this is the remarkable story of two baby elephants struggling to survive their
critical first six months in the oldest desert on earth. the desert elephants
of namibia suffered a poaching holocaust in the 1980s. as the most endangered
elephant population in the world recovers, every single calf is vital. himba
and dusty are born in a boom year, but when the short-lived rivers on which
they depend disappear underground, their lives depend on the memories,
experience and decisions of the females who lead their tiny families.
unique elephants
a little-known and surprising group of desert-dwelling elephants roams the far
northwest of the kunene region of namibia in south west africa. extraordinary
in their endurance, the small families make marathon treks between the remote
shores of the skeleton coast and the high kabere mountains of the interior.
these animals traverse some of the most dramatic, arid, and austere scenery in
the world. the secretive nature of their existence was only revealed recently,
when cameraman martyn colbeck followed them whilst working on the bbc's
landmark series planet earth.
the film takes place in the northwestern namib desert. "namib" means ("vast" ).
it's sixteen hundred kilometres long, fifty thousand kilometres square. these
are the harshest conditions in the world for elephants. twenty-five years ago,
out of eighty local desert elephants, poachers killed all but three. now large-
scale poaching has ended. the herd has a chance to recover...
critical first six months in the oldest desert on earth. the desert elephants
of namibia suffered a poaching holocaust in the 1980s. as the most endangered
elephant population in the world recovers, every single calf is vital. himba
and dusty are born in a boom year, but when the short-lived rivers on which
they depend disappear underground, their lives depend on the memories,
experience and decisions of the females who lead their tiny families.
unique elephants
a little-known and surprising group of desert-dwelling elephants roams the far
northwest of the kunene region of namibia in south west africa. extraordinary
in their endurance, the small families make marathon treks between the remote
shores of the skeleton coast and the high kabere mountains of the interior.
these animals traverse some of the most dramatic, arid, and austere scenery in
the world. the secretive nature of their existence was only revealed recently,
when cameraman martyn colbeck followed them whilst working on the bbc's
landmark series planet earth.
the film takes place in the northwestern namib desert. "namib" means ("vast" ).
it's sixteen hundred kilometres long, fifty thousand kilometres square. these
are the harshest conditions in the world for elephants. twenty-five years ago,
out of eighty local desert elephants, poachers killed all but three. now large-
scale poaching has ended. the herd has a chance to recover...
