Cast Of Characters
A Beating Heart
Cast Of Characters – When I started my animal blog – A Beating Heart on February 14, 2013 – I was motivated to do so to create awareness about the issues that animals are facing in every country around the world. My introduction to animal activism started 8 years ago with the adoption of 11 baby elephants and little Max – the orphaned, blind baby rhino at The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Africa. These little beings touched my heart then and they still do today. I have watched them grow up and I’m thrilled to be a part of their lives!
I felt that I needed a logo for my blog and I was fortunate to meet Melissa Stewart – a talented graphic artist. She designed my beautiful, colourful elephant logo – the thought being that – in spite of all the difficulties facing elephants around the world that their scattered lives will still come back together to protect their strong beating hearts. We must be relentless in our fight to save these magnificent creatures. The marches that have taken place around the world for animals – prove the love that good people have for all sentient beings – and I am happy to be creating awareness through A Beating Heart.
As A Beating Heart reached a wider audience – I asked Melissa to design another logo for me to represent A Beating Heart Kids – ABH Kids. She did not disappoint. She continued the theme of an elephant but made this one a baby with a happy, playful disposition.
As I got more involved with animal issues – I had the privilege of meeting and getting to know Chris Mercer And Bev Pervan on line. Their organization – CACH in South Africa – champions the banning of Canned Lion Hunting. Wild lions are being decimated in South Africa – less than 3000 remain alive – while over 8000 lions are held captive on canned lion farms. They are exploited in cub petting facilities – walked as teenagers with ignorant tourists – and slaughtered as young adults by wealthy, ignorant thrill kill addicts. I wanted another logo to represent lions and their equally wonderful beating hearts and this little character joined the elephants.
Animal Activism can be a soul destroying experience – so Melissa gave me another logo to represent all the achievements that happen every day – and all the wonderful things that people do around the world to help, rescue, nurture and love animals. Kids, adults, organizations and charities are involved in incredible projects on every continent of our magnificent planet. We need to remember this and to be grateful for all the good things that occur and the growing compassion that is awakening everywhere!
Another issue that is near and dear to my heart is the suffering of factory farmed animals all over the world. The goal is profit – the motivation is corporate greed – the methodology is cost effective negligence and the result is suffering on a scale that cannot be imagined. Animal abuse has accurately been referred to “the eternal Treblinka”.
So once again Melissa contributed another wonderful character. I have named him Iggy Oink (with thanks to Chris Sharon Edwards – a wonderful Facebook friend) who suggested the Oink!
Iggy’s job will be simple – to make people think about the choices they are making related to animals and to change their hearts – one beat at a time.
Iggy Oink
People come to the “light” one day at a time – one decision at a time – one changed heart at a time! A Beating Heart is reaching more and more people and helping to create awareness about animal issues locally, nationally and internationally. Thank you to everyone who supports my efforts!
