Our Story

“I’ve dedicated much of life to rescuing elephants, many of whom are imprisoned in zoos, which are always horribly inappropriate for them. This is a fact vividly illustrated in my expose, Are Zoos Misleading Us? Ten Points to Ponder,  and one of the reasons I founded ElephantRescue.net.

“As I thought about the unspeakable misery endured by elephants in zoos, the best answer to this problem became fatuously obvious: keep them from being imprisoned in zoos in the first place. Then I thought about all the other animals incarcerated there.

“This systemic, ongoing crime against Nature for a few fleeting moments of human amusement is unjustifiable. All the oppressed captives, not only the elephants, must be freed.

“I was thinking . . . thinking how could I do this? The answer was only ten feet from my desk, singing the most tender, metallic notes.

“A purple finch swayed from side to side in rhapsody. While he crooned, his mate, standing a few inches away, would hop over to him and peck him on the cheek. She did this two times and on the third kiss, they flew away together.

“Eureka! Rather than simply freeing the animals, I would present a double solution—replace these animal prisons with dearly needed habitat for wild birds.

“For these last remaining members of our urban wildlife wage a daily battle for survival, sharply intensified by our destruction of their food, shelter and water at an almost inconceivable speed. And, we’re losing species rapidly, too.

“That’s why I created, ZoosAreForTheBirds.org.” PH

 
 

Our Mission

Advocating the transformation of zoos into wild bird sanctuaries.

We advocate freeing imprisoned animals from zoos and helping wild birds in their challenging fight for survival in a world where most of their habitat has been destroyed by over-urbanization. This will most likely also prevent the extinction of many species.

More specifically, we advocate:

1. A ban on importations of animals from the wild to zoos.
2. Freeing imprisoned animals to quality sanctuaries and, when possible, to the wild.
3. Providing quality water sources for urban wild birds.
4. Providing urban wild bird habitats, rich with their natural foods.
5. Complimenting land and fisheries management.

We do this through press releases, promotional events, social media and well-thought out, respectful presentations to city council members and others who oversee zoos.

At certain times and places, it may be appropriate to hold a demonstration. However, it is paramount that all demonstrations we organize, or in which we participate, be thoroughly peaceful, conducted according to law and coordinated with local law enforcement officials and officers. We must always be respectful, fully cooperative and courteous to them.

Indeed, it is mandatory that participants behave as ladies and gentlemen at all times. We never disrupt businesses, traffic or block thoroughfares. It is also important to note, that our demonstrations are always silent; of course we may talk among ourselves and answer questions posed by the public. Yet, besides this, we are silent.

 
 

Our Tax Exempt Status

We are part of the The Global Plan to Save Elephants, Inc. dba, Elephant Rescue.net, which is a 501(c)(3) public charity.

According to our approval letter from the IRS, “Donors can deduct contributions they make to you under IRC Section 170. You’re also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devices, transfers or gifts under Section 2055, or 2522.”

Our Employer Identification Number is 47-4115823.

 
 

Pen Name

Phillip Hathaway is John Stephen Mauldin’s nome de plume for more than a dozen books he has authored, seven of which are in currently print. What is more, an entire business, TalentJournaling.com, was built upon one of his books, The Psychological Elegance of Talent, published under the pen name Phillip Hathaway.

He says, “In the past, I was concerned that some people may perceive me as being disingenuous because I use a pen name. So, shortly after founding ElephantRescue.net, I made plans to change my name to Phillip John Stephen Mauldin Hathaway to avoid such misconceptions. I presented this idea during a luncheon with my Board of Advisors who wisely suggested that I simply disclose my legal name and pen name on our website.”

