Stews 4 Elephants

05/29/2026

Incredibly sad news from PAWS… Toka, the beautiful tusked elephant has passed. Toka is one of the few lucky elephants who got to live a life of freedom in sanctuary after a horrendous life of Captivity in a zoo.
RIP Toka… fly free🙏🏻

05/23/2026

Retired Justice Barbara Jaffe published a powerful reflection in The Fulcrum today about the concept of judicial courage. She opens up about the ridicule she faced simply for granting the NhRP a chance for our lawsuit on behalf of two chimpanzees (Hercules and Leo) to be heard.

“...the need to render decisions that might seem ridiculous to some also demands courage informed by the lessons of history.”

Without her willingness to open that door, key milestones in legal history may not have been made. Her courage paved the way for the former Court of Appeals Judge Fahey to issue his historic opinion in Hercules and Leo's case—in which he validated the NhRP’s argument—and later, for Chief Judge Wilson and Judge Rivera to issue their powerful dissents in the NhRP’s case on behalf of Happy the elephant.

Legal change rarely begins with consensus. It begins with people who are willing to seriously consider questions others dismiss.

We’re grateful for Justice Jaffe’s courage, thoughtfulness, and continued leadership.

Please read her article on judicial courage here: https://bit.ly/3RC2uIj

05/22/2026

05/06/2026

04/30/2026

Q1 Updates:

At the end of February, our very own board member, Loreen La Penna, had the opportunity to visit the Elephant Nature Park.

Here’s a quick update from ENP: The new hospital is now complete, and they are in the process of installing brand-new medical equipment. This facility includes a large treatment area for elephants, along with offices and living spaces for both resident and visiting vets. There’s even potential for visiting researchers to stay. A mural features the hospital’s donors, including S4E!

The dogs have been relocated from their original spot in the park to a safer area, away from flood zones. They now have a new, spacious area for disabled dogs, along with large play areas and runs for all the dogs. It’s a beautiful and well-thought-out space!

Check out these photos showcasing the new hospital and dog project—both are truly impressive! During her visit, Loreen also got to see elephants like Moh Lo, LekLek, Mae Dok, Nam Thip, Mintra, Kabu, Chana, Medo, Chaba, Fai Mai, and her family, among many others, all thriving.

This visit was incredibly rewarding, highlighting the amazing work and progress at ENP. S4E is planning another large group visit in 2027, and we’re excited to witness all the advancements. We can’t wait to introduce new members to this magical sanctuary!

Learn more at S4EGLOBAL.ORG

04/27/2026

"Clickbaiting" is the practice of posting to get as many likes, comments, and reshares as possible... no matter the content's authenticity. "Harmless" you may think, "It stays online, what's the matter?" you may wonder, "I never fall for it"... are you sure? 👀

AI-generated videos and images are becoming increasingly elaborate and easy to create, making it almost impossible for the untrained eye to distinguish them from reality. With just a few sentences and a basic online tool, anyone can come up with the most convincing visuals to get the highly sought-after "buzz" on social media. More and more often, we receive reports of interaction with wild animals - a friendly encounter with a tiger, an elephant amusingly pushing a motorbike - supposedly filmed but that are in fact misleading, AI-generated and thus totally fake videos. They get thousands of likes, and most of all, spread confusion among viewers. 🤨

Be careful when feeding the algorithm with your likes and shares, as this fleeting fame comes at the price behind the screen: "I saw someone do it on Instagram, what can't I approach this lion too?". Unfortunate and often fatal incidents happen all around the world as people mistake the reality of the wilderness with what they see online and put tremendous stress on the animals. 🦁❌

Petting a lion is not cute. Playing with an elephant should NOT be a dream come true. Let's take back control of our social media and flood them with REAL images of animals in their habitat instead.

Share with care and learn how to spot AI-generated content on our website, as it undermines the real work done to protect animals around the world. ➡️ https://www.four-paws.org/our-stories/publications-guides/how-to-spot-ai-images-and-videos-on-social-media