'Pangolin Kulu’s journey' captures an emotional bond in Netflix wildlife film

Volunteer caretaker and rescued pangolin form a transformative connection in South Africa’s Lapalala Reserve.

A scene from the Netflix documentary “Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey.” (c) Netflix.

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

In Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey, now streaming on Netflix, the rare and endangered pangolin — often a symbol of poaching and loss — becomes the center of a story about healing, empathy, and emotional transformation. This powerful documentary follows Kulu, a baby pangolin rescued from illegal wildlife traffickers in South Africa, as he undergoes rehabilitation under the watchful care of Gareth Thomas, a volunteer conservationist who finds solace in protecting the fragile creature. Their bond becomes the emotional backbone of a narrative that combines environmental urgency with personal redemption.

Pangolin Kulu’s journey takes on layered meaning here — not just the physical steps from trauma to freedom for a trafficked animal, but also the emotional recovery of a man searching for purpose. What begins as a conservation mission grows into something deeper, as Thomas, a former professional poker player grappling with past trauma and personal loss, finds himself becoming a full-time caregiver to a creature that cannot survive alone.

From the black market to the bushveld

Kulu’s journey begins with a dramatic sting operation. Saved as a pup from the illegal wildlife trade — where pangolins are trafficked for their meat and medicinally prized scales — he arrives at the Lapalala Wilderness School in South Africa malnourished, terrified, and nearly lifeless. Pangolins, nocturnal and solitary by nature, are notoriously difficult to rehabilitate in captivity, which makes every moment of Kulu’s recovery feel like a miracle in motion.

At Lapalala, a sprawling reserve in Limpopo Province, Kulu meets Thomas — a man whose own emotional wounds run nearly as deep. Having abandoned a career in competitive poker and reeling from the deaths of several close friends, Thomas had joined the pangolin conservation team seeking clarity and healing. What he finds instead is a kind of family.

“It’s like raising a child,” Thomas says early in the film, and he isn’t exaggerating. The documentary shows him accompanying Kulu on nightly foraging walks, leading him to rich anthills, protecting him from predators, and even curling up outside the animal’s burrow to sleep. In moments of vulnerability, Thomas shares how Kulu’s innocence and dependence have helped him reconnect to parts of himself he thought were gone.

Directed with tenderness and trust

Directed by Pippa Ehrlich, who co-directed My Octopus Teacher, the Oscar-winning documentary that also explored an unlikely cross-species friendship, Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey is visually lush and emotionally gentle. Like her previous work, Ehrlich chooses intimacy over spectacle, letting slow, observational scenes guide the story. The relationship between Kulu and Thomas unfolds with such genuine affection that the audience is quickly drawn into their shared rhythm.

Instead of relying heavily on narration or interviews, Ehrlich lets the camera linger on quiet gestures — a protective hand reaching out, a nervous pangolin uncurling, Thomas murmuring to Kulu in the dark. These visual choices reflect the film’s larger theme: that real connection takes time, patience, and trust.

Dr. Caswell Munyai, an ant specialist and one of the few experts to speak directly to the camera, offers insight into the pangolin’s unique place in the ecosystem and African folklore. According to certain traditions, pangolins are said to possess mystical qualities — a belief that resonates metaphorically through the film, as Thomas becomes spiritually transformed by his caregiving role.

Letting go and holding on

As Kulu grows stronger, the documentary edges toward its bittersweet conclusion. Rehabilitation, after all, implies release. The most difficult moment for Thomas — and one of the film’s most poignant — comes when he must begin preparing Kulu for a life without him. Though trained to expect this outcome, Thomas struggles with the idea of separation. “There’s got to be a point where you let go,” he says, his voice heavy with emotion. But in his eyes, that letting go feels nearly impossible.

And that’s part of what makes Pangolin Kulu’s journey so compelling: it doesn’t shy away from the complications of compassion. While the end goal is freedom for Kulu, the journey there is filled with small acts of devotion that reveal just how intertwined their lives have become. In the process of rescuing a pangolin, Thomas saves himself too.

A call to conservation and empathy

Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey isn’t just a personal story — it’s a subtle but urgent call for wildlife conservation. Pangolins are the most trafficked mammals in the world, and while this documentary centers on one individual, it gestures toward a much larger crisis. The film doesn’t preach, but it does present the emotional and ecological stakes with clarity.

What makes the documentary stand out in the crowded landscape of nature films is its refusal to frame animals purely as victims or symbols. Kulu is neither. He is a presence, a being with needs, quirks, and agency. Through Gareth Thomas’s eyes, we begin to see Kulu not just as a rescued pangolin, but as a teacher in his own right — a reminder that healing is often a two-way street.

The Netflix effect

By choosing to distribute the film on Netflix, Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey enters a wide public arena — and that’s significant. The global platform brings urgent attention to pangolin trafficking, African conservation efforts, and the emotional labor of wildlife care. It transforms a quiet film into a potential catalyst for awareness and action.

The documentary’s place alongside other Netflix environmental content also boosts its visibility, likely to draw in viewers who discovered My Octopus Teacher or The Elephant Whisperers. But unlike those titles, Pangolin has a quiet intensity, unspooling slowly and insistently until it leaves its emotional imprint.

A journey worth watching

In an age when media is often dominated by spectacle and speed, Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey offers a much-needed reprieve. It asks its audience to slow down, to watch closely, and to feel deeply. And in doing so, it honors the delicate beauty of the animal it centers — one whose survival, like so many others, hangs in the balance.

Through the lens of one pangolin’s path from captivity to freedom, and one man’s road from grief to grace, the film offers a compelling meditation on what it means to care. For conservationists, animal lovers, and anyone seeking meaning through connection, Pangolin Kulu’s journey is a story that lingers — quietly, deeply, and with great heart.