Stars say, ‘Free Mali!’

MANILA, Philippines - The barren, cramped enclosure at the Manila Zoo must seem like a prison cell to Mali, the lonely, suffering elephant who has been confined there for 36 years. That’s why some celebrities including Sam Milby, Shaina Magdayao, Piolo Pascual, Maja Salvador, Enrique Gil, Gerald Anderson, Kim Chiu, and Xian Lim have posed for mug shots while holding prison-like name cards stating that they want Mali to be freed. A sanctuary has already agreed to accept the ailing elephant. The celebrity campaign will be launched in the June issue of StarStudio.

“Mali has been sentenced to a life of solitary confinement,” says PETA Asia campaigns manager Rochelle Regodon. “But the call for Mali’s freedom has reached a fever pitch, and the scientists, politicians, religious figures, celebrities and students making that call can’t be ignored forever.”

In her current environment, Mali is denied everything that’s natural and important to her. But in a sanctuary, she would have hectares in which to roam, rivers and ponds to bathe in, and the crucial company of other elephants. A growing number of animal experts, including world-renowned veterinarian Dr. Henry Richardson, Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick, and Dr. Jane Goodall, are calling for Mali’s transfer to a sanctuary. Also, Animals Asia, Humane Society International, the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, the World Society for the Protection of Animals, Compassion and Responsibility for Animals, and all the world’s leading animal welfare organizations have come out in support of relocating her.

For details, visit PETAAsiaPacific.com.