'Ang Maamong Higante,' dokumentaryo ni Kara David ngayong Sabado sa I-Witness

“ANG MAAMONG HIGANTE”

18th Anniversary Special

Dokumentaryo ni Kara David

November 4, 2017

Through the years, I-Witness continues to bring stories that educate, inspire, and bring hope to its viewers.  As the show marks its 18th anniversary this November, I-Witness presents eye-opening journeys through borders and barriers where different cultures unite for a common cause.

Kicking off the month-long anniversary celebration, Kara David travels to Thailand to witness how indigenous tribes from Myanmar and Laos join together in preserving Thailand’s elephants. These tribes fled to Thailand’s borders to escape persecution.

Elephants have long been a significant part of Thailand's culture. And being a Buddhist country, they consider these creatures as sacred. However, of the three thousand elephants living in Thailand, about three hundred of them are being exploited for tourism. These elephants are taken from their natural environment, enslaved and hurt.

This is the situation which Sangduen “Lek” Chailert hopes to put an end to. Being the founder of “Save Elephant Project”, she put up a sanctuary where abused elephants are taken in, rehabilitated and given a new home. Kara David goes to Chiang Mai – the northern part of Thailand - to meet Lek and visit the park where the 74 rescued elephants are cared for, including Kabu who has a broken leg.

Part of their project is to delegate members of the Karen Hill Tribe like Boonchu to serve as “mahouts” or elephant keepers. These indigenous people are mostly from Myanmar and Laos who now reside in a village in Chiang Mai where they live in harmony with the elephants.

This Saturday, don’t miss Kara David’s documentary, “The Gentle Giant” (Ang Maamong Higante), on I-Witness after Celebrity Bluff.

Filipino version:

Mahalagang parte ng kultura ng Thailand ang mga elepante. Bilang isang bansa kung saan Budismo ang pangunahing relihiyon, sagrado ang turing nila sa mga hayop na ito. Pero sa kabila nito - sa mahigit tatlong libong elepanteng naninirahan sa Thailand - nasa tatlong daan ang naaabuso sa ngalan ng turismo. Iniaalis sila sa kanilang natural na tahanan, inaalipin at sinasaktan.

Ito ang sitwasyon na nais tuldukan ni Sangduen “Lek” Chailert kaya sinimulan niya ang “Save Elephant Project.” Itinayo niya ang isang santuario kung saan kinukupkop ang mga inabusong elepante para alagaan at bigyan ng bagong tahanan. Samahan si Kara David na bumiyahe patungong Chiang Mai – ang dulong hilaga ng Thailand – para makilala si Lek, gayun din ang pitumpu't apat na elepanteng pinangangalagaan ngayon sa conservation park. Kabilang na si Kabu – ang elepanteng nabalian ng paa nang dahil sa pang-aabuso.

Parte rin ng proyektong ito ang italaga ang mga miyembro ng Karen Hill Tribe kagaya ni Boonchu na magsilbing “mahout” o tagapangalaga ng mga elepante. Nagmula ang tribo nila sa bansang Myanmar at Laos at nang tugisin na parang mga hayop sa sarili nilang bansa, tinawid nila ang border ng Thailand sa paghahanap ng bagong tahanan. Ngayon, malaya silang namumuhay kasama ng mga elepante.

Ngayong ikaapat ng Nobyembre, sa pagdiriwang ng ika-labinwalong taong anibersaryo ng I-Witness, samahan si Kara David na tumawid patungong Chiang Mai, Thailand. Panuorin ang dokumentaryo niyang “Ang Maamong Higante” ngayong Sabado, pagkatapos ng Celebrity Bluff sa GMA-7.