Harambe documentary

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TheFrogLady said:
The fact that they shot and killed Harambe I suppose. It sounds like anti-captivity protests. One of the blurbs for the documentary they are screening declares as being "The next Blackfish".
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:rolleyes: Not even going to bother with the argument against that. Zoos don't deserve it, they had no choice in that matter. He'd have died much younger thanks to poachers in the wild.
 
TinoPup said:
:rolleyes: Not even going to bother with the argument against that. Zoos don't deserve it, they had no choice in that matter. He'd have died much younger thanks to poachers in the wild.
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I personally think that the Cincinnati Zoo and other zoos should have fundraisers that day for wild gorilla conservation in honor of Harambe and invite these protesters to donate.

On side note, has anyone *actually* seen this so called "documentary"? If so, how much of it is based on actual fact?
 
TheFrogLady said:
I personally think that the Cincinnati Zoo and other zoos should have fundraisers that day for wild gorilla conservation in honor of Harambe and invite these protesters to donate.

On side note, has anyone *actually* seen this so called "documentary"? If so, how much of it is based on actual fact?
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If it's anything like blackfish, I'm guessing zero.
 
TheFrogLady said:
The fact that they shot and killed Harambe I suppose. It sounds like anti-captivity protests. One of the blurbs for the documentary they are screening declares it to be "The next Blackfish".
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A quick google search even says that the film shows "never before seen footage" of Harambe apparently trying to return the child :rolleyes: Clearly just full of anthropomorphization like nearly every other documentary of its kind.
 
TheFrogLady said:
Even though the movie claims to have input from "wildlife experts"? ;) Just who are these experts anyways??
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If it's anything like blackfish, most probably never worked with gorillas in captivity and if they indeed did, it would've been decades ago making their 'expert experience' very much worthless to the current debate surrounding gorillas in captivity.
 
TheFrogLady said:
Even though the movie claims to have input from "wildlife experts"? ;) Just who are these experts anyways??
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The "experts" appear to be
-Ian Redmond, who is a genuine expert on wild gorillas but currently seems to mostly just do documentary after documentary
-Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, the actors who founded Born Free Foundation
-Jeff McCurry, the zoo's photographer (or "Harambe's personal photographer" as they're billing it)
-The guy who named Harambe, who's some random counselor who won a naming contest
-Dax Holt, dude who's been with TMZ for over a decade and founded a fantasy football trophy company
 
TheFrogLady said:
Even though the movie claims to have input from "wildlife experts"? ;) Just who are these experts anyways??
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Some of them are named in this review: Harambe Featured, Reviews Film Threat

"Harambe does not push the limits of documentary filmmaking in any way. It presents its case without any flashy cinematic flare. Documentarian Crown interviews animal rights activists, including Dame Virginia McKenna and Will Travers from the Born Free Foundation, and personalities such as the film’s narrator actor, Peter Egan, Dan Van Coppenolle, and Ian Redmond OBE. The film also follows Harambe’s personal photographer, Jeff McCurry. "
 
TinoPup said:
The "experts" appear to be
-Ian Redmond, who is a genuine expert on wild gorillas but currently seems to mostly just do documentary after documentary
-Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, the actors who founded Born Free Foundation
-Jeff McCurry, the zoo's photographer (or "Harambe's personal photographer" as they're billing it)
-The guy who named Harambe, who's some random counselor who won a naming contest
-Dax Holt, dude who's been with TMZ for over a decade and founded a fantasy football trophy company
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Soooo, one of these people can actually be considered to be an legit expert. Also, someone from TMZ? Really? o_O
 
TheFrogLady said:
Even though the movie claims to have input from "wildlife experts"? ;) Just who are these experts anyways??
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TinoPup said:
The "experts" appear to be
-Ian Redmond, who is a genuine expert on wild gorillas but currently seems to mostly just do documentary after documentary
-Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, the actors who founded Born Free Foundation
-Jeff McCurry, the zoo's photographer (or "Harambe's personal photographer" as they're billing it)
-The guy who named Harambe, who's some random counselor who won a naming contest
-Dax Holt, dude who's been with TMZ for over a decade and founded a fantasy football trophy company
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It never ceases to amaze me what “experts” are dredged up. Following the fatal tiger attack at Hamilton Zoo, a (small animals) veterinarian was interviewed and referenced the significance of it being breeding season. For domestic cats yes; for the Sumatran tiger that breeds all year round, no.

