Elephant: “Holiday in the Wild”
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” — Albert Einstein
“Few men could endure to watch for five minutes an animal struggling in a trap with a crushed and torn limb. Some will wonder how such cruelty can have been permitted to continue in these days of civilization.”
– Charles Darwin
When I started educating myself about animal welfare issues, I also learned about the illegal wildlife trade. This issue can mean different things to different professionals. Conservationists are concerned about the ecosystem, veterinarians worry about the physical and psychological health of affected animals, and social scientists point out the link between wildlife trafficking and terrorism. To learn what action to take, I bought a book about this issue but never finished reading it because how poachers exploit animals was intolerable.
However, the other day, I watched Holiday in the Wild on Netflix. It is a beautiful, sweet, and romantic movie. The story begins when Kate, played by Kristin Davis, embarks on her second honeymoon alone after her husband left her abruptly. The destination is Zambia. On her first day there, she meets an orphaned baby elephant, and this vulnerable animal evokes her identity as a former veterinarian. The movie features what a good life looks like for elephants and those who care for them, raising awareness of the ivory trade without exposing the audience to graphic images. This has become my favorite movie.
The movie creators have considered the welfare of animals. Instead of using animals trained for entertainment, most of the elephants featured in the film are real-life rescue elephants residing in an African reserve. The exception is the orphaned baby elephant, who was found next to his deceased mother. A computer-generated image was used to recreate the baby elephant, as using an actual dead animal could have frightened the young elephant since elephants are known to experience emotions like humans.
There is more behind the scenes. The baby elephant’s story at the beginning of the film was similar to what Kristin Davis witnessed in Kenya. In 2009, she and her friend visited Kenya, encountered the elephant baby, Chaimu, who had survived poaching, and helped her back to health with the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Since then, Kristin has been working with wildlife protection organizations.
Wildlife trafficking is a serious problem that requires a collective effort to address. Poachers use weapons, making it dangerous for civilians to intervene. Local politics, bribery, and corruption can also pose obstacles to stopping illegal activities. However, if you need to restore your faith, watching this movie is a wonderful way to celebrate the beautiful earth and amazing animals. The scenes of elephants showing affection are particularly cute! One tip: Kristin’s character often sips coffee in the middle of wild nature, which made me crave a good cup of joe. So, if you plan to watch the movie, have your favorite coffee ready and enjoy!
