Hey Nouns!
I am Daniel, the founder of Unchained Elephants, a multichain NFT project. Our journey began back in 2021/2 when we started raising funds to feed elephants that were left “unemployed” due to the pandemic. Back then, we managed to raise $10k USD through the sales of NFTs and helped 8 elephants across 3 different camps for 3 months. After the pandemic, we decided to make an even bigger impact and rebranded the project to Unchained Elephants, with the goal of rescuing elephants living in dire conditions.
In June last year, we embarked on our first rescue (without a clue of what we were doing), but through the sales of NFTs and crowdfunding, we raised around $20,000 USD to buy the freedom of Kanoon, a 45 to 55-year-old bull elephant that had been chained up next to a garbage dump for almost 4 years. We relocated him to an elephant sanctuary. This story was so moving that we recently got featured on The Dodo, and the video has already been watched 3.6M times on just YouTube & Instagram. You can see the story here: The Dodo on Instagram: "Elephant chained up next to a garbage dump for years has the best reaction when he finally gets to walk (and swim!) free 🥰 Keep up with the amazing work from @unchainedelephants and follow @blesele for more elephants!"
But we didn’t stop there. In November, we embarked on a second rescue and raised $23,000 USD to buy the freedom of Kham Phaeng, an elderly female elephant 60+ years old that was still being used to work and carry tourists on her back. This second rescue will also be featured on The Dodo in the coming months, as well as being picked up by other media outlets in the crypto space.
Collaboration
As part of our mission to educate travelers about elephant tourism and improve the welfare of elephants in Asia, we are collaborating with award-winning documentary filmmaker Erik E. Crown. Erik is passionate about storytelling and environmental activism. He has exposed illegal poaching in the Amazon, documented illegal logging, coconut monkey farms, Escobar’s displaced hippos in Colombia, endangered pink dolphins in the Amazon, and the threatened manatees in Florida. Most recently, he shed light on the critically endangered gorilla both in the wild and in zoos with “Harambe”.
Erik passionately seeks to expose environmental issues and believes in finding solutions that people can engage with today. He hopes that his stories will inspire others to take action in their communities.
Project Overview
Teaming up with Eric, we’re developing the first “trial episode” for a mini-documentary series spotlighting the elephant industry in Thailand. Eric has already captured footage in 4k from our first rescue and additional interviews, as well as footage providing insights into the elephant industry in Thailand. We aim to create this episode to pitch the conept to a larger TV network for full-on production of a mini-series. Or even better, we hope to get support from the Nouns community to develop something even more impactful, by sparking conversations and inspiring action, we aim to drive positive change and promote environmental issues with the support of Web3.
Funding Need
To bring this “trial episode,” which as mentioned has the goal of evolving into a mini-documentary series, to life, we require funding for various aspects such as post-production, editing, and distribution costs as a sponsorship proposal. This includes expenses starting with flying Eric and his team to Thailand for additional filming, editing software, sound design, and marketing efforts. We are looking for 9 ETH so we can ensure the success and quality of the project, amplifying its impact and reach.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the collaboration between Unchained Elephants, Erik E. Crown, and the Nouns Community represents a unique opportunity to shed light on pressing environmental issues and advocate for the welfare of elephants in Asia with the support of Web3. By harnessing the power of web3 community, leveraging Eric’s expertise and the mission of Unchaining Elephant, we aim to create a compelling trial episode with the goal of evolving it into a mini-documentary series that educates, inspires, and drives meaningful change. With your support, we can amplify our efforts and make a lasting impact on the future of elephant & animal conservation.
PS: if anyone wants to get a chance to join the next rescue, sign up here: Join The Elephant Rescue In Thailand - Unchained Elephants
Thanks
Daniel