Kristal Parks
Kristal Parks, M.A., biologist, activist, author, contemplative, environmentalist and elephant conservationist, lived for two years as a hermit in the intimate embrace of a forest and what she learned there guides her vision. Also, she was a human shield for disappearing Mayans during Guatemala’s civil war; volunteered in refugee camps in South East Asia; helped end apartheid in South Africa; imprisoned for non-violent actions (including 4 1/2 months in solitary confinement); and participated with Ecuadorian tribes to protect the Amazon rain forest.In 2005, Kristal founded Pachyderm Power! Love in Action for Elephants which worked 10 years to stop elephant genocide in Kenya. Her pivotal efforts successfully created an army of over 1,000 students impassioned to save elephants. She (along with many others) helped end the use of elephants by Ringling Bros. circus.
Kristal weaves a tapestry of justice woven from various shades, hues and strands of interconnected liberation movements. She holds a B.Sc. in Biology and an M.A. in Justice, Peace and Social Transformation