A Will & A Way

28/09/2020

Feeling honored, humbled, and full of hope 🧡 @ Lax Airport

26/09/2020

Hi friends! After a bit of a hiatus, I’m checking in to let you know we have a few episodes in post-production 🙌 Up next we’ll be taking you to Sukhothai, Thailand and then back to India to New Delhi (both pre-COVID trips). To be up front, I needed some time to press pause and process everything going on in the world, as well as navigate some matters in my personal life.

One of my goals for AWAAW was to give you a sensory experience of what it’s like to travel to these places, spend time right alongside the founders and their animals, and become immersed in their environment. But, month after month as we stay at home with our passports reluctantly tucked away, the fight for animals continues, the work is still being done every day by resilient women and men at sanctuaries, shelters, rescues and clinics around the world 💪There is so much to be grateful for, and so many people to look for inspiration 🧡🧡🧡 Looking forward to being in your ears again soon!

30/06/2020

Just like you, I’m frustrated and disappointed that the YuLin festival was allowed to continue this year. Perhaps it was too ambitious to imagine otherwise, but, here we are. Apparently attendance was noticeably lower this year, and I do believe that in the not-so-distant future, it will eventually cease to exist. However, it’s important that we remember YuLin is a drop in the bucket for China’s Dog Meat Trade. There always seems to be a lot of commotion, confusion and noise around this time of year. On cue, we see petitions and sponsored ads pop up and the resounding call to Ban YuLin rings loud and clear. No doubt the magnitude of animals slaughtered over this 10 day festival is utterly horrific. For many people, it’s the entry way to learning about the DCMT. But if we could rally and sustain the same support for the millions who suffer a similar fate throughout the remaining ‘ordinary’ days of the year, imagine the difference we could make...

17/06/2020

Let’s take action ✊🏼 Despite the recent countrywide ban on the Dog Meat Trade, it appears the city of YuLin is still making plans to hold their horrific Dog Meat and Lychee Festival, starting June 21st through Jun 30. This festival should be deemed ILLEGAL and must be stopped. No one quite knows what to expect over the next few days...but...we saw the positive effects of the public’s outreach for the removal of dogs from the Agricultural Ministry’s livestock list - so let’s do what we can overseas to make 💪🏼LINK IN BIO to access google doc to copy/paste either Chinese or English text, along with list of email addresses! Thank you for the translation ❤️ @ China

12/06/2020

Our friends at have been everything they can to help bring justice to the senseless killing of the pregnant 15 year old elephant in Kerala, India 💔This includes offering a reward for info that results in the conviction of her killer as well as a petition demanding a full investigation, prosecution and putting measures in place to prevent something like this happening again! Link to sign is in my bio and in theirs as well 🐘
•Repost: Update on Kerela Elephant Case: Our team has been in constant touch with the Forest Department and Police in Kerala regarding the tragic death of the pregnant wild elephant, it has been confirmed that one arrest has been made by the Police and the search is on for two other prime suspects who are absconding, as of now.
We will keep you posted on the progress made with the arrests. Kindly spare a moment to sign this petition and share it with your friends and family so that there is a complete ban on sale and procurement of locally-made explosives that are a grave threat to the wildlife.

12/06/2020

Our friends at have been everything they can to help bring justice to the senseless killing of the pregnant 15 year old elephant in Kerala, India 💔This includes offering a reward for info that results in the conviction of her killer as well as a petition demanding a full investigation, prosecution and putting measures in place to prevent something like this happening again! Link to sign is in my bio and in theirs as well 🐘

10/06/2020

08/06/2020

I’ve been waiting for quite some time for this story to post, and I’m beyond happy for the girls. With everything going on in the world, hopefully this happy ending brings you a few minutes of joy ❤️ Thank you for saving them, for finding them the perfect dad , and for the amazing feature 🥰

06/06/2020

June kicks off China’s official ban on buying and selling dog meat! I discuss the details with co-founder Emily Parker

02/06/2020

The Dodo featured Backpack and Toad! Two of my favorite Slaughterhouse Survivors HRB (Animal Rescue) alumni that I had the honor of participating in their rescue. Check out me and Jed Ballou sharing their incredible journey 🥰

