Friday December 29, 2006, 11:06 pm
The Remembering Sheena Campaign (RSC) thanks the STAR newspaper for informing the public about Mardos fate. Otherwise, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan), that runs the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary where Mardos lived, would have quietly put Mardos to sleep without any remorse that they made him suffer in pain for six months.

Saturday December 30, 2006, 12:29 am
Friends,

Even as I'm writing this, my heart is bleeding for this baby elephant, Mardos who was put down one day after Christmas. Christmas is a time to remember God’s Mercy and Love. Finally, Mardos can find such Mercy in death which has been eluding him all his life among uncaring humans.

His story is so sad. He fell into a well and his mother presumably cried until she had no more tears, being helpless to get her baby out of the well. I imagine having to walk away from that well, must have been the hardest thing she ever had to do.

To make matters worse, the staff of Malaysia’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan), took this baby elephant they promptly called Mardos out of the well. Mardos was just three months old when he was found in the well. Since then he had been kept in Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary in Lanchang Pahang, Malaysia.

Some sanctuary!!! Tourists complained that Mardos was just skin and bones. So Perhilitan took him back to its headquarters in Cheras, nursed Mardos back to health for three months and poor Mardos eventually found his way back to Kuala Gandah where he was poorly treated in the first place.

On July 1 as he was being transported to a school for a "show", Mardos slipped on faeces at the back of the truck and fell injuring his knees. He was only taken to Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) veterinary hospital on Tuesday - TWO WHOLE DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT.

I cannot imagine how Perhilitan can allow a baby to suffer in pain like that and do nothing until Tuesday???

To add insult to the injury, UPM said the problem was too difficult to fix and sent him back to Kuala Gandah. A source said the fate of the animal would depend on his resilience to pain and if he would eat. RESILIENCE TO PAIN??? He's only a baby and he's already been through so much pain.

RSC and many other animal welfare groups called for Mardos to be euthanized immediately, but after Perhilitan's earlier blunder that killed another baby elephant, Mat Chepor, they were probably afraid of incurring the wrath of the public and tourists for losing another baby elephant so soon.

Perhaps that was why Mardos had to endure his suffering for six months before Perhilitan quietly put him down, probably during the holiday season, so no one would notice. Mardos was euthanized on December 26, 2006.

Even then they could not let him go with dignity. The STAR newspaper reported that Mardos body (carcass) was skinned “to preserve his remains”. Why does an animal need to be skinned to preserve their remains?? This is a ridiculous statement and we are left to wonder what is really going on within Perhilitan.

Due to the astonishing number of cases in Malaysia where animal body parts are sold on the black market, it is only right that Perhilitan clarifies why it was necessary to skin Mardos. What other parts of this poor baby was taken and used for what purpose?

Even as this letter is being written, there are animals on the endangered species list entertaining the public at popular resorts in Malaysia in breach of the CITES laws. How is it possible to blatantly flout international laws under the very nose of Perhilitan?

Many other disturbing issues raised over Mardos by the Press have not been addressed by Perhilitan. These issues are:

1. Why animal transfer protocol in transporting Mardos was not followed.

2. Why Perhilitan staff at Kuala Gandah waited for two days before seeking medical treatment for Mardos?

3. Why are baby elephants taken out for “shows”? Isn’t it enough that they are forced to “entertain” people at this so-called sanctuary? If they are taken on road shows, then Kuala Gandah should call itself a circus, not a sanctuary.

4. Why did tourists complain Mardos was skin and bones at the Kuala Gandah sanctuary?

Malaysia is trying hard to lure tourists next year for the Visit Malaysia Year 2007. The irony is that they are using photos and clips of our tropical rainforest, elephants, orang utans etc., to lure them.

What they are not telling the tourists are stories like Mardos and Mat Chepor. Stories about the endless drone of chainsaws cutting down a 130 million year forest in Perak – causing many baby elephants to be separated from their mothers as they run from loggers and chainsaws. Uncontrolled logging is going on all over Malaysia and Perhilitan is doing nothing about it.

