Animal activist and musician Vicki Kiely has combined her talents to inspire and educate people about animal welfare.
“I’ve always cared about animals but seriously got into animal welfare after seeing the movie The Cove for the first time at the age of 35. That movie really made me want to do something about animal cruelty.
The documentary The Cove is directed by Louie Psihoyos and exposes Japan’s mass dolphin massacres to the world. Ocean conservationist Richard (Ric) O’Barry assembles a group of elite activists who embark on a covert mission to discover the secrets of a hidden cove in Japan.
The film highlights the fact the Taiji dolphin drive kills 23,000 dolphins and porpoises every year. Dolphins are herded into the cove where they are trapped by nets and are speared or knifed to death.
“I went to Japan and met Ric O’Barry at the Cove three years ago.
“I have been working with him ever since going to Japan with many Cove monitors to monitor the dolphin slaughter there every season.
“I usually go three times every season for about three weeks each stint. I am not paid for the work I do it is all. I have done fundraisers for Japan however.
“It gets very expensive but I am compelled to do this work I would love one day to find a way to get paid to do this and make it my full-time job.”
Singing and playing musical instruments in a musical family from very young Vicki picked up a guitar at 13 and started writing her own songs.
“I am a singer-songwriter and also teach drama and singing to children so that is what keeps me busy outside of my activism.
“I just released my first album mercy and 50% of the profits are going to Ric O’Barry’s dolphin project.”
Single mum to Imogen 7 and Charlie 9 she has encouraged and supported the children to spend their holidays from their international school seeing first-hand how human choices can change the world.
“I take the kids because I want them to learn about respecting nature and animals and I’m raising them to be anti-captivity. They are the future after all.
On one of her many animal welfare checks Vicki discovered and subsequently rescued ‘Milo’ a Borneo Orangutan.
“I met Milo at Phuket Zoo, Thailand whilst my friend Louise Rogerson and I were checking the welfare of the animals.
“Milo was very sweet with us and her handlers let us stay and spend time with her at no charge.”
Unfortunately the staff at the Phuket Zoo were exploiting Milo. It was later discovered that she was there illegally and spent the majority of her time locked in a dark concrete cell hidden from prying eyes.
“Her conditions at the zoo were appalling! She lived for the most part in the pitch dark. She was locked away in a cage inside a storage shed similar to a low line garage with a roller door which was padlocked shut most of the time.
“I was horrified and saddened. I vowed to come back each week to visit her to cheer her up. I decided to bring her toys along with some sort of peace and love to her life. Louise advised me on what to bring her and how to enrich her poor life.”
It was obvious to Vicki that Milo wanted to be loved. They quickly formed a ‘strong trusting bond’. Vicki persistently asked the zoo to feed her better and remove her from her horrific enclosure.
“I also tried to work with the zoo to improve her conditions and get her an outdoor enclosure but they never responded. I even offered to help raise funds for a new enclosure and to help build it. I told them I had experts at hand to advise me.”
Pete Bethune of Earthrace came to visit Vicki about some potential work they could do together to save animals and met Milo.
“Milo was not emaciated or under-nourished – If anything she was overweight from too much food and lack of exercise.
“She didn’t have physical scars or obvious signs of beatings. But what really saddened me was her job, for want of a better word. Milo’s sole purpose was to pose in tourist photos.”
Vicki and Pete talked at great length as to how they could help ‘get Milo out of her prison’.
“Do we try to buy her or commence legal proceedings against the Zoo. Do we run a petition or media campaign? Do we lobby Officials?
“So many options, none of them were easy, and several of them requiring deep pockets or considerable risk.”
Vicki had already started an online petition and Pete added a short video about Milo’s plight. She also managed to get the interest of the local media.
“The petition went from 5,000 to 12,000 signatures in 24 hours it was just amazing! This then got the attention of the media and lead to us being able to rescue Milo.”
Unfortunately by the time the zoo was inspected by the Wildlife Police of the Royal Police of Thailand Milo had disappeared.
“The representative of the zoo told the Phuket News and I that he had ‘released’ Milo into the jungle where he had found her 2 years ago. I knew that she had been in the zoo much longer than that as I had seen her five years earlier on a family visit.
“I also found out she was at the zoo illegally after the raid. I had heard through the grapevine that she had been held there illegally for many, many years. This was why she was hidden away and not in an outdoor enclosure I imagine.”
Yet more people came on board to help Vicki including Edwin Wiek of WFFT.
“He really pushed the petition by reaching out to all the officials that he knew and really got the ball rolling. We doubled our signatures that night.”
Richard (Ric) O’Barry of Richard O’Barry’s Dolphin Project also got behind Milo’s rescue and one of his ideas was to have missing posters to be distributed but luckily Milo was found before they were needed.
“Ric has been a great mentor as he guides me and shows me how to get things done.”
