Naledi: A Baby Elephant's Tale

The world premiere of this nature documentary was submitted by the USA to the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival as a clarion call to arms about the horrific death toll for African elephants. Ninety-six die every day. I recently read "The Emotional Lives of Animals" by Mark Bekoff and was constantly reminded of the institutional memory that is lost each time one of these magnificent animals is killed for ivory. Aren't the poachers' customers ashamed of themselves for causing this tragedy? What can they be thinking?

The sale of ivory is legal all over the world, including the United States. When we watch eight or nine men struggle to save ONE little orphan elephant who is grieving the loss of her mother, we can see how valuable their lives are considered to be.

If you love animals, you will cherish the scenes where starving little Naledi finally bonds with one of her caretakers and literally climbs up into his lap. Luckily, he's a pretty big guy, so it worked out. We practically applauded.

Directed by Ben Bowie and Geoff Luck, this looks at the situation from both a micro and a macro point of view. One is the survival of a little orphan, while the other is the survival of the species! This is wildlife film so we are treated to a live birth on screen and the ugly sight of massacred elephants dotting the landscape. Paul Allen's Vulcan Productions is one of the producers and again I say, More power to him for using some of his money this humanitarian way! You GO Paul!