asialife HCMC 1 - AsiaLIFE Magazine

FREE NY
The HCMC Circus Theatre is going animal free
and Ny the elephant is making her escape first.
By Beth Young. Photo by Fred Wissink.
For most of her life, Ny the
elephant has performed at
the HCMC Circus Theatre on
Pham Ngu Lao. Between shows
she is locked up in a concrete
enclosure, held captive by a
heavy chain with very little
give. It’s been like this ever
since Sony presented her as a
gift to the Vietnamese Government
17 years ago. Another
elephant was also part of the
package, and together So and
Ny became circus acts, their
names a perpetual reminder of
the company’s gesture.
Sadly, So coped poorly with
the conditions and was taken
away to an unknown location.
Ny, now 20, remains, but
hopefully for not much longer.
Thanks to animal welfare
organisation Wild Life at Risk
(WAR) and a group of concerned
expatriates, she may
soon be returning to a more
natural habitat. If all goes to
plan, the elephant sanctuary
currently under construction
at Cat Tien National Park will
become her new home once
she’s officially retired.
Lori Burke, the creator, coproducer
and director of new
circus act "Xin Chao", says it’s
about time. Just a few weeks
ago, Ny tried to break down the
steel gate that surrounds her
enclosure, and very nearly succeeded.
After the many stunts
she’s been forced to perform
over the years—balancing onefooted
on a spinning table and
kicking soccer balls through
hoops—it’s easy to understand
her desperation to get out. “Can
you imagine how cruel [the
trainers] must’ve been to her, to
make her do things like that”
Burke says.
Still, Ny’s departure signals
a new beginning for her, and
also, for the other “performers”
who live and work at the circus.
With the decision made to
become animal-free, the caged
monkeys and dogs kept behind
the big top will be rescued and
rehabilitated in time, too. “I
think it’s going to be a happy
story,” Burke says, and it’s one
that she hopes will encourage
further steps forward for animal
welfare in Vietnam.
To contribute to the cost of Ny’s
rehabilitation please email WAR at
info@wildlifeatrisk.com.
asialife HCMC 45