A tip off sent Vicki on a two hour drive to a reserve where they thought Milo could have been taken but she was not there.
“I left very upset and anxious about her welfare. I called the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project to see if they had seen her in their national park. I went home and did not sleep a wink that night.”
The next evening Vicki got the news she was waiting to hear – Milo had been found!
“That night about 7:30pm I was told by the Phuket News that they had received a photo from the rangers from the National Park in Phuket. Milo was in a locked cage and had been dumped in the jungle with no key.”
Vicki, her children and supporters got up at 6am the next morning and rushed to Milo.
“Seeing her was such a relief. There was no key to the cage so we could not take her out but we reassured her and gave her food.”
Milo was taken to the Police Station and then driven an hour and a half away to the Wildlife Nursery and Reserve National Park in the Phang Nga province.
“Khun Roch who had been taking care of her accompanied her on this journey. I drove ahead to make sure I was there when she arrived. I was so ecstatic and relieved. It was like finding a lost child! We were so delirious and finally able to breathe.”
After smashing the lock open Milo was finally able to leave the cage.
“She was gripping the bottom of the cage with her feet and hands in fear. I had to go into the cage and coax her out … eventually she took my hand and came out with me.”
“I had to sign a paper stating that I had seen her, confirm it was her and state that she had safely been delivered to the Phang Nga National Park.
“The staff were amazing exceeding my requests in the fastest time to get a temporary enclosure ready for her.”
Vicki has been visiting Milo every day and is impressed with her progress as she has started to make her own bed each day and explore her new world.
“She has been eating better and is already losing weight. Her vet Dr Fa has quickly become her constant companion as he works hard to gain her trust and love.”
“My children love Milo and she loves them back. I think she identifies with them more.”
Over a six month period this wonderful group of people have rescued a beautiful orangutan named Milo and brought animal cruelty into the media spotlight in the hope of changing how wild animals are captured and caged.
Today Milo has lost a total of 9 kilograms. She is awaiting the news of where she will be living with a new orangutan family in a safe reserve.
Vicki wrote this note of gratitude to all the team involved in rescuing Milo.
MY NOTE OF IMMENSE GRATITUDE
Ok….here is Milo today….walking and with her lovely new vet, Dr Songgrid Jearranaisilp Fa, and another amazing park ranger taking care of her.
She is going to be here for a while and then moved to a bigger facility in Ratchaburi. Her enclosure is being filled today with ropes and tires and swings, and things to climb on….she won’t know herself!
Thank you ESPECIALLY to all of you who signed the petition, this NEVER would have happened without that. Edwin Wiek was a key player getting the right officials involved, drafting letters, making calls, keeping me sane, advising me, REALLY pushing the petition….I love this man!
Pete Bethune came all the way from New Zealand to help me with her, advising me, helping me with sanctuaries, and pushing the petition too. Love this man too!
Louise Rogerson for her guidance on how to care for her, and also being at the end of the phone when the going got tough. Nothing but love for you girl!
All the Phuket crew Natasha Eldred, Tim Newton, Chris Husted, Khun Mango Tanyaluk SK, and all at the Phuket News, Isaac Stone Simonelli and Chutharat U’m at the Phuket Gazette, and the local support. Love you all so much!
Diane Fraleigh and Christopher Ewing for their dedication to her and the petition too. Love you very much too!
Richard O’Barry for showing me how to get things done, mentoring me, and guiding me…..
And the biggest heroes! The ones who found her and are caring for her, Khun Roch Forest Walk Tour, and all the DNP Rangers…..thank you!!! You are truly local heroes!!!!!! She loves you all now, and I know she is in good hands!
Guys all of you who signed the petition!!!! LOOK WHAT WE DID!!!!!! We have saved this girls life!!!! All of us! Love you all so much. I just happen to be here physically but this was a massive team effort so pat yourselves on the back and have a toast to Milo!
For more information:-
You can follow Vicky on www.vickikiely.com or hear her album Mercy on www.vickikiely.bandcamp.com
Richard O’Barry : “Milo and Vicki will be friends for life. Milo will now be living in a sanctuary instead of an abusive cage in the Phuket Zoo. This life changing experience for Milo came about because of a chance meeting with Cove Monitor, Vicki Kiely. She met Milo at the Zoo and started a relationship and an online petition. These two things changed Milo’s life forever. How’s that for a great story with a happy ending?”
For more information on the dolphins go to https://dolphinproject.net
Pete Bethune : “When I first saw Milo it broke my heart. Corruption, ignorance and money were all stacked against Milo ever being released from her prison. Despite this, Vicki and her team persevered and amazingly they won Milo’s freedom. A great lesson in standing up for what you believe in!
For more information on Pete Bethune go to Facebook or watch The Operatives.
All photos in this article are supplied.