Kabu was born in 1987 and spent Kabu spent many years working in the logging industry. As a child, she was injured while alongside her mother, who was hauling logs. Despite the injury, she was put to work, in chains, hauling logs like her mother. The injury was never properly treated, leaving her with a severe and permanent deformity. Over time, she relied heavily on her right leg to support her weight, which also became deformed.

While still working, Kabu endured forced breeding. In the wild, female elephants chose their partners. In capitivity, forced breeding often involves the female being chained by all four legs; the bull can often get aggressive, causing further injury. As traumatic as this process is, the mother’s newborns are then usually stripped from them and sold, as happened to Kabu’s two calves.

One, a male, died during the submission process wild elephants often endure to make them docile. The other, a female, was sold into tourism and her whereabout are unknown.

Kabu's life is emblematic of the hardship many elephants face in captivity - forced labour, injury and mistreatment, forced breeding, broken social and family bonds, mental trauma, poor conditions and care.

It’s why a rescue is life-changing for each elephant, and why the continued support of organisations such as Save Elephant Foundation and sanctuaries such as Elephant Nature Park is so vital to giving captive elephants life they deserve.