I’m sure the founders of Born Free will be completely objective interview subjects. :p
 
Jambo said:
There's also nothing to suggest Ian has any experience with captive gorillas. So being an 'expert' in regards to this situation is questionable at the very least.
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Exactly. While I don’t doubt he’s knowledgeable about the species in it’s wild setting; as we all know, captivity is a completely different ball game, with many species exhibiting behaviour that stems from the environment they’ve been reared in.

A naturally living gorilla would be far more cautious of a child than a captive gorilla for example and would have likely responded to their presence very differently.

If the aim was to create a balanced documentary, then interviewing someone working with gorillas within the zoo industry would be the way to go. :)
 
Chlidonias said:
Some of them are named in this review: Harambe Featured, Reviews Film Threat

"Harambe does not push the limits of documentary filmmaking in any way. It presents its case without any flashy cinematic flare. Documentarian Crown interviews animal rights activists, including Dame Virginia McKenna and Will Travers from the Born Free Foundation, and personalities such as the film’s narrator actor, Peter Egan, Dan Van Coppenolle, and Ian Redmond OBE. The film also follows Harambe’s personal photographer, Jeff McCurry. "
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This review states that the film is strictly anti-captivity and does not present the other side of the argument, yet it states that "it appeals to our intellect".
 
TheFrogLady said:
This review states that the film is strictly anti-captivity and does not present the other side of the argument, yet it states that "it appeals to our intellect".
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Such was the case with Blackfish too - many who were featured were apparently annoyed afterwards as specific parts of their interviews (of them praising some aspects of Seaworld) were left out.

Documentaries are not truly accurate and informative if they do not present both sides of the argument.:rolleyes:
 
Jambo said:
Such was the case with Blackfish too - many who were featured were apparently annoyed afterwards as specific parts of their interviews (of them praising some aspects of Seaworld) were left out.

Documentaries are not truly accurate and informative if they do not present both sides of the argument.:rolleyes:
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Of course, the review argues that "the pro-zoo arguments have been well-represented for the past century or two", so it still works out :rolleyes::p
 
TheFrogLady said:
Of course, the review argues that "the pro-zoo arguments have been well-represented for the past century or two", so it still works out :rolleyes::p
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The only thing I would say with regards to comparisons of this documentary and Blackfish is that the latter fed into public perception that cetaceans have no place in captivity, a movement which has been gathering momentum for decades prior to that documentary (and supported by many facilities phasing out cetaceans over the past half a century).

Harambe’s death was unfortunate and while some have used the opportunity to pedal an anti-zoo agenda, they’re by no means the landslide majority; with the general public also supporting the zoo’s stance; blaming the parents; or making jokes/internet memes about the incident (i.e. not taking either side).
 
Zoofan15 said:
The only thing I would say with regards to comparisons of this documentary and Blackfish is that the latter fed into public perception that cetaceans have no place in captivity, a movement which has been gathering momentum for decades prior to that documentary (and supported by many facilities phasing out cetaceans over the past half a century).

Harambe’s death was unfortunate and while some have used the opportunity to pedal an anti-zoo agenda, they’re by no means the landslide majority; with the general public also supporting the zoo’s stance; blaming the parents; or making jokes/internet memes about the incident (i.e. not taking either side).
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I personally think making jokes about something as tragic as this is bit insensitive to the zoo and the keepers that worked with Harambe.
 
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