Abu - First of the Herd
The term ‘star quality’ is difficult to define even in humans but Randall Moore recognised it immediately in the elephant he found in cramped quarters in a wildlife park at Grand Prairie, Texas, in 1987. Moore was looking for a mature bull with good-sized tusks to take the elephant lead in the movie ‘Circles in a Forest.’ The elephant’s name was Abu and Moore realised that there was something special about him despite the poor conditions in which he was being kept, in the mistaken belief that he was in musth and possibly dangerous. Soon Abu, well-scrubbed, well-behaved and responsive to Moore’s ministrations, was on board a ship bound for South Africa – and stardom.
Abu’s star quality shone through during the filming in the Knysna Forest. He played the part of Big Foot, a giant tusker that looms out of the misty forest glades to terrorise a village. Abu readily learned a great range of ‘behaviours’ needed for the film, including the ability to save the human star from drowning by lifting him with tusks and trunk gently from a stream and depositing him on terra firma. He won immediate acclaim for his role and was soon the star of an award-winning commercial for IBM as the older elephant leading a baby on a long journey over dunes and rocky paths.
Abu won international recognition when he starred with Clint Eastwood in ‘White Hunter, Black Heart’ which included a scene in which the elephant charges the film star and tosses and ‘kills’ his black tracker. The manner in which he seemed to understand immediately what was expected of him gained him the soubriquet “one-take Abu” in Hollywood as he tended to get it right first time, every time.
He went on to star in several feature films and numerous commercials, all enhancing his international reputation. According to Moore, Abu revelled in making films and in learning often complicated manoeuvres for the cameras. “He seemed to know he was going to be called on when the film crews arrived and started unloading their equipment. He would immediately strike his best poses for the director, just like any human star,” Moore recalled. “Abu loved playing the part of the roughest, toughest bull on the block when, in fact, he was the gentlest and easiest animal to work with.”
Away from the cameras, Abu was just as special. As the herd expanded, Abu took on the role of father figure for the young elephants, encouraging them to play their part in the team and being firm when their errant behaviour called for it. “He was always ready and willing to help when problems arose with the other elephants,” said Moore. “He was a very special elephant.”
