Wednesday, November 2, 2011

oh my, where have i been?

well, breaking promises to post frequent and entertainingly funny blogs, for one. and writing more books. and gloating with pleasure because my last book, An Inconvenient Elephant was chosen as one of the books to be advertised along with the Ipad and Iphone for a whole season. It was on tv and on big posters plastered all over subway stations and bus terminals and various phone service stores. what a thrill, really, to see it.
I had some surgery, traveled a bit, wrote a bit, lost some weight, put it back on, lost it again, went blond (never fall asleep while an enthusiastic hairdresser is doing your hair), spent some time getting used to being blonde (more on that later- blondes really do have more fun) and wrote some more. i also made a promise to myself to do more things in new york city since i only live an hour away by car. one thing is to see warhorse. have you seen it?
will write some more tomorrow.
p.s. also happy because Bob Barker, of TV fame, along with some terrific animal rights people (like Pat Derby and Ed Stewart from PAWS) are launching a bill in Congress that will change the lives of circus animals for the better.
talk to you soon.
smoochies,
judy

4 comments:

Karrie K said...

Is this book based on Tusker the bull elephant killed on Jan 6th 2008 in Zimbabwe Africa?

If so I worked at the time with the NGO Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force whom worked desperately to save him.

Karrie D Kern
CEO/Founder
One World Conservation

JudyReene said...

Dear Karrie
thanks for your comment and you are absolutely right, Tusker is the Tusker. I signed all sorts of petitions and wrote letters, etc. to keep that magnificent animal out of the hands of the Zimbabwean army, but as you know, in the end, he was killed. It was a horrible and heartbreaking defeat. He inspired me to write Inconvenient Elephant, because that's what he was. I couldn't save him but i could at least bring his story to the world and raise awareness. Please write me more about what you do. thanks and god bless, judy.

Karrie K said...

Thanks for the reply, A friend alerted me to your book and thought it might be based on him.

Tusker was the case that affected my life most. There are some case's that change you forever. It changed who I was as a person, Everything I am and everything I do is in his name. Every animal we help is in his honor.
I joined Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force and served as their CEO of US Operations from 2008 to 2010, In 2010 I launched One World Conservation, a protection and awareness non profit org you can find our site at www.oneworldc.org. You will find Tusker in our past project where his story is. He is the prime force behind everything we do, in hopes that something good could come from his death.
I was devastated by his death, Never have I been so moved by an animal. Now we protect endangered and exotic species across the globe. Eventually , we will open a 2nd company to be called the Tusker Foundation, this we are in hopes will impact legal issues that captive wildlife face in captivity from abuse and neglect.

I have a necklace that was made of Tuskers face, the back of it was hollowed out, and a piece of Tusker's bone was permanently sealed in there. It sits right above my heart and it is never removed, It is a reminder daily to me why I fight, I see his beautiful face everyday , as his portrait sits on my desk and on the wall in my house.

Thank you for writing about him, it means a lot to those of us who knew him and or worked his case.

Often , I am surprised by the out pouring of love for him even after 4 years, I think he lives on in the hearts and minds of many, and as his story is retold and others learn about him, his legend grows.

I thought you might like to see a video of him, we made,
http://youtu.be/P0cAmOrFRQ0

Also. I have written poetry of him and both have been published.

I miss him very much and wished he still walked the earth with us...
You can reach me at
kkern@oneworldc.org

Thank you for all you did for him.

Karrie D Kern
CEO/Founder
One World Conservation

JudyReene said...

your reply made me weep. how honored you must feel to carry a piece of him with you all the time. it must feel like something sacred. i, too, was so affected by Tusker's story that i couldn't let it go. it haunted me day and night and i had to write. elephants are my passion and i can't bear what happens to them. i am always crusading on their behalf. there will be a trilogy and my next elephant book will go to Thailand, where the elephants are mortally abused. it's excruciating for me to research these things but it' necessary in order to help open the eyes of the world. thank you a million times for contacting me and give that small shard of bone a gentle kiss from me. thank you.
love
judy