About Us
Elke Riesterer
Elke Riesterer C.M.P. has been a practicing Body Therapist for All Species going past the last three decades. Her absolute passion are Elephants. She has worked hands-on with over 100 elephants worldwide by showing that therapeutic touch modalities are helpful to assist the healing of traumatized and wounded animals. Human and nonhuman beings benefit equally. She favors the use of TTouch (Tellington Touch) with all of her animal clients.
Elke has been an elephant well-being activist since the mid 90ties and has publicly spoken and attended many international conferences with a focus on elephants. She has been published in newspapers and magazines. Animal rights are always on her mind.
July 17, 2021 Interview with Elke
Annette Hadaway
Advanced Elephant Footcare Intern with Elephant Aid International
International Animal and Nature Communicator/Teacher
I’m currently traveling the world teaching animal and nature communication. My passion is working with wildlife/human communities struggling to live together peacefully. In 2016 I started my elephant footcare internship with Carol Buckley, founder of Elephant Aid International. In November 2019, I became an advanced student of the program. A native of Oregon in the United States I started hiking in my youth with my grandparents who encouraged nature adventure. The Pacific Northwest in the United States where I grew up gifted me opportunities of easy access to the natural world. Solo hiking, leading hikes for others along with solo travel led me to visit Nepal where I was awakened to the plight of the captive elephant then ultimately, animal and nature communication. From 2018 through 2021 Dr. Maia Kincaid offered me a four year education in animal and nature communication with certification. Whenever my time zone/internet connection allows I love attending Dr. Kincaid’s Nature Communication Certification Classes. In 2020 I started teaching adults, animal and nature communication and in 2021 I started teaching children. Teaching children has inspired the creation of Children’s Animal and Nature Connect and Childrens Animal And Nature Communication Academies.
Working with humans and animals in nature is my joy. To learn more visit animalandnatureconnect.
Amber Brovelli
Consulting Naturalist, Oregon U.S.A.
Amber is a dancer, daughter, student and a teacher of earth. She is devoted to the heart of our true nature, bridging spirit and science through ecological earth wisdom, embodied movement, meditation and inspired action in the world. Amber is a certified International Yoga and Wellness Mentor, and Permaculture Designer; she has studied an applied science degree in Nutrition, Ecology and Sustainable Food Systems and joined World Elephant Alliance in 2018 and has volunteered and works with wild animals since 2008. She loves to weave her experience in the healing arts with her love and knowledge of the natural world, empowering others to embody their fullest expression as Compassionate Stewards/ Custodians of Mother Earth. She is devoted to creating sustainable communities where humans can live in balance coexisting with our true wild nature. Amber is available for classes, workshops, retreats, consultations, trainings and public speaking.
You can find more about her work at www.AmberBrovelli.com www.ElephantsNow.org www.RunninW.org
Courtney Scott
Courtney Scott, President of FOZE, is an indie filmmaker and photographer who became aware of the plight of zoo elephants back in 2007, during production of her film From Suffering to Satori. After a visit to the Oregon Zoo and seeing Packy pacing in his cage, she vowed to make a difference for Packy and all the elephants at the zoo. She started meeting with a small group of fellow advocates to strategize how to free the elephants to sanctuary.
That small group became Free the Oregon Zoo Elephants (FOZE), a 501©3 nonprofit. Now FOZE is active on many fronts, testifying at Metro Council, meeting with the zoo directors, organizing rallies and demos, doing outreach at street fairs and schools, aligning with like-minded advocates and organizations around the country and world, and in 2018, by producing with the FOZE team, the first International Free the Elephants Conference & Film Festival. You may view the video at left.
Vanessa Pe
Interspecies Communicator, Manila, Philippines
From an early age, Vanessa has been dialoguing with humans around the world across nations, cultures, and stages of life, thanks to accessibility offered by the digital age. She is fascinated by how similar and at the same time how varied each individual perceives and interacts with the world.
As an interspecies communicator, Vanessa is poised to further explore and engage in conversations that can help people connect with each other and with all of nature. She believes that these conversations can inspire and provoke; cherish and conserve. Eventually leading towards more harmonious ways of coexistence, one interaction at a time.
Consultants
Alyne Fortgang
Alyne is a retired entrepreneur and animal advocate. After selling King of the Road Map Service in 1999, she began working in animal advocacy. She volunteered at Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and at WAIF, the animal shelter on Whidbey Island. After many years of volunteering at Pasado’s Safe Haven, she joined the Board of Directors. In 2006, she co-founded Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants and led the decade-long effort to get the elephants at Woodland Park Zoo retired to sanctuary. She is on the Board of Humane Voters of WA and on the Advisory Board of World Elephant Alliance. Currently she works on animal related projects including the effort to stop Seattle Aquarium’s inhumane shark tank.
Julie Woodyer
Julie has been involved in animal protection work for more than 30 years. She investigated animal cruelty on behalf of the Ontario SPCA, was the chair of a wildlife rehabilitation centre and has documented the culling of cormorants in the Great Lakes and the killing of grey whales in the North Pacific Ocean.
Since 1999 Julie has worked for Zoocheck. In her role as
campaigns director she is responsible for campaigns to protect wild animals. She has been instrumental in various successful campaigns for Zoocheck including improving animal protection laws; convincing Toronto City Council to transfer three elephants to PAWS and fought a long hard legal battle to try to get Lucy out of her solitary confinement in Edmonton and continues to do what she can to help Lucy since the court refused to enforce Alberta’s zoo legislation. She has also lead successful campaigns to stop the culling of wild horses in Alberta and end the supply of wild grizzly and black bear cubs in British Columbia and Manitoba by convincing officials to allow orphaned cubs to be returned to the wild. Julie is currently working to get similar protections several species of animals in roadside zoos and to end the captivity of elephants in Canada.