The only elephant in the Phils and one of my favorite photographic subjects has passed away. Mali, aged 43- 49 sometimes referred to as Vishwa Ma’ali, a popular attraction at the Manila Zoo passed away November 28, 2023, at 3:45 PM at the Manila Zoo. She was the first captive elephant in the Philippines to have lived in solitary confinement for more than 40 years. Mali, a Sri Lankan elephant was given to the Manila City Government in 1981 but later became a zoo attraction, you can only imagine how difficult life would be inside the cage in solitary confinement. I was sorry to hear of her loss.
I was one of the activists who advocated for her release so that she may go to safety living a free life. My dream for Mali is to have a free life connecting with other elephants. It was really a lonely existence living inside the cage, the elephant sanctuary ought to have been the ideal place for her to call her home. My hopes have been shattered that she’ s no longer with us now, she’s gone…
Mali and I had a particular bond and I frequently visited her at the Manila Zoo. She was also one of my favorite photography subjects and featured on my blogs a couple of times. I remember from my previous blog post featuring Mali, I took a picture of her against the setting sun. It was a dramatic photograph of an elephant with a sunset backdrop, it was a relatively rare shot.
I went to look over our old images and tears rolled down my cheeks. I lost a dear friend who always gave me her beautiul glance. My dearest Mali, thank you for the lovely photographs. I will always remember you. My final farewell, and may you rest in peace…
Note: Now that the elephant cage is empty and prepared to host the next generation, what about housing humans there? Simply choose the appropriate person to experience what Mali has gone through in captivity.
My apologies! I’m only exercising my right to free speech in the Philippines, which is a democratic country.
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