Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Nat'l Geographic Vid
• VHS Release Date: July 11, 1997
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304474296
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,957 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Did you know that elephants live in tightly organized social groups led by females? That there are 100,000 muscles in nature's most versatile appendage, the trunk? That elephants communicate with each other using low-frequency calls (similar to whales) over distances of up to three miles? You'll learn these and other intriguing facts in National Geographic's Elephant. However, you will also bear witness to the plight of these gentle giants as they struggle to survive in an industrialized world. Meet the scientists and humanitarians whose lives revolve around studying and protecting them.

Overall, Elephant is an engaging study of nature's largest land animal. While the viewer is treated to beautiful images of elephant family life, the film is true to its narrative in depicting the flip side: the wasteful death of elephants shot by poachers; the cruel "breaking" of elephants who are forced into a life of domestic servitude; and the "cropping" (killing) that is enforced by park rangers in the name of population control. Gritty and honest, this film does not shy away from presenting the reality of the elephant's present and its uncertain future. --Katy Ankenman

Product Description

Of all the creatures that walk the planet, the elephant is the biggest, strongest, and among the most intelligent. From Sri Lanka to Kenya, ELEPHANT is a charming, sometimes alarming, in-depth look at this magnificent animal and its precarious future. In Asia, watch man and beast work side-by-side in a land where the elephant is an object of worship and affection. In the open spaces of Africa, marvel at the behavior of wild elephants as they communicate over great distances. And finally, witness the birth of a baby elephant as it struggles to its feet for the very first time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Totally Depressing, July 16, 2000

By 

Kellyannl (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic's Elephant [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Now, I love NG - I really do - but this video is just a litany of all the horrible things we've ever done to elephants. Really very little on elephant behavior and it just leaves you feeling horrible.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great For Teachers, March 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: National Geographic's Elephant [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I used this video as part of an interdiscipline unit on elephants for my World Geography classes and found it full of useful information. It does an excellent job of showing both the pleasant and the not-so pleasant aspects of elephant life. My students loved the elephant soccer game and the birth scene!