 
 

Phillip’s Short Bio

Founder and Chairman of ZoosAreForTheBirds.org
Founder and Chairman of Elephant Rescue.net
Wrote The Odyssey by Homer in heroic couplet
Authored several books, seven of which are in print
Circled the globe twice
Created the concepts of Psychosymmetry and Talent Journaling
Hasn’t owned a television or car radio in over twenty years
Vegan – drinks only water – fresh air and exercise enthusiast

 
 

Phillip’s Full Bio

Phillip was a rifle expert in the military where he ran four miles in a speedy twenty-six minutes every morning while wearing combat boots and fatigues. He says, “Serving in the military is one of the things of which I am most proud. My job, however, was defense of my country and family rather than venturesome foreign expeditions of offense. Ironically, I’m now a dedicated pacifist.”

Upon his Honorable Discharge, he attended Oklahoma City University and the University of Kent in Canterbury, England and holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree in the Social Sciences.

Having completed his university studies, he circled the Earth twice on a two-year journey. The highlights of his round-the-world-trip were meeting HRH Princess Diana, spending three days photographing the Taj Mahal, seeing the starry belvedere of the Milky Way from Australia, attending the tennis championships at Wimbledon, visiting Red Square in Russia, backpacking in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal and enjoying the kaleidoscopic culture of ancient Marrakesh, Morocco, his absolute favorite place.

It was, however, his sojourn to “not altogether civilized India”, as he calls it, that indirectly inspired his writing career. He uses the word “indirectly” for it was not India itself that was the inspiration but what he acquired while visiting there: a side effect of the local diet. He says, “Although paying homage to the village doctor in a mud floor hut and drinking his prescription ominously labeled, ‘Only take this if you are very sick’, I was, nonetheless, very sick for three months. It was during this period of my otherwise uneventful convalescence that I began writing essays about the human predicament, with appropriate and timely inspiration.”

He especially considered the notion of reconciling the dichotomy of the need to labor and to use one’s talent. Deeply inquiring within himself, using his own experience, he was able to determine unique observations regarding the psychological effects of talent. This led to his creation of Psychosymmetry and its supporting arguments in three essays: The New World of Talent, Talent Revealed in Classic Story-Telling Style and Purpose, Evergreen. He also created a didactic methodology to help young people discover and develop their talent, TalentJournaling. The mission of his company, talentjournaling.com, is helping k – college discover their talent.

Expounding upon this theme, Phillip wrote the original libretto of an operatic musical featuring the unique lyrics and melodies of twenty-six of his songs. With the backdrop of the Black Forest in the year 1800, the plot is drawn taunt with deadly conflict and high emotion, dramatizing the importance of using one’s divine gift.

His articles have been published in The Sunday Oregonian, the largest newspaper in the Northwest United States. He has also written three screenplays and several books, seven of which are currently in print:

The Hathaway Epics: Six Classic Tales Told In Epic Verse
The Romantic Struggle: Ten Short Stories and Two Short Novels
The Little Odyssey: The Retelling of Homer’s Odyssey in Heroic Couplet
The Psychological Elegance of Talent
Talent Journaling for Middle School Students
Talent Journaling For High School Students
Talent Journaling Before Declaring Your College Major

Phillip has been a guest speaker at Portland State University, the United States Army, Hilton Hotels, two divisions of Armor All, the English Speaking Union, and several other organizations.

While not writing he spends time hiking with Blackjack, his very best friend and flatcoat retriever. He says, “Blackjack is guru of the higher virtues and one of the best things that has ever happened to me.” Phillip also has adopted two wild Mallards who are mates and have vacationed at his home for the last seven summers. And, he has counted, “exactly twenty-three species of wild birds” that have come to his feeders. He also paints and sketches occasionally. Some people believe his graphite portrait of Lord Nelson may be one of the better likenesses of Nelson.

Phillip is Founder and Chairman of ElephantRescue.net. and ZoosAreForTheBirds.org, He asks, “Can we beseech God’s mercies for our sins while numb to the cries of mercy from those who sin not?”

He is a past member of The Royal Society of St. George and The English Speaking Union. Hand- in-glove with these organizations are his goals to create global understanding through the English language and to preserve English literature and culture; for, as he explains it, “As a bit of a social scientist, I feel a person’s unique language and culture are the irreducible infrastructures of their political, societal and individual freedoms and, beyond personal enrichment, should be used for international friendship.”