Please tell the Malaysian government why you don’t want to come here. Why you would rather see orang utans, elephants and other wildlife in their natural habitat. Please tell them you are not interested in watching orang utans perform kick boxing or other ridiculous acts at popular resorts that blatantly flaunt CITES International laws by holding endangered animals as prisoners to entertain tourists.

Please help us and the animals by writing to:

Prime Minister Y.A.B. Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister’s Office Malaysia
e-mail: ppm@pmo.gov.my

YB Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Bernard Giluk Dompok
Minister of the Public Complaints Bureau
e-mail: jpmbgd@pmo.gov.my

The Malay Mail and Weekend Mail
News e-mail: mmnews@nstp.com.my
Hotline e-mail: hotline@mmail.com.my

The Star Newspaper
e-mail: editor@thestar.com.my

New Straits Times
e-mail: newsdesk@nst.com.my
e-mail: news@nstp.com.my

Malaysiakini
e-mail: editor@malaysiakini.com

Jane Goodall Institute
USA HQ
Bill Johnston
President/CEO
e-mail: info@janegoodall.org

Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warrior
e-mail: info@wildlifewarriors.org

WSPA-World Society for the Protection of Animals
e-mail: wspa@wspausa.com

Your voice counts, and together we can make a difference.

Thank you,
Nick & Shoba
Humane Society
RSC-Remembering Sheena Campaign
FFF-Furry Friends Farm

Saturday December 30, 2006, 6:46 am
This so called sanctuary should be closed down and a real one opened with a natural habitat. And not making the animals perform. I love just watching animals do their own thing. Most enjoyable. I will send letters. Thanks for posting Nick.

Saturday December 30, 2006, 7:02 am
This is heart breaking,they never should have treated the elephant this way.They should have burried the animal whole,they did not have the right to take body parts,I truley hate them for what they did to the elephant, they have no RESPECT for animals!!

Saturday December 30, 2006, 7:39 am
Will send letters, Nick. Thank you

Saturday December 30, 2006, 9:23 am
Noted. This is a sanctuary? It should be investigated, exposed for what they have done and closed permanently before further harm comes to another animal.

Saturday December 30, 2006, 9:40 am
Thank you for the news, Nick. I am so sorry to hear about this little baby, I will do what I can with lettes etc. I would like to know why they cut this animal up, it always goes back to $. What the heck do they want his bodyparts for??? That truly bothers me. peace

Saturday December 30, 2006, 11:30 am
thank you for posting this...this is just horrible...I am so sorry to hear about this little baby...I will send letters and do what I can...are there any petitions to sign??

Saturday December 30, 2006, 11:46 am
Thank you all for your support and help on this. It will truly make all the difference if we keep putting pressure on such issues. Please, I urge everyone to send in your e-mails.

We have not started any petitions just yet Joyce. Lets see how things go with this direct e-mails and letter writting from individuals and groups from around the globe goes. If there are no action taken or feedback given, then we'll proceed in creating a petition. We are not going to let this go that easily, and you can count on my word on that...

Monday January 1, 2007, 1:23 am
To Those who do, know, and sanction demonic treatment of animals - know yourselves in truth.

In these times only black soulless thoughtform clone humans with no consciousness can continue to glibbly perpetrate these horrors on innocents. Soon you yourselves will embody all the accumulated mayhem and nightmarish suffering you are causing to innocents with impunity and all the tortures you are enacting will become your own direct experiences. To any soul with a functioning heart, these putrid behaviours are beyond comprehension.

Dee

I have not one clue where this Email is going but I will include my email address zeroeffect@telus.net so that it reaches the appropriate group of parasites.

Monday January 1, 2007, 3:56 am
The poor baby. =(

Monday January 1, 2007, 2:48 pm
God Bless Mardos....may he finally have peace free of pain ...

Sunday January 14, 2007, 11:32 am
noted