I just watched a quite amazing National Geographic documentary called "Gabon: The Last Eden". It is about the wildlife heritage of Gabon and the creation of an extensive national park system there. There is extensive commentary on the need for conservation, which I realize is not everyone's cup of tea. There is extensive footage of bush meat (very gruesome, especially duiker heads and gorilla hands), logging, and oil exploration. This is sobering and trending towards depressing.
The conservation message is balanced out however by the pure joy of glorious footage of forest elephants, gorillas, and mandrills in their natural habitats. This is the best documentary on African forest elephants that I have seen. There is extensive footage and information on their ecology, social behavior, foraging, and sheer wonder of their being. If you have ever wondered what mandrills are like in the wild the this documentary is also a must see.
I checked the DVD out from my local library, but I will be looking for a copy to purchase so that I can watch the forest elephants whenever I need an elephant fix and can't get to the zoo.
The conservation message is balanced out however by the pure joy of glorious footage of forest elephants, gorillas, and mandrills in their natural habitats. This is the best documentary on African forest elephants that I have seen. There is extensive footage and information on their ecology, social behavior, foraging, and sheer wonder of their being. If you have ever wondered what mandrills are like in the wild the this documentary is also a must see.
I checked the DVD out from my local library, but I will be looking for a copy to purchase so that I can watch the forest elephants whenever I need an elephant fix and can't get to the zoo.
