Meet Filmmaker
Philippa Wilkinson
My name is Philippa and I am a vet nurse and a wildlife conservationist. Most of my career has been spent doing surgical nursing work at referral veterinary hospitals in New Zealand and Australia, with a small portion of that time being a nurse and keeper at the zoo. I have also been heavily involved in campaigning and fundraising for a number of different wildlife organizations. After my zoo job I had a huge desire to head overseas to try assist with some of the conservation issues that were associated with the animals in my care. This lead me to Asia in 2012. After my extended travels through that region I found I was quite affected by the animals caught up in the tourism activities and the suffering they experienced because of it. it moved me so much that I came back to Australia and set about putting together awareness and educational material that would hopefully help travelers like myself make better and more informed decisions. I successfully produced a travel brochure that tourists could read before heading away and put a short documentary together to hopefully spread the word even more.
Philippa Wilkinson’s Film
The Elephant in the Room
This film delves into the wildlife tourism industry throughout Thailand and just how much of an impact these practices have on the lives of wildlife in the country.
We look at how much suffering and trauma these animals go through for the sake of tourism. We investigate other alternatives and suggest activities travelers can now support and turn to in order to allow for more freedom and choice – and happier life for these animals.
Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (2018)
AUDIENCE CHOICE
Honorable Mention – Centre for Animal Protection and Education: Animal Film Festival (2018)
Non-Profits who supported
The Elephant in the Room
There were many amazing organizations that helped me on the journey of the educational documentary, and I would really like to acknowledge them.