Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Nadya Hutagalung focuses on the tusk at hand

SINGAPORE — Eco-activist Nadya Hutagalung has literally got big things on her mind: Namely, the National Geographic Channel special called Let Elephants Be Elephants.

Let Elephants Be Elephants host Nadya Hutagalung. Photos: Nadya Hutagalung and Tammie Matson.

Let Elephants Be Elephants host Nadya Hutagalung. Photos: Nadya Hutagalung and Tammie Matson.

SINGAPORE — Eco-activist Nadya Hutagalung has literally got big things on her mind: Namely, the National Geographic Channel special called Let Elephants Be Elephants.

As the host and producer of the one-off documentary, Hutagalung travelled to Kenya to learn about the endangered beasts and speak to leading conservationists.

“I’ve got too much on my plate to be worried about anything else, but really, this is a project that I’ve been working on for so long, and even (before) I agreed to be on the second cycle of Asia’s Next Top Model,” she said. “This is something I’m so passionate about and I hope it doesn’t get crowded by other news.”

“Other news” like the online outcry about Malaysian contestant Sheena Liam unexpectedly beating out Filipina favourite Jodilly Pendre on the competition show, Asia’s Next Top Model, where Hutagalung reigns as head judge. It prompted the put-upon Hutagalung to release a statement over social media saying: “The decision was reached by a team of judges and not me alone ... let’s keep the comments respectful”.

But she is now focusing on the plight of the pachyderms. Elephants have had a special place in the former model’s heart since she was a young girl. “My mum has always been really passionate about elephants and I grew up in a house full of elephant statues and photographs and collectibles,” she shared.

But it was only recently that the 39-year-old learned that the ivory trade was still alive and well, despite increased public awareness and education. Ivory is still used in Asia for jewellery and decorations.

“The Philippines uses ivory for religious statues and there are a lot of Buddhist statutes that are made from ivory as well,” Hutagalung said. “At the moment, 30,000 to 35,000 elephants are killed every year. There are only about 500,000 elephants left in the wild.”

Spending a month in Kenya last year, Hutagalung got up close to the elephants. Her most unforgettable memory is of how Tim, the largest bull in the herd, stopped only a metre away from her vehicle and stared at her. “After three minutes, he just shook his head and turned away,” she said. “It was an experience that I can’t explain in normal, logical terms – it seemed almost like a spiritual experience because it was so intense. It was like he was communicating.

“I felt a really strong connection with Tim. And it’s really (a concern) because he could be gone any day.”

That’s why Hutagalung has made it her mission to educate people about the ivory trade. “The thing that gives us comfort is that 80 per cent of people don’t know that the elephant has to die for them to have ivory. They simply don’t know that having ivory means dead elephants,” she said.

“That, for us, is a great thing because it means it’s simply a matter of education, which is what we’re hoping to do. What happened in Europe, the United States and also in Japan was that ivory was considered this beautiful, exotic thing to have. As soon as their education campaign kicked in, it became taboo and nobody wanted to be seen wearing it or owning it.

“We hope that the same will happen in Asia.”

It’s a cause that became even more personal when she returned to visit the elephants with her family, and her six-year-old daughter made a heart-rending observation. “Nyla, from the back of the car, said, ‘Mama, we have to really remember these elephants because when I grow up, there will be no more elephants, right?’” Hutagalung recounted. “And you know what — it really, really hit me, and I said, ‘You know what, Nyla, that’s exactly what we’re trying to do right now. We’re trying to ensure that when you do grow up, there will be elephants’.

“And that’s why we have to work so hard to do this. That’s the kind of situation that we are facing.”

Catch Let Elephants Be Elephants tonight at 7pm (repeat telecast on April 30 at 12.30pm) on the National Geographic Channel (StarHub TV Ch 411 and SingTel mio TV Ch 201); or on April 25 at 9.35pm on Nat Geo Wild! (StarHub TV Ch 413 and SingTel mio TV Ch 207).

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.