It has now been 19 days since the season ended at African Lion Safari, and Trish Gerth has not contacted me. I sent a follow up email to our brief talk when I was there, explaining I was happy to wait for the season to finish so that we could correspond once she was not as busy. She told me once the season was over she would have time to talk with me, but she has so far failed to honour this. 

This is an email I sent to her today, I am hoping she will consider emailing me back. To provide some context, on October 1 I left Canada, to go to Australia for a year. This is something I already had planned before this petition existed, and I wish I would have had more time in Canada, but as I state in the email, my location does not determine my persistency with this petition. 

This is an email for Trish Gerth,

Ms.Gerth, I hope you are well. I am disappointed to have not heard from you since the season ended at African Lion Safari. You did say once the season was over that you would be available. I am still very passionate and adamant about wanting this petition to have a positive effect, which would obviously be the elephant rides ending at your facility, including more information on threats to Asian elephants vs solely African elephants, and having an information center on these threats. The elephants at African Lion Safari are so iconic to the facility and what it stands for, namely conservation, that I feel this would be respecting global efforts towards saving their species and moving a step forward in the right direction for conservation efforts in Canada.

I do not want you to think that the country I am in will determine my persistency. I am just as motivated and capable in Australia as I am in Canada. While I am not available in person, I am more than available via email and phone as I have reiterated several times.

Social media is such a powerful tool, it can motivate, evoke emotion, and expose. One of the most terribly saddening and motivating accounts I have come across is on Instagram. This account posts daily news and images of countless elephants and other species suffering at the hands of tourism. The account link is this- https://www.instagram.com/jay_nicole_83/

I beg you look at this account. The horrors and truth this account shows is raw and powerful. I believe you have not looked at any of the images I provided you with or researched 'phajaan' also known as elephant crushing like I asked, otherwise I believe you would have changed your stance on elephant rides or at least contacted me to discuss this entire situation and the petition.

Ignorance is a dangerous bliss, and tourists create the victims of this ignorance. So many elephants are subjected to crushing to answer the demand for rides and tricks in Asia. You could do so much to help end this. Look past the money earned by your rides, pretend you are not managing a profitable business. Do not be biased on income. Do not be biased on what you have to gain, consider what we have to lose. Help to stop our generation from becoming the one that will be telling our grandchildren about elephants, a magnificent species the USED to exist.

I have changed my phone number being in Australia, so the one previously provided is no longer mine, my new number is +64 XXX XXX XXX. With the time difference if you were to contact me by phone it would be best to do it in morning or late evening your time.

Again, please contact me by phone or email,

Eiren

I ask that you also send an email to Trish Gerth, asking her to email me back, and stop the elephant rides. You can either go onto African Lion Safari's website, and go to the 'contact us' section, or directly email to admin@lionsafari.com . 

Thank you again to everyone's continued support.