TYKE — Elephant Outlaw Rebel

TYKE ELEPHANT OUTLAW: Exclusive Clip

In this exclusive clip from TYKE ELEPHANT OUTLAW, watch people talk about the tragic day the Tyke circus elephant went on a rampage during a performance in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1994. Yet few who knew the animal’s history — and the inhumane treatment she received in the off-season — were shocked about the incident. Performing-animal abuse isn’t new and continues to make big waves.

TYKE — Elephant Outlaw

Tyke Elephant Outlaw, the Australian feature documentary film, is to be broadcast in the BBC’s prestigious Storyville slot later this year, following screenings at the Sydney Film Festival, the Sheffield Documentary Film Festival in the UK and New Zealand’s Doc Edge Film Festival.

The news follows the film’s recent world premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival in Florida, the home of the US circus industry, where it was greeted with acclaim and passionate protests in support and in opposition to the film.

R.I.P. — Tyke (1974 – August 20, 1994) — R.I.P.

Tyke Elephant Outlaw is directed and produced by leading Australian documentary filmmakers Susan Lambert and Stefan Moore, and co-produced by Megan McMurchy.

The film tells the gripping and emotionally charged story of Tyke, a circus elephant who went on a rampage in Honolulu in 1994, killed her trainer in front of thousands of spectators and died in a hail of gunfire. Her break for freedom – filmed from start to tragic end – traumatized a city and ignited a global battle over the use of animals in the entertainment industry.

Like the classic animal rebellion film King Kong, Tyke is the central protagonist in a tragic but redemptive drama that combines trauma, outrage, insight and compassion.

The film includes the astonishing archival footage from Honolulu of her breakout from the circus and the rampage through the streets of Honolulu.

The film also features interviews with people who knew Tyke and were affected by her death – former trainers and handlers, circus industry insiders, witnesses to her rampage, and animal rights activists for whom Tyke became a global rallying cry… often with strikingly differing perspectives on Tyke’s life and death.

The world premiere in Florida coincided with the announcement by Ringling Bros. circus that it is planning to phase out elephant acts.

Tyke Elephant Outlaw was produced with the financial assistance of Screen Australia, Screen NSW and Voiceless: The Animal Protection Institute. ABC Commercial is handling international distribution.

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Tyke the Elephant's Last Day on Earth

In 1994, an elephant named Tyke gave her last circus performance. By the time the dust settled, a trainer was dead, 13 people were injured, and Tyke herself had been shot almost 100 times and killed.

Today, circuses are still abusing animals and driving them to the brink. In dozens of dangerous incidents since 2000, elephants have escaped from circuses, run through streets, crashed into buildings, attacked members of the public, and killed and injured handlers.

It's no surprise that these animals lash out. Circuses use violence, intimidation, and extreme confinement to force elephants to perform inane tricks. These cruel training techniques are used to break elephants' spirits when they're only babies, and they mark the beginning of a life in which everything that is natural and important to these sensitive, intelligent animals is taken away from them. — PETA