GRASS VALLEY (June 22, 2013) It's official - two of America's Elephant Ambassadors will appear at the five-day 2013 Nevada County Fair August 7-11, 2013, in Grass Valley, California. The nine-member board of directors of the 17th District Agricultural Association unanimously supported the contract with Have Trunk Will Travel, Inc. to provide an elephant exhibit." America's Elephant Ambassadors will offer elephant rides, education and awareness about an endangered species and a high-visibility fundraising appeal for the International Elephant Foundation. "Sophie" – an Elephant Ambassador replica, will be on hand so everyone can take a photo hugging an “elephant”…for free. Nevada County locals will experience a once-in-a-lifetime event - elephants playing among the tall pines of Grass Valley.







Kari Johnson of Have Trunk Will Travel says local businesses should get ready for a huge turnout. "We are delighted to be invited to the Nevada County Fair to complement their “Under the Big Top” theme. We promise to bring entertainment and education for kids of all ages, an important conservation message and a way to help save the endangered Asian elephant. We expect a lot of curious fair visitors. Everyone loves elephants!"

The invitation to the fair did not come without controversy. Organized “animal rights” proponents who term elephant rides "cruel" were backed by a PETA-type European organization, Animal Defenders International, (ADI), a group opposed to any and all uses of animals by humans. ADI is considered "radical" because of both its policy positions and its methods. Other professional “animal rights” groups jumped on the bandwagon to tout the unsubstantiated claims and enhance their own fund-raising campaigns.

ADI raises funds by conspiring to commit corporate espionage - what their CEO describes to donors as "undercover investigations." Each one is produced as a fundraising tool. ADI unabashedly employs lies, deceit and criminal acts as tools to discredit zoos, circuses, fairs, research facilities - anywhere there are animals in human care. Because Have Trunk Will Travel is a small, family-run, American business, it has become a prime target of this London-based animal rights group and portrayed as an "animal abuse poster child" in their ever-constant global fundraising appeals.

Though only a little “Mom and Pop” organization, Have Trunk Will Travel has earned deep respect and loyalty within the professional elephant care and conservation community. The Elephant Managers Association has honored the Johnsons with its “Lifetime Achievement Award”. While Have Trunk Will Travel was being maligned by ADI in the U.S. and international press, the Johnsons were cleared of all ADI's shocking accusations by legitimate, authoritative bodies including USDA/APHIS (the federal agency charged with animal welfare), and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums of which Have Trunk Will Travel is a voluntary member in good standing. A lawsuit by ADI against Have Trunk Will Travel was thrown out of court. Animal rights radicals excoriated them in the press, elephant care professionals, scientists, veterinarians, and others who have dedicated their lives and entire careers to caring for elephants spoke out publicly praising and endorsing Have Trunk Will Travel. But at the time, the general public wasn't listening.

Times have changed. Now people are paying attention. Like the "Little Engine That Could", the Johnsons have kept their reputation and their life mission intact. Increasingly, Have Trunk Will Travel is being viewed as a case study of unfair and dishonest radical animal rights attack tactics. Those that take the time to carefully sift through the mountain of accusations leveled against them find only falsehoods, projection and innuendo… not evidence. In other words, it's just malicious spin.

The 22nd District Agricultural Association board, which oversees the San Diego County Fair, did their homework and approved the Have Trunk Will Travel contract even after “animal rights” protesters stormed their meetings en masse. The publicity seems to have helped the fair. Have Trunk Will Travel is experiencing an increase in ridership, is projecting a record fundraising year for the International Elephant Foundation and is an inspiration for favorable stories in the press about the fair. Now, the nine-member board of directors of the 17th District Agricultural Association responsible for the Nevada County Fair have also carefully considered the facts and further endorsed Have Trunk Will Travel by unanimously inviting America's Elephant Ambassadors to their fair. Because of this careful decision-making, residents and tourists of Nevada County will experience a one-in-a-lifetime event: endangered Asian elephants in the pines.

Despite these facts, Europeans and Northern California "animal rights" activists are actively contacting the Nevada County news media and repeating already-contradicted and disproved allegations of abuse. In response, Have Trunk Will Travel has released a video of their own. Narrated by a Dr. James F. Peddie, a leader of the California Veterinary Medical Association and expert at exotic animal care, "America's Elephant Ambassadors training at Have Trunk Will Travel" describes the value to the survival of the species and the quality of care to individual elephants of humane elephant training.

With a century of elephant training experience among them, the Have Trunk Will Travel elephant team is considered by many to be the best in the world. Their precision, professionalism and kindness give their elephant handling an utterly effortless appearance. But Gary Johnson, founder and trainer, says don't let it fool you; "Handlers and elephants are in constant communication. It’s based on our close relationship with the elephants based on mutual trust and respect along with a deep understanding of herd dynamics."

This training, in turn, allows America's Elephant Ambassadors to spend time close to people safely. Because of this, Have Trunk Will Travel's elephants can participate in weddings, parades, serve as actors in movies and commercials, and provide rides to fairgoers. "The math doesn't lie - the key to the survival of Asian elephants as a species are the elephants currently in human care. Giving folks the rare opportunity to meet these important elephants in person - without a fence - stimulates deep emotional response that makes a real difference in saving the endangered Asian elephant," states Kari Johnson underscoring their motivation for attending the Nevada County Fair.