30/05/2020

This is historical. This is MONUMENTAL. It is now officially illegal to sell and buy dog meat in ALL of China! This also extends to cats, who were actually never on the government’s livestock list but it will now be enforced alongside dogs. Yes, consumption is still legal, yes there will be loopholes, yes there will still be a black market and enforcement may be slow. But let’s give this victory the acknowledgment it deserves. Tonight I am thinking of all the stolen pets and strays and old breeding dogs who will never be subjected to the back of a meat truck, and those terrible cages and the violence of a slaughterhouse. Tonight I am thinking of all the extraordinary activists and rescuers in China who have faced the DCMT head-on, day after day after day. How tired and helpless they have felt for years but never gave up, despite the enormity of what they were up against 🧡 Tonight I’m holding extra tight and wishing I was celebrating alongside 🐶🐱Go to their account to see their recent posts on the new legislation 🥰

29/05/2020

Well, I am so full of gratitude - I’m excited to share that I was asked by the team to be a ‘guest host’ and feature my interview with .wildlifesos on their own fantastic podcast, ‘Elephant Tails’. What an honor!🙏🏼🐘🐘🐘 @ Uttar Pradesh

28/05/2020

Sharing this beautiful moment of getting sniffed/checked out out at Sloth Bear Rescue Facility in Agra. Note the missing teeth, indicating this is a former “dancing” bear 🐻

18/05/2020

Some of you have asked me about my reference to dogs with coronavirus in my interview with (which was recorded pre-COVID-19). We are referring to CCoV, Canine Coronavirus which is not transmissible to humans. In fact there are technically hundreds of coronaviruses 🤯 There is a lot of bu****it and click bait circulating about COVID-19 and pets lately so it’s important that we stay informed and not jeopardize animals by spreading the hype 🧐 made a super informative post about this a few days ago if you want to check it out 🧡

14/05/2020

Although it can be difficult to look at this image, it is a stark reminder that with empathy and patience, people can indeed fundamentally change. Not only did eradicate India’s practice of ’dancing sloth bears’, but in conjunction they offered alternative sustainable livelihoods for the communities who relied upon this practice to support their families. Additionally, roughly 40% of WildlifeSOS staff are from the tribal communities that used to exploit animals, offering them a path to respect and care for animals in a mutually beneficial environment 🧡 Image sourced/credited - website.

08/05/2020

.wildlifesos and his team defied the odds and ended the centuries-old barbaric practice of ‘dancing’ sloth bears in India. People said it wasn’t possible, or would take a lifetime to achieve…they did it in less than two decades! 🐻🐻 Listen to my interview with Kartick to hear how they proved the naysayers wrong, and how they established a holistic approach to creating sustainable opportunities for the Kalandar communities. Link in bio 🧡

06/05/2020

We launched a new episode featuring .wildlifesos, co-founder and CEO of 🐻🐘 I had the honor of spending a morning chatting with Kartick at their stunning elephant sanctuary in Agra (after wrapping an incredible week volunteering with the organization) 🧡 If you’re not already subscribed, link in bio to listen 🙏🏼

06/05/2020

New episode coming your way tomorrow! 🐻I’m so excited to share my interview with .wildlifesos, co-founder and CEO of 🧡 You’ll be blown away by all that this organization has achieved and how they continue to fight for India’s wildlife 🇮🇳 🐻 🐘 @ Uttar Pradesh

05/05/2020

Together, we CAN change the fate of animals on this planet 🌏
Sharing some of my favorite moments of connectivity from the different organizations we’ve visited so far on this season 🌏 👈🏻 @ Planet Earth

01/05/2020

How Dogs End up in China’s Meat Trade, Part 02: Purebreds.
This is worth reiterating as I’ve seen trolls and naysayers claim that purebreds (especially ones in ‘good’ condition) can’t be from the meat trade, and that they don’t fit the ‘type’. Well, yes, they can. The reason why you’ll see large numbers of ‘expensive’ purebreds on meat trucks and in shelters is because of breeders. When their dogs can no longer produce litters, and when unsold puppies get older, breeders simply sell their inventory into the trade. Unfortunately, breeds that are popular in the West, eventually surface in the trade in China. If they do indeed pass the countrywide ban next month, perhaps it will also curb the impact of unregulated dog breeding as well 🤞🏻I shot this photo on a day when was checking in and administering medicine for the dogs at a local shelter in Harbin.

