麻豆约拍

By Toby Strong, wildlife cameraman for Deserts and Grasslands

I’ve worked with elephants for about 25 years across Africa and Asia, so when Kiri, the director of ‘Deserts and Grasslands’ asked me to film in Zakouma National Park, it was offer I couldn’t refuse.

I had read about this special place - a utopia for wildlife in the heart of central Africa, home to vast concentrations of birds, and a recovering population of elephants. An ecosystem thriving thanks to important conservation efforts. But I couldn’t have imagined how profoundly the experience of filming the park's elephants would touch my soul and heart.

It’s important to note that almost 95% of the elephant population here were killed for their ivory. I have been to many places where elephants have been decimated in this way, and it normally means the elephants are naturally very cautious, and shy away from people. However, Zakouma and its wildlife are now protected by local rangers – individuals who have risked their own lives to become guardians of this magical place, and it led to an experience I have never seen in all my 25 years of filming these sentient creatures.

they were gentle and calm, their eyes fixed on us, ours on them

There’s a spot where the elephants often come to drink, near one of the ranger houses, so one morning we sat patiently with Abakar, the head ranger, in the hope of seeing them. After 1-2 hours of waiting, three, huge bulls emerged from the bush about 50m from us. Wild, majestic giants that moved slowly together toward us, their deep soft rumbles resonating through our entire bodies. My hair stood on end and we all sat in humbled silence as they approached nearer and nearer, until they stopped just inches from us.

As I gazed up, I could see scars on their bodies – whether it was snares, bullet wounds or spears, it was clear they were survivors of Zakouma’s dark past. Yet here they were gentle and calm, their eyes fixed on us, ours on them. It’s hard to explain, but when I looked into their eyes I saw and felt so much. There was a huge sense of connection and understanding in that moment. I shed a tear for them, I could sense the pain, and hurt but there was such calm and they were choosing to be here with us, they were trusting us. It was one of the greatest honours of my life to be able to offer that trust back, to sit at their feet and be still with them.

As I submitted completely to them, I was truly humbled as they gently unfolded their trunks to touch and smell me, their warm breath passing across my face. To have such a wild and intelligent animal show such respect and trust was one thing, but knowing what trauma these elephants had faced at the hands of humanity – made this one of the most extraordinarily touching moments of my career, and life. We know that elephants have incredible memories, they ‘never’ forget – so did this show they were able to forgive? It was clear in Abakars’ mind, that the elephants he saw as family, had forgiven.

To witness the bond between Abakar and elephants was remarkable. These rangers are a symbol, a totem, of all those people around the world that give their lives to preserve and protect the natural world, and it felt distilled and amplified here. I will never forget my experience in Zakouma, it was an powerful reminder of what can happen when we heal our relationship with the natural world.