As I watched the recent documentary, One Lucky Elephant, on OWN, I found myself immersed in many colors of emotions. In the beginning, I struggled to watch as my mind flashed over all the elephant abuse videos I had seen from the Humane Society. The images still haunt me to this day and I haven’t been to a circus in decades – doing my small part to make a change. You see….I don’t believe wild animals should be chained and placed in small trailers and transported around to perform stunts that I can only imagine at times hurt. It just doesn’t’ sit well on my soul.
However, as I progressed into the film I watched as the relationship between David Balding and the young elephant, Flora, surfaced. It was clear that he had loved her since the day he adopted her when her mother was killed. Now as he grew older, he found himself troubled by leaving her behind. African elephants can live up to 80 years old…meaning Flora will most likely be around long after David is gone.
His original intention was to return her to Africa. However, the plans fell through. In truth, it was a bit too far for comfort for him anyway. He was fortunate that the Miami Metrozoo agreed to house her while he searched. Here was an elephant that hadn’t been around another in decades. She was used to being alone and surrounded by people. Now she was in a cage with other elephants. Although it was sketchy at first, she seemed to acclimate and take on the submissive role needed to keep the peace. However, it didn’t last long. When a new trainer became the new kid on the block, Flora found herself challenging him. On one horrible day, she ended up causing him injury and she needed to move.
This doesn’t surprise me. These animals are like slaves. At some point they are going to stand up and lash out. You can’t treat any soul like that and not expect a reaction. They are animals but deserve to be treated with kindness. No one wants to live their life in chains. So…it doesn’t surprise me that any elephant would slowly build up an aggressive behavior. Like most parents, David was in denial about placing any blame on Flora. He failed to see her aggressiveness. This wasn’t the first time Flora had hurt someone. Toni Schamadan shared her story of her experiences with Flora. She had gotten to know her and had even ridden her. Although they realized Flora was having a bad day, the trainer still allowed Toni to ride Flora and interact. They should have listened to her clues because on that day Flora wrapped her trunk around Toni and banged her against a tree breaking many of her bones. For Toni, she could handle the pain of the cracked ribs and bones, what was hard was that Flora had done this to her. She loved Flora, yet that was how their relationship ended. David was convinced that the incident never would have occurred if he had been there.
Desperate to keep Flora out of a prison-like zoo, David looked over his options once again. His first pick would have been for Flora to go to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee run by a friend, Carol, who had started the sanctuary to house her own circus elephant, Tarra. However, she didn’t have the ability to accommodate an African elephant. Not only do they eat differently than her Asian elephants, their play was actually translated into aggression for Asian elephants. They just couldn’t mix. Trying hard to find a solution, David scoured every option. Then one day, Carol was approached by a zoo that wanted to move two of their elephants to her sanctuary. Being that they were just getting ready to renovate and add space, everything aligned and Flora suddenly had a home.
On David’s 65th birthday he led Flora into the barn with a heated floor telling her she would never be in a trailer again or wear a chain. “You are one lucky elephant.” She fit in perfectly and even turned out to be the dominate elephant. Go figure. Flora was finally able to just be an elephant and David could finally rest. David hugged her goodbye (although I am certain he will be a frequent visitor) just like a child going off to school. Like a child waiting for their parent to leave the school ground before engaging, David had to tear himself away…knowing that she was in great hands. It didn’t take long before Flora became aggressive. I am beginning to think it had to do with David’s absence. She loved him and had come to rely on him….she was probably depressed, hurt and lashing out.
Within moments the film validated my thoughts. They actually brought in doctors to try to help Flora deal with her issues. Apparently the issues are linked to David and she needed to separate from the man she could never really have. Her abandonment issues caused her to lash out. The more she saw him, the more she felt abandoned. Coupled with PTSD from all the horrors Flora had witnessed in her life, Flora had some issues. They believed her witnessing her mother being killed in front of her was most likely the source. However, Carol and the doctor felt it was important for them to both move on…for Flora to be able to live in a healthy way. David disagreed. As her parent, he was angry about Carol’s decision.
As the film discussed PTSD and the traumas many elephants endure, they began showing clips of atrocities that occurred to elephants. Technically they were attacking and running in terror, but for me all I see is a frightened, abused animal that is scared to death. Tears can’t help but whelm up for these incredible creatures.
Three years later, David gathered his strength and called Carol. With a short list of questions so he wouldn’t forget, he asked her if he could come to see Flora. The separation had been difficult for him. Her gut said yes, but she wanted to talk to the original doctor who diagnosed Flora. As the cameras went back to the sanctuary without David, it clearly created anxiety for Flora. Throwing rocks near the cameras, I wondered if she associated them with being moved. Was she worried that she was going to be taken away from her new home? Carol was careful to weight out all the concerns before making her decision. She wanted to be sure to do what was best for Flora and not set her back. After three months, David and his wife were getting more frustrated. Watching a baby elephant at the Pittsburg Zoo, they wondered if they had made a mistake. Not only was he unable to visit, Flora wasn’t integrated with the other elephants. They kept her separate and alone – not the life David had envisioned for her.
Willie Theison, the trainer at the zoo and good friend of Flora and David, didn’t believe it was about PTSD. He believed it was an accumulation of being spoiled by David, being alone all the time, and the abuse she endured when being broken. “Being broken” – such an accurate description. You see, the standard way included hooks, cutting devices and chains to bring an elephant to submission. I believe THIS is what embeds the pain and aggression. Have you ever seen the eyes of a circus elephant? They are dead and distant…and remind me of severe abuse victims. As the film explained the breaking process I was once again brought to tears. I ache for the pain these animals suffered for a circus performance.
“Flora is the example of all that can go wrong with the best of intentions,” Carol shared. “She was captured as a baby. It was a horrific situation for her and it scared her. A man came along and said I love you. I’ll take care of you. You’re perfect. I’ll do anything for you. I’m going to make you the star of the show. He gave her everything he had to give her but that’s not enough.” Because she knew his love, she had the chance to heal. For this reason, Carol said no to David’s request. It was time for Flora to find love in from the other elephants…and seeing David may jeopardize her chance of moving forward.
Soon after, David received a call from Willie. The elephant that Flora didn’t get along with passed away at the sanctuary. David and his wife quickly went to the internet to read what they could. Since her passing, Flora and the other elephant had been inseparable. Although it was sad to hear an elephant lost its life, they must have felt some comfort knowing Flora was no longer alone. Feeling less desperate and more assured that Flora was in a good place, David decided not to try to convince Carol any longer. Although he would never forget Flora, he didn’t want to risk her happiness. That is true love.
The film explored the unconventional yet touching relationship of a man and an elephant…and the ability for good intentions to lead to unhealthy consequences. It didn’t take long to fall in love with Flora and understand why David had such a hard time letting her go. The filmmakers danced delicately around the story while peppering it with the concerns for captured elephants and the brutality they encounter. Without a doubt, this is a film that everyone should see. It is worth the time!
With over 600 elephants in captivity in North America, it is safe to say that most of them aren’t in situations that are emotionally, physically or psychologically healthy. I can guess that most of those animals were captured and painfully broken in – all of this to for circuses, zoos and elephant-back safaris and rides. Although a small handful of countries have banned the use of wild animals in circuses, sadly the United States is NOT one of them. We have the ability to change this. First, stop going to animal based circuses. If we stop, they will shut down. Secondly, support your local Humane Society who is constantly fighting against the abuse and mistreatment of all animals, including elephants like Flora. Lastly, share this with a friend. Make them aware of the story of “One Lucky Elephant“. Knowledge is power. OWN has brought the information to us…now we can’t pretend we don’t know.