The Ramba Effect

It was the summer of 2019 and the world felt grim. I received the email from the Global Sanctuary for Elephants that they had finally been granted the CITES permit to move Ramba, the last circus elephant in Chile, to Brazil. Here was a group of people who had devoted their lives to saving captive elephants. And they were about to embark upon something extraordinary. I knew I had to tell the story.

Through this film, I sought to capture who Ramba was as an individual, but also the dedication of the people who fought tirelessly to give her a new life. I wanted to show the beauty of sanctuary and its power to heal. I wanted to give the world a sense of the depth and complexity of the lives of elephants. And, perhaps most importantly, to introduce people to the harm captivity exacts on these deeply sensitive, emotional beings.

My deepest wish is that this film will gently move viewers to understand what elephants truly need and how damaging captivity is for these sentient, complex individuals. Elephants belong in herds, with their loved ones, their children and mothers and sisters, free to roam wild as nature intended. I hope you enjoy experiencing THE RAMBA EFFECT for yourself.