What Makes Renee Olstead’s Heart Break?

During a recent visit to Manila, American actor and renowned jazz singer Renee Olstead took time out from her busy schedule to pay a special visit to Mali, the Manila Zoo’s lonely and miserable elephant.

Renee—who can be seen in the hit sitcom The Secret Life of the American Teenager—was appalled at Mali’s solitary confinement. Mali has been imprisoned in the same barren enclosure since she was transferred from Sri Lanka to the Philippines in 1977 despite calls to transfer her to a sanctuary.

“I only watched Mali for a few minutes, and the entire time I was there, she stood in one place with her trunk to the ground,” says Renee. “As I was leaving the zoo, I looked back and saw her there. I realized that her life is probably never much different from that. Every minute of every day, Mali is deprived of everything that is natural and important to her. It makes my heart break.”

Want to join Renee in speaking up for Mali? Take action and urge Philippine authorities to do what’s right and transfer her to a sanctuary. For more ways you can help, click here.

Posted by Ashley Fruno