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Kei
kei.jpg
How lonely she must be

Kei
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Please click on Kei's picture for more information

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. Please do some of the actions below to
help us get her released and back to a wolf sanctuary in North America
so that she can live out her last years of life in a more peaceful
setting, giving her the dignity she deserves.

Kei
keidying.jpg
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

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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.

Kei
 
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

 
Kei
Kei

kei.jpg
 
Kei this in not living 3.jpg  [

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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.jp
E-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
Prime Minister
E-mail Address(es):
 
hentou@kantei.go.jp

Christensen, Ione: SEN
E-mail Address(es):

CHRISI@SEN.PARL.GC.CA
 
 
Mario Ginama,
Okinawa Prefecture Tourism and Culture Office
Executive Administrator of Okinawa Tourist Office
1-2-2 Izumizaki,
Naha City, Okinawa Japan
900-8570

aa057037@pref.okinawa.jp
 

Genwa Higa, Zoo Director
and/or address to
Mr. Mr. Yoshinobu Nishikawa, Executive administrator 
E-mail Address(es):
info@kodomo.city.okinawa.okinawa.jp
of 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
E-mail Address(es):

governor@pref.okinawa.jp
Snail Mail message to:
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.jp
Notes:display in Greeting
SHAKAI BU (Society Section)
Dear Mr. Hokama,
 
E-mail Address(es):
editor@pressnet.or.jp
Notes:
The Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association
Nippon Press Center Bldg., 2-2-1 Uchisaiwai-cho, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo100-8543, Japan
 
 
info@timtuelassa.com
E-mail Address
 
KadenaJack@cox.net
E-mail Address
 
 
The Kyoto Shimbun Newspaper Co.,Ltd.
 
master@press9.gr.jp
E-mail Address
 
 
Mmrigge@aol.com
E-mail Address
 
pubchr@okiu.ac.jp
E-mail Address
 
 
 
 
 
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.edu
Notes: thank him for taking this action
Attention: Mr. Turnipseed, Principal...Amelia Earhart Elementary School`s Principal.  

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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