The Last Animals

I saw this documentary at the Bend Film Festival and highly recommend it. The filmmaker, Kate Brooks, is a photojournalist who traveled to SE Asia, Africa (DRC, Tanzania, etc), Switzerland and elsewhere to examine the problem of elephant and rhino poaching. The cinematography is superb, Brooks gets so up close and personal with the park rangers, poachers, and ivory vendors that you feel like you're right there with her.

Brooks follows the story of how poachers have caused the extinction of the Northern White Rhino, and makes a powerful case that if we don't act now, elephants could also someday become extinct. The film gives the viewer a chance to meet people who are trying to protect these animals along with those who are poaching them. It's not overly preachy but the visual evidence of the poaching carnage often speaks for itself.

Great film but I do not agree with a scene in a movie where this lady watches them cut the horn of the Rhino and no one stopped it. I do not agree with killing nor removing the horns of these animals. Those who say they take care of these animals but remove their horn as just as bad as the killers

I have no business pontificating about the nature of animal preservation but I am an ethical vegan of over a decade and meat free nearly 20. The scene cutting off the rhinos horn while the mutilate his body while conscious in the "name of science and preservation" was absolute heinous. It brought me to tears and I could no longer watch this. Something about this doesn't feel right. Either way this should come with intense and loud warnings of live animal mutilation. The cinematography is otherwise beautiful.

The Last Animals is about the poaching and killing of rhinos and elephants. Right off the bat, