Filmmaker captures extraordinary footage of a desert elephant's birth
While setting up his camera to film a herd of elephants, Bob Poole heard the animals begin to make loud noises, and knew the moment he was waiting for had arrived.
The Emmy Award-winning cinematographer was in Namibia, filming for National Geographic's new series, Secrets of the Elephants, premiering April 21. "I just jumped to my camera and started rolling," Poole told The Week. "All I saw were these legs, and I zoomed right into the middle of the action. It was just a pile of legs, and then they kind of separated and revealed this blob of soaking wet dark flesh." He was stunned, adding, "It was one of those things you just can't believe it's actually happening."
Poole has been filming wildlife for more than four decades, but this was a first — in his experience, it's rare for an elephant to give birth at night, and few people have witnessed the event. "It was extraordinary," he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Leading up to the birth, Poole and his team spent about a month following the herd. It takes time to track elephants, and they were lucky to have found this "lovely" group with a pregnant female, Poole said. Secrets of the Elephants dives into how the animals work as individuals, families, and herds, and gives insight into their different dynamics.
"They are so much like us, you get the sense they have an understanding of who they are individually and how they fit in their family and how important their families are to them," Poole said. "Not just their babies, but their relatives. They mourn the death of their relatives and seek out favorite playmates. They have friends. They are so much like us all the way around. It's very special in so many ways and anybody who spends time with them gets to feel that and see it very quickly."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
'This needs to be a bigger deal'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Magazine solutions - November 29, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 29, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - November 29, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 29, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Band Aid 40: time to change the tune?
In the Spotlight Band Aid's massively popular 1984 hit raised around £8m for famine relief in Ethiopia and the charity has generated over £140m in total
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The world's best astrotourism adventures
The Week Recommends From the depths of the Namib Desert to Finnish Lapland, these remote destinations are ideal for stargazing
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Find the soul of Morocco in Fez
The Week Recommends This onetime imperial city is a cultural and spiritual center
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
7 snowy places around the world to escape a hot American summer
The Week Recommends It's a winter wonderland in the Southern Hemisphere
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Tigritudes: pan-African film anthology comes to London
The Week Recommends Shining a spotlight on the continent's 'richly diverse and powerful film cultures', from 1956 to the present day
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
7 magnificent hotels to visit before the summer crowds descend
The Week Recommends Have beach time in the Dominican Republic or a spa day in Saint-Tropez
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
6 singular places for solo travel
The Week Recommends Go your own way
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published