this zoo`s plan to get elephants. Explain to those concerned that this zoo does not have the adequate space
to provide for such large animals and that the way in which they care for the animals they presently have is proof that their
concept of animal care is lacking in professionalism, compassion, and expertise. Remember, keep all correspondence polite.
Send a brief e-mail and/or letter, Fax or call to:
Shri M.L. Tripathi / Ambassador of Indian Embassy in Tokyo
2-2-11 Kudan-minami, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0074
TEL : 03-3262-2391 , FAX : 03-3234-4866
And, be sure to let the Okinawa Zoo know your
opposition to it. Write them at:
Yoshinobu Higa, Executive Administrator, or
Genwa Higa, Zoo Director,
Okinawa Kodomo no Kuni
Address: 5-7-1 Goya Okinawa-shi
Okinawa City, Okinawa Pref.,
Japan
[
Summary of Names and Addresses
Below are a few mailing addresses and correponding names, Please use these contacts on
Kei's behalf. Write/email each of these contacts often. Thank you.
bulletin@pressnet.or.jpE-mail Address The Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Nippon Press Center
Bldg., 2-2-1 Uchisaiwai-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8543, Japan
The American Chamber of Commerce Okinawa office is located at: Ginowan
City Chamber of Commerce Bldg, 3F 1-11-11 Mashiki Ginowan City, Okinawa, Japan 901-2224 E-mail Address(es): chamber@accokinawa.org
Junichiro Nakasone
Mario Ginama, Okinawa Prefecture Tourism and Culture Office
Executive Administrator of Okinawa Tourist Office
Genwa Higa, Zoo Director
and/or address to
Mr. Mr. Yoshinobu Nishikawa, Executive administrator
E-mail Address(es): info@kodomo.city.okinawa.okinawa.jpof Okinawa Kodomo no Kuni Zoo Okinawa Children's Park (Island Park) Address: 5-7-1 Goya
Okinawa-shi Telephone: Country code: 011-81 TEL(098)933-4190 Closed
Tuesdays.
Governor Keichi Inamine 1-2-2 Izumizaki Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture Japan 900-8570
PRESS:
Mr. Hokama, SHAKAI-BU E-mail Address(es): koe@ryukyushimpo.co.jpNotes:display in Greeting SHAKAI BU (Society Section)
Dear Mr. Hokama,
E-mail Address(es): editor@pressnet.or.jpNotes: The Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Nippon Press Center Bldg., 2-2-1
Uchisaiwai-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo100-8543, Japan
The Kyoto Shimbun Newspaper Co.,Ltd.
SCHOOL - some field trips to the zoo were previously cancelled as stated in earlier msg.
from Greg Leisure
Mr. Turnipseed, Principal E-mail Address(es): ted.turnipseed@pac.dodea.eduNotes: thank him for taking this action Attention: Mr. Turnipseed, Principal...Amelia Earhart Elementary
School`s Principal.
KEI'S PETITIONS:
To: World
This is a petition to help save Kei, a sad and lonely wolf.
There is a North American
Timber Wolf named Kei that languishes in a zoo on the far side of the Pacific. In Okinawa, Japan, at the Okinawa Kodomo no
Kuni Zoo, you will find a wolf that has lingered on a concrete slab of 7 x 5 metres for the whole 16 years of her life. It
is a disgrace that an animal which has symbolized a part of North America`s frontier heritage should be forced to live out
her entire existence as such. It would also be a disgrace that once her plight has been made known; no one comes to her aid.
Mission Wolf, run by Kent Weber, has agreed to allow Kei, the North American timber wolf at Kodomo no Kuni, to
stay in a spacious enclosure with natural settings. Nearby, Kei will be in the company of other wolves and will never face
the isolation that she has had living for years at Okinawa's zoo. Greg Leisure, organizer of the "Campaign to Bring Kei Home",
says, "Wolves are highly social animals, and when kept in isolation they are deprived of the mental stimulation that is a
part of what makes them what they are. They therefore suffer. It would please all of us if Kei could once again experience
the moonlight howling parties of her species." To learn more about Mission Wolf, copy and past this URL address into your
browser: http://www.missionwolf.com/index.asp?sec=1
We ask you please to sign this petition
and pass it along to all of your friends and neighbours.
We thank you with our hearts,
Greg Leisure Okinaw
Zoo Project http://www.okinawazap.com/
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
http://www.petitiononline.com/Earle2/petition.html
To: Okinawa City's Kiddie Land Zoo ("Kodomo no Kuni")
To Whom It May Concern,
I urge you to do all you can in order to facilitate the release of
Kei, an aging North American timber wolf being held in inhumane and psychologically-devastating conditions at Okinawa City’s
Kiddie Land Zoo ("Kodomo no Kuni") in the most southern prefecture of Japan. The gate fees and concessions cannot even pay
for appropriate amounts/types of food for any of the animals held in grossly under-sized, inappropriate concrete cells devoid
of any natural replication of their true environments. A wolf sanctuary in Colorado is more than happy to take Kei, if only
the officials at the zoo would release her. After an initial façade of interest, the zoo officials have said no.
The
zoo officials’ reasoning for keeping the wolf captive and suffering shows neither a compassionate nor logical thought
process. The wolf is in abject misery as she paces neurotically non-stop "in order to entertain the children" (while they
scream at her and throw objects), which does little if anything in the form of education on wolf biology. This is not a valid
reason for keeping her! In fact, there is a social movement from many children and adults around the world to do exactly the
opposite--to free Kei!
We are publicizing this matter around the world, and Kei’s advocates will not stop short
of any result other than having her transported to a suitable situation where she can live out the few remaining years of
her life in peace.
To read a recent article about Kei, please read: http://www.japanupdate.com/en/?id=6029
To learn more about the grassroots movement to free Kei, go to: www.okinawazap.com
(Okinawa Zoo Action Project).
To learn of our ever-expanding worldwide network to help Kei, please visit: http://www.canadianvoiceforanimals.org/Free_Kei.html
Again, I plead for your support in this
matter. In signing this petition, I urge you to support the release of Kei from the horrors of "Kodomo no Kuni" and into the
custody of the sanctuary that is willing to care for her.
http://www.petitiononline.com/keinow/petition.html
Description/History: This is a petition to help save Kei, a sad and lonely wolf.
There is a North American Timber Wolf named
Kei that languishes in a zoo on the far side of the Pacific. In Okinawa, Japan, at the Okinawa Kodomo no Kuni Zoo, you will
find a wolf that has lingered on a concrete slab of 7 x 5 metres for the whole 16 years of her life. It is a disgrace that
an animal which has symbolized a part of North America`s frontier heritage should be forced to live out her entire existence
as such. It would also be a disgrace that once her plight has been made known; no one comes to her aid.
Mission
Wolf, run by Kent Weber, has agreed to allow Kei, the North American timber wolf at Kodomo no Kuni, to stay in a spacious
enclosure with natural settings. Nearby, Kei will be in the company of other wolves and will never face the isolation that
she has had living for years at Okinawa's zoo. Greg Leisure, organizer of the "Campaign to Bring Kei Home", says, "Wolves
are highly social animals, and when kept in isolation they are deprived of the mental stimulation that is a part of what makes
them what they are. They therefore suffer. It would please all of us if Kei could once again experience the moonlight howling
parties of her species." To learn more about Mission Wolf, copy and past this URL address into your browser:
http://www.missionwolf.com/index.asp?sec=1
We ask you please to sign
this petition and pass it along to all of your friends and neighbours.
Petition:
http://www.gopetition.com/info.php?currentregion=237&petid=5635
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