Customer Reviews

National Geographic's America's Endangered Species: Don't Say Good-Bye [VHS]

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This video chronicles a day in the life of just a few of America's most endangered species. As an educator, I found the video very moving, and would recommend showing it to any class. It sheds new light on the disastrous situation that is occurring in OUR backyards, giving an interesting and informative autobiography of some of our nation's top endangered species and the folks who are trying to do something about their plight. A great variety of species are included, from the Palisades blue butterfly to the manatee. A must see!

So says a noted professor in the beginning of this film, and the stories that follow bear witness to that fact. Several endangered species are documented here. There is the Black-footed Ferret, the Manatee, the Golden Trout, the Red Wolf of the Southeast, and several more.

This video begins with the story of two photographers, Susan Middleton and David Liittschwager, and their idea to photograph the endangered species of America. The plan was to have documentation if and when the species went extinct, and it became a vehicle for helping to save them. By putting a "face" on the species in question, people are better able to understand what is at stake, and what they risk losing.

In just a few hundred years the landscape of America has been changed from one of wilderness to a vast "concrete jungle." Sure, there are numerous vast territories still protected, but many others continue to fall victim to development and over-development. And in many of these places, hundreds of endangered species are making their last stands. This video explores the plight of just a few.

Interestingly, one of the species mentioned here is the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and at the time the video was produced (1997-8), it was thought to have gone extinct. However, in 2004, it was miraculously found again in the wild. Exactly how many are left is not known, but the fact that it was able to survive in some secluded swampland gives us hope that perhaps more species can be saved with just a little effort from us. It's a lesson we shouldn't forget.

Five stars. Excellent and inspirational.