Elephant Aid International

Flora’s Documentary

Written by

Carol

in

,

October 1

“One Lucky Elephant,” a documentary about Flora’s life, was included in the 2010 Woodstock Film Festival this week. The film highlights the tragedy that plagues elephants in the entertainment industry.

Like so many elephants living in captivity, Flora lost everything when her family was culled in the wilds of Africa. She came to America as an orphaned infant and was immediately inducted into the circus. After years of performing, Flora began to show signs of emotional disconnection and aggression, which were later determined to be symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. On her 21st birthday she retired to the Sanctuary.

Many viewers of “One Lucky Elephant” are left in a quandary about David not being allowed to see Flora. Unfortunately, David’s reappearance in Flora’s life could trigger another PTSD episode. Putting Flora’s wellbeing first means that such a gamble should be avoided.

This film demonstrates the lifelong effect trauma has on such a highly intelligent and exceedingly social animal.

Comments

4 responses to “Flora’s Documentary”

  1. sherryheim Avatar
    sherryheim

    Thank you for posting this information, Carol. I went to the website of the movie and sent an e-mail to see if I could pay for an online viewing or purchase a copy of the documentary. I would really like to watch the love story of Flora and David, feel his heartache at realizing that he would have to give her up and watching as he tried so hard to find a sutible home for her. The world needs to understand how difficult it is to try to keep a wild animal as a pet or family member so that this crazy concept of domesticating wild animals, for whatever reason, can come to an end. Am I correct it recalling that David asked you to allow Flora to live at TES, long before she moved there, but because, at that point, TES was strictly for Asian elephants with no habitat for Africans that you had to turn him down? I may be confusing Flora with another elephant but I thought I recalled that was part of the Flora story. Thank you again for this posting and for making me aware of the documentary. I am so thankful that Flora has found sanctuary and a place where she can live out the rest of her life, just being an elephant. I am certain that David shares my sentiments, though I also bet he still misses Flora, deeply.

    Reply
    1. Carol Avatar
      Carol

      When David first approached us about a home for Flora we did not have an African area. But later when we expanded and were able to carve out an area for African elephants, Flora was invited to join Tange and Zula.

      Reply
  2. starling Avatar
    starling

    As we watch Flora’s owner age throughout the film, and hear him beg to see his beloved Flora, I think we experience the emotions that cause people to capture animals and put them into a circus or a zoo or into their homes in the first place. They are exotic, dangerous. We want love them; we want to see them. And we think we have a right to change their lives completely, even put them in pain and torment because we love them and we have a RIGHT to see them.

    But when David decided to put Flora into a Sanctuary, it is (or it should be) Flora’s life that matters from then on, not what might make David happy.

    All of the vets and animal psychologists who were consulted said that Flora suffered from PTSD probably caused by the repeated trauma she suffered every winter when her owner sent her away to a zoo, because his circus was in hiatus.

    If, because of seeing David, Flora attacks someone else there is no other Sanctuary, no other zoo that will take her. She might have to be euthanized.

    Even given the possibility that Flora might do something that will result in her death, Flora’s owner still begs to see her.

    But when we the audience also want Flora’s owner to see her, we need to hold onto that feeling and remember never to feel it again when tempted to change an animal’s life because we think we have a right to change it.

    Reply
  3. Jody@JodysJungle.com Avatar
    [email protected]

    http://oneluckyelephant.com/

    Reply

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