“A wondrous journey which follows the lives of three generations of elephants as they reclaim their former sanctuary in Kruger National Park, lost over the last century”

South Africa's Kruger National Park is a sanctuary for an enormous range of African wildlife, including the African elephant. This documentary chronicles the historic return of the big male tusker elephants to the Park.

There was a time when man and elephant lived tolerantly together. Then came the guns. By the late 1800's, there was not a single elephant alive in the region now covered by famous Kruger National Park.

In a story spanning a century, the once-barren Kruger Park is cautiously re-populated by elephants, with the population growing from 0 to 9,000 over this period.
Led by a giant tusker, we follow this journey through time, in the sanctuary of peace that protects the elephants through two world wars, and a long civil war.

Enriched by stunning footage of Kruger’s other wildlife, including a dramatic lion hunt, we follow the elephants in their daily lives and see the intricacies of their social behaviours, unusually seen through the eyes of the mature males, rather than the matriarchal family group.

We witness the loneliness of a young bull elephant spending his first night apart from the herd, and the tragic outcome of his independence.
Rare sequences of some of Kruger's famed big tuskers are also shown, and the death of two tuskers by natural causes are testament to the conservation success of Kruger.
The story is enriched with stunning images of elephant families and their behaviour.

This DVD is accompanied by a beautifully illustrated 24-page hardback reference book. Watch the close-up wildlife film and at the same time read the book to learn about habitats, diet, life cycle and more. The book is packed with intriguing facts, illustrations, photography and a 'Test your knowledge' quiz.

For a preview of this documentary watch the YouTube clip at the bottom of this page.

English narration by Martin Jarvis
Produced by Robert Waldron for Wild Dog Productions (1999)
As seen on the National Geographic Channel.

 To watch a pre-view of this DVD please visit YouTube or watch it at the bottom of this page