27/04/2020

Aimee Clarke of explains how pets, strays and breeders fuel the industry (there are no dog meat ‘farms’).

23/04/2020

Earth Day 2020 is a strange, surreal moment in time. I planned to post a bunch of photos from my recent travels pre-COVID, but it didn’t quite feel right. Then I remembered this photo I took last time I visited the Natural History Museum, with my nephews. You could say this photo captures all the complicated ways I feel about our planet’s past, present and possible future 🌏 I love you, Mother Earth. With every fiber of my being, I hope we emerge from this fighting for you 🧡

17/04/2020

Last week on April 9th, in Chachoengsao, Thailand, police blocked off a road so a wild herd of 50 elephants could cross. I can’t stop watching this video. What a reminder that elephants are powerful, social, emotional beings who should be walking, foraging and engaging with their surroundings and with their herd. Pick out any individual elephant from this video. Now imagine them standing alone in a zoo, for decades. Or traveling from city to city, performing in a circus. Or walking in circles for years with an uncomfortable saddle and humans on its back. Or standing all day on hot concrete with stranger after stranger touching and taking selfies. Now, picture that elephant back with this herd, moving quickly and quietly through the trees and bushes and grass with its family. WE fuel the animal tourism industry. Which also means we can change their fate 🐘🌎 🐘

Thank you to .connor for putting me on to this incredible video 🙏🏼She’s the founder of , Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary in Sukhothai, Thailand. And she’s just magical in every way. You’ll hear Katherine and I get into some of the above topics on an upcoming WAAW episode (currently in post-production) 🧡

14/04/2020

What this policy would mean for China and how you can help push for the ban to go into effect in May.

06/04/2020

On my first trip to Harbin, I met this lil tripod pup at the local shelter the girls often work with, where a Chinese rescuer has over 2000 dogs on her property. I had somehow managed to not cry once my whole two weeks volunteering with . But, on my last day there, this was the pup that broke me. He quietly and methodically made his way over to me on his three little legs and without a sound rested his face in the palm of my hand. This was the moment everything I had witnessed and experienced on my trip really set in. I looked for him on my way out, but there was so much going on and I couldn’t find him in time. Since then, from time to time the girls have graciously asked the owner about taking him to the Safehouse, but she won’t relinquish him. When I returned to visit, I did not see him. But, recently in a group text with SHS volunteers, someone had shared a photo and I spotted my little guy in the shot (last image). The photo is from mid-August. Despite the incredibly harsh winters in Harbin, I hope that he fought to stay alive that he’s still there, and perhaps maybe he’ll get an opportunity to go to the Safehouse, and leave China for good.
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Once borders open up and travel normalizes again, will be in great need of volunteers. If you’re interested in helping the animals in Harbin, apply via harbinshs.com/volunteer or email [email protected] with questions. They will need your help more than ever 🧡🙌🏻 @ Harbin, China

01/04/2020

Cultures CAN and DO change.
China (and Vietnam) has imposed a ban on wildlife farming, selling and consumption. Shenzen and Dongguan are the first to also include dogs and cats. With global tragedy unfolding around us, it feels…bittersweet. I wish we could say this change was out of respect for the animals, but the fact is, humans around the world are experiencing loss in a way we’ve never seen before, and governments are now willing to acknowledge that the end does not justify the means.
Yes, cultures are deep-rooted and people do not change course overnight. But it’s a start. And legislation brings accountability and culpability. Would love to hear your thoughts on this xx
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“When you can see torture of any kind of being, you shouldn't be able to attach the word “culture” to it, and somehow that makes it acceptable in society. Cultures are something that's fluid. And we get ideas of what culture is and the way that culture represents itself for us. But to make culture something that's stagnant and something that should stay, I think is dangerous. And I think it's a really unhealthy way of seeing the world and seeing the way that the world works together. So, the cultural debate just shouldn't be a debate.” Aimee Clarke, 🧡

01/04/2020

Lately it feels like I have so much to say, and yet nothing to say at the same time…tethered and untethered…anyone relate? We’ve got three episodes in post- production, one of them almost ready for release 🙌🏻 All of the incredible people that we’re featuring on A Will & A Way need their voices heard now more than ever, so I’ll do my best to do them justice. Stay tuned 🧡