I am really delighted to have heard that the Change.org petition run by the charity I founded, Save The Asian Elephants www.stae.org has recently been named as the 21st most successful in history!

In August 2018 I and my STAE colleagues presented 3.1 million petition signatures to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street, a figure which has since risen by a further 500,000.

The strongest demonstration of public opinion that things must change is expressed by this weight of numbers, as it also is by the overwhelming results of the polling undertaken for STAE by Populus, showing strong British public support STAE’s policies for change.

These include a new law for a UK ban on the advertisement or promotion of unethical Asian elephant holidays abroad. Please please sign STAE’s petition at this crucial time for the elephants: www.stae.org

You may know about my passionate and active interest in animal welfare issues and of my charity Save The Asian Elephants www.stae.org.

I was thrilled to learn recently that I had been nominated as a Finalist in the inaugural year of the Animal Star Awards for my charity and animal welfare work.

The announcement of the overall Winner took place at the splendid Mandolay Hotel in Guildford last month – a great occasion.

To say that I was still further thrilled to be announced as the Winner of the award for Animal Hero of the Year would be an understatement. There were some 850 entrants, judged by a panel of referees of great eminence in the animal welfare world. I am very grateful to be honoured with this award, because it does so much to raise awareness of the desperate cause of the beleaguered and brutalised Asian elephants for whom all at Save The Asian Elephants work so hard.

At a crucial time when we are engaging with our Government, please sign STAE’s petition which you can access at www.stae.org.

This evening in my role as CEO of Save The Asian Elephants (“STAE”) www.stae.org I attended Parliament to discuss the worldwide ivory trade and bans upon it following important developments in China.

I spoke with Boris Johnson, Dr Therese Coffey (DEFRA environment minister), Mark Field MP, Christopher Chope MP and the heads of several elephant NGOs.

All were interested in STAE’s plan to press for a new law to prohibit the advertising or supply of unethical Elephant tourism, and we expect considerable support, starting with a big debate in Westminster Hall.

Being a lawyer is of great help in pressing for new legislation. I am proud to do something to help these gentle creatures, so gruesomely abused in the name of tourism and entertainment.