My Octopus Teacher Director Reveals the Shocking Life of a Highly-Trafficked Animal in New Film (Exclusive)

Academy Award-winner Pippa Ehrlich —director of My Octopus Teacher — is back with a new documentary about one of Earth's magnificent creatures.

PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the trailer for the upcoming Netflix film Pangolin: Kulu's Journey. This heartfelt film explores the emotional bond humanity can form with nature by following a man, Gareth Thomas, as he rescues and rehabilitates a baby pangolin — one of the most trafficked animals in the world, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare. 

"Pangolins are some of the most ancient and unique mammals that have ever walked the Earth. Over millions of years of evolution, they have traded their claws and fangs for protective scales and a finely tuned intuition that makes them deeply sensitive, innocent creatures: they can't run or bite, and their only defense is to roll up in a ball," Ehrlich told PEOPLE in a statement about what drew her to the story.

"When I met Gareth, I was immediately fascinated by his relationship with these gentle and mysterious animals, but the reason I wanted to make the film is that I believe pangolins are a symbol of our own fragile existence on this planet, along with so many of the vulnerable beings that belong here with us," she added.

The trailer opens with footage of Kulu, the documentary's titular, adorable baby pangolin. Pangolins are scaly anteaters that are facing extinction in their native regions in Africa and Asia due to the high demand for their claws and scales.

"It's an incredible thing to see just how innocent pangolins are," a voiceover says in the trailer as Kulu wanders and rolls through the wild world.

In the film, Kulu is rescued from the illegal wildlife trade with help from Thomas. The trailer reveals that Thomas takes it upon himself to care for and nurture the pangolin so Kulu can return to the wild. As part of this effort, Thomas leaves city life to help acclimate the creature to its natural environment. 

"I've never had to nurture something so vulnerable in my life before," Thomas says in the trailer. 

Thomas's rehabilitation challenges include getting Kulu to eat, feel secure, and face predators in the wild.

"I really just want to do the best job possible," he says. "But, there's got to be a point where you let go."

The heartwrenching documentary combines a captivating storyline with breathtaking imagery. Pangolin: Kulu's Journey is Ehrlich's third film as director, following My Mercury (2024) and My Octopus Teacher (2020). Her first movie won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2021. 

The award-winning My Octopus Teacher follows Craig Foster, a man who forms an unlikely friendship with an octopus in a South African kelp forest. Foster meets the young octopus while free-diving near Cape Town. Their bond develops for nearly a year, teaching Foster lessons about humans' place in the world.

In 2023, Ehrlich detailed her experience witnessing the public's response to the movie to Outside. 

"We never dreamed that the project would get that successful, and we were in no way prepared for what that success would mean," Ehrlich said. "Suddenly, I found myself living on Zoom, going from interview to panel discussion, to talk, to online awards ceremony. I just started living in this virtual Zoom space through COVID."

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She added: "And then the whirlwind of flying to the Oscars. And eventually coming back from all of that and being deeply, deeply grateful that the film had resonated in the way that it had."

Pangolin: Kulu's Journey will be available to stream on Netflix starting April 21.