1969 British film
| An Elephant Called Slowly |
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| Directed by | James Hill |
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| Written by | Bill Travers
James Hill |
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| Produced by | Bill Travers
James Hill |
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| Starring | Virginia McKenna
Bill Travers |
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Production
company | Morning Star Productions |
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| Distributed by | British Lion (UK) |
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Release date | [1] |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
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| Language | English |
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An Elephant Called Slowly is a 1969 British film from the team that made Born Free. It starred the elephant Pole Pole.[2] The film was shot on location in Kenya.[3]
Premise
The film showcased the adventures of the couple, Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, with three African elephants at Tsavo National Park.[4]
Pole Pole, The Elephant
Pole Pole was a young elephant that had been captured as an orphan, from the wild and was being temporarily held in Nairobi before a relocation to UK. It was one of the three elephants used in the film, An Elephant Called Slowly.[5]
Once production of the film ended, Pole Pole, the two year old elephant, was donated by the Government of Kenya as a gift to the Queen.[6] This was despite efforts by the couple to save it from the relocation to a zoo in London.[4] In UK it was to be held in an enclosed environment, unlike in Kenya, where it roamed freely in the wild.[7]
The elephant later on died, years later, at Regent Zoo in London, while in the process of being transferred to a different facility, Whipsnade Zoo.[8][9][10] Its death led to the foundation, Born Free, being created by the Late Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna to look after the welfare of animals, including elephants.[11]
Cast
References
External links
