The Connect Foundation: A @blackbeanproductions Film Foundation

Today, on Endangered Species Day, we take a moment to highlight species that are under threat across the world. Some still exist in healthy pockets, while others are on the brink of extinction. Every animal has a role to play within its ecosystem, and the health of those ecosystems affects all of us on a global scale. From vultures helping control disease to elephants shaping the land around them, the absence of these animals is often only truly felt once they are gone. We all share a responsibility towards the health of this planet, our home. If future generations are to have any chance of seeing gorillas, rhinos, and other endangered species in the wild, we need to work together. Whether through big actions or small ones, every action has an impact on the future.

Five years of filming. Five years of questions. What started as a small, self-funded project grew into something much bigger than we expected. Over that time, we’ve kept returning to Knysna, learning about the forest, its elephants, and the history connected to both. We’re now in the final stages of completing the film.�We need your support to finish it. Support via the link in bio.�#FundAFilm #ElephantAlone

This forest once was home to hundreds of elephants. Now it holds one. The Knysna forests supported a small but established population of elephants. Over time, through hunting, habitat loss, and expanding human settlement, their numbers declined. Slowly. Quietly. Until only one remained. Elephant Alone tells the story of what was lost, and what is still left to understand. We need your help to finish the film. Support via the link in bio. #FundAFilm #ElephantAlone

The Knysna elephant’s story is a haunting one. Once part of a herd, now only one remains. This film follows that journey of loss, survival, and what it means when a whole population is reduced to a single individual. But beyond the tragedy, there is something deeper here, a reflection for us. About how we live with nature, what we lose when connection is broken, and what it means to try and restore what once was. We’re in the final stages of completing this documentary and need your support to bring it into the world. Help us share this story. If you would like to support the project, link in my bio.

There is one elephant left in the forest. Deep within South Africa’s Knysna Indigenous Forest lives the last known Knysna elephant. A solitary female, the final survivor of a population that once moved through these forests in small, scattered herds. Most people don’t even know she exists. Elephant Alone is a film about how we got here, and why this story still matters. We need your help to finish this important film. Support the film via the link in bio. #FundAFilm #ElephantAlone 📷 Dave Reynell 1968

This story has quietly grown alongside our children. See how they transform from our first shoot through to our most recent (I am pregnant in the last image). What began as a documentary became part of family life. Long drives, forest walks, conversations around dinner tables, and years of hearing about one elephant who still moves through the Knysna forest. They’ve grown up with this story. They ask questions about her. Wonder where she is. Talk about what it all means. One of the sweetest things has been hearing Gracie casually use the words “local extinction” in conversation. And Tom draw his own book of “what happened to all the elephants”. Elephant Alone has become part of their childhood, and part of how they understand the natural world. We’ve carried this story for years, and we’re now working toward the final chapter. You can be a part of this and help us finish the film via the link in bio. And when we get there we would love to see you as screenings! And thank you in person. Huge thank you to everyone that has supported us so far! It is humbling. Donate via the link in my bio. @elephantalone @jamessuter @oli_caldow @connect.foundation @blackbeanproductions #ElephantAlone #FundAFilm

Over the past 10+ years of filmmaking, we have had the privilege of documenting projects across Southern and East Africa, working alongside NGOs, rangers, and local communities. From rewilding efforts with keystone species to reforestation initiatives, we have seen how small actions can grow into something much bigger over time. Reconnecting landscapes through wildlife corridors, and giving animals the space to move freely, can slowly bring ecosystems back into balance. On Earth Day 2026, we’re reminded that these efforts take time, but they matter. Through storytelling, we hope to continue sharing these projects and the people behind them, helping to raise awareness for work that will shape the future of these wild spaces for generations to come. #EarthDay

Exciting news! We’ve spent years working on a story that quietly sits in the fabric of South Africa, one that many people don’t even know exists. Elephant Alone is about the last elephant in the Knysna forest. But it’s also about memory, loss, and witnessing our children come to understand the world around them, and become part of a story like this. It feels special, and bigger than us. We’ve worked on this documentary over many years, alongside raising our kids, carrying it through different seasons of life, always knowing it was a story we needed to finish properly. We’re now in the final stages of completing the film. And while it feels vulnerable to share this, we do need support to get it across the line, from final filming to edit and post. If this story resonates with you, and you feel called to help us bring it home, we would be incredibly grateful. Link below 👇 and in my bio to donate. https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/elephant-alone-fund-a-film #FundAFilm #elephantalone

Elephants remind us of what we value most in ourselves. They move through the world with memory and empathy, forming deep social bonds and caring for one another in ways that feel unmistakably familiar. Yet the way we treat them tells a different story. Across landscapes, their lives are shaped by loss and fragmentation, by increasing human pressure. In this contrast, something becomes clear. The way we treat elephants reflects our priorities, what we choose to protect, and what we are willing to lose. Our relationship with them is not only about conservation. It is a reflection of who we are, and the choices we continue to make.

Their joy isn’t just for show; Its lived. Maasai women carry their stories in every song and every dance. With every clap and voice raised together, they celebrate life, family and the strength that holds them together. It’s more than just music and movement . It’s a tradition full of joy and unity, passed down through generations. #WomenInTheWild

An elephant dies from a poisoned arrow on the western corridor of the Greater Serengeti. Shot not for ivory, but in response to crop damage. The Grumeti Fund team responded, removed the arrow, and attempted treatment. The injuries were too severe. We documented it as it unfolded. And in that process, the complexity of this work became clearer. This is human–wildlife conflict. Just one of the many stories that happen on the daily - throughout the world. A reminder that conservation isn’t only about protecting animals, but about people, land, and the relationships between them. Because how we live with nature, and how we understand it, shapes what we choose to protect.

We often speak about protecting nature as something separate from us. Something out there. But the shift doesn’t begin with protection. It begins earlier. In moments like this, where connection isn’t taught, it’s felt. And when we feel connected, we care differently. We protect differently. Because it no longer feels like nature. It feels like part of us. This connection matters. Because when it’s nurtured, and deepened through understanding, it doesn’t just change how we feel, it changes how we act. And that’s where real change begins. #LivingConnected