By June L.
Apr 22, 2008, 13:46 GMT
Are elephants your thing? Do you know Echo? Echo is perhaps the most famous elephant in the world. The story of her life, as well as those of her family members (herd) are recorded in the historic three documentaries presented in this fascinating set from BBC.
In addition there are five other elephant specials, making this an elephant information source of gigantic proportions.
Researcher Cynthia Moss has followed Echo the matriarch of a herd of African elephants and her family for over 30 years. In their home in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, Echo and her family have been filmed and their lives documented for the public in three separate television programs.
All of these are collected in this set, Echo of the Elephants, Echo of the Elephants: The Next Generation and Echo of the Elephants: The Final Chapter. Narrated by David Attenborough, we see that there is both humor and horror in the lives of these great creatures.
Often there are challenges of life or death in their daily experiences. The small moments and major events for the herd are all recorded and revealed on film. We are presented with visible evidence of thought processes and a gamut of emotions in their actions and reactions.
Elephants are magnificent animals, capable of long lives and overcoming amazing odds within their years. Echo and her family show generations of elephant life and behavior, in perhaps the most complete and detailed study ever accomplished.
In addition to Echo’s story, there are five other elephant documentaries included in this set. They are Elephant Nomads of the Namib Desert, Living with Elephants, Namibia’s Desert Giants, The Search for Virgo and Elephants of Samburu. These shows ranging from 1993 through 2007 are excellent companion pieces, as they go into depth of study in other elephant groups.
Viewers can see the similarities and the differences in animals of the same species, living in different geographic locations. After viewing Echo’s life and the films about the other elephant herds, it is impossible to think of them as just animal curiosities.
There appear to be levels of elephant culture, development and even some evidence of strategic thought, something that should give humans great joy and renew our sense of wonder in Earth’s many mysteries.
Echo and Other Elephants is presented in a two disc set. The running time is over 362 minutes, and English subtitles for the hearing impaired are available. Photography and sound are excellent, even for the older pieces, narration and information is of the most current science available. Echo’s story especially is a journey of epic proportions.
Echo and Other Elephants is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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