Animal Rescue with Marion Garnett
Dedicated animal expert Marion Garnett, founder of the Ealing Animal Charities Fair, continues her column
DO you get on with your manager? I’ve had some fabulous managers but I also know what it’s like to have one who’s been promoted beyond their ability.
Although everyone in an organisation is important, it matters who the managers are – particularly at the level of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Their decisions influence the whole organisation.
This week, there’s been changes at the top of two local animal centres. Firstly, a new CEO has been appointed at the National Animal Welfare Trust (NAWT) to replace Clare Williams who has retired. The incoming CEO is Rob Mitchell who has been a General Manager with John Lewis. He has also, in the past, fostered more than 50 dogs.
Secondly, Caroline Yates, CEO for 14 years at Mayhew, is stepping into a new position as head of international projects and relations. Howard Bridges has become the interim CEO at Mayhew while a permanent replacement is recruited.
We wish these CEOs well in their new posts.
The third CEO we’re thinking about this week is Duncan McNair, CEO of Save The Asian Elephants (STAE). He’s also a prominent lawyer and local resident.
It’s always useful to have a good lawyer on your side especially if, like many Asian elephants, you’re subjected to horrendous abuse. STAE tells how young elephants are snatched from their forest homes to supply tourist attractions, temples and festivals.
Their capture from the wild often entails slaughtering their mothers who try to protect them. The captured baby elephants are then subjected to the brutal practice known as pajan during which they are tied with ropes to prevent them moving, beaten, stabbed and deprived of food/water/sleep. This is designed to break their spirit and brutalise them into submission for easy commercial exploitation.
STAE’s campaign against these practices has included a mammoth petition and (remote) government meetings including at 10, Downing Street. STAE has tried hard to persuade hundreds of travel companies to change by presenting the awful evidence of abuse at venues they advertise. STAE is calling for a law to ban advertising and sales of cruel elephant-related “attractions” in the UK market, which sadly are still widely promoted. The bill would promote genuine sanctuaries where elephants can be observed at a respectful distance.
As the result of public support for STAE, the government states it is now considering introducing such a law. For details and to sign the petition, go to stae.org. As CEO Duncan says, this needs to be a proper law with real teeth.