WELT TV Documentary Follows Rescued Elephants at India's Vantara
Berlin – October 29, 2026 -- WELT TV will air the roughly 43-minute documentary "Vantara - Sein Herz für Tiere" ("Vantara - A Heart for Animals") for the first time on Sunday, 1 November 2026, at 14:50. The film goes inside an Indian rescue center where injured and formerly captive wildlife get a second chance.
One of its stories centers on the elephant Leelavati. She was left tied up when a circus tent caught fire, and burning debris fell on her body. She suffered severe burns but survived, and she now receives medical care at Vantara.
Three former German circus elephants now live in Gujarat
The film traces one story that begins in Germany. After decades of performing and traveling in a circus, the elephants could no longer stay there. Contact with Vantara came through the animal welfare groups PETA Deutschland and PETA India, and three of the former circus elephants now live at the center in the Indian state of Gujarat.