Born Free USA Blog
8 Days Until CITES
12 tusks recovered from poachers
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe — Ivory poached in Zimbabwe finds a ready market in Botswana, according to the police.
Koko Is Free
Tuesday, Feb. 13th, 2007: As I sat in my office going through my usual morning routine of sipping coffee and skimming my favorite online news outlets, I came upon the San Francisco Chronicle’s SFGATE.com. They have a section called “Day in Pictures” which hosts a few random photos of people, animals, and places around the globe.
Little did I know the picture I would come across would forever change the life of one courageous animal — and my own.
Lights, Camera, Action!
Movie shooting schedules may run from 2 to as many as 15 weeks. However, when you’re working with wild animals it can take a tad bit longer. I know because my film U’Bejani (which means black rhino in Zulu) shot for approximately 159 weeks. The shooting breakdown was simple: 3 weeks to film the people shots and 3 years to film the animal shots!
Six down, 44 to go!
I finished the St. George (Utah) Marathon on October 3 in 3:45:19. I qualified for Boston 2010, finished with a faster time than my last four marathons, and ran the first negative split (second half faster than the first) of my life. And to top it off, I felt great! In the last couple miles, letting gravity help me clock some 7:15-7:30 pace on the welcome downhills, it really helped to visualize the monkeys at the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary, and to picture the friends who supported my run at St. George by contributing to Born Free USA. You know who you are — and you are heroes to me and to the animals.
Next stop: Utah
It feels like finishing the Shiprock Marathon in New Mexico was just a few weeks ago ... five months have flown fast. In four days, I’ll be in Utah, running the St. George Marathon. This will be my 15th marathon overall and my fourth marathon in support of Born Free USA’s work for wildlife.
Never Forget the Animals of 9-11
Nikki Solone, a well known Sacramento artist and Born Free USA Artist for Animals, provided us with the following guest blog. The story originally appeared in Nikki’s own newsletter. When we read this heartwarming story, we knew we wanted to share it with you as well. You can commission your own painting from Nikki here and she’ll ensure a portion is donated to Born Free USA.
September 11, 2001 is a day most of us will never forget as we witnessed the attacks and collapse of the twin towers, falling with them 2,740 of America’s citizens. What we must also never forget are the teams of heroic people and search and rescue dogs who saved lives while risking their own as they searched through the rubble.
Running on the Navajo Nation
I finished the Shiprock Marathon in New Mexico! It was cold (high 40s to low 50s), drizzly and occasionally full-on rainy, and there was a strong (and cold) headwind for much of the course. The hills (up and down) were exactly as expected, since I had prepared well using the course elevation chart.
Running toward Maui
When this adventure began — running a marathon in every state to raise awareness and funds for Born Free USA — it added something unexpected to my life. I was already excited about dedicating my existing 50-state goal to a cause so close to my heart. The surprise is the subtle change it has brought to my thinking processes. I’ve been wondering, in my running life and my everyday life, How would an animal feel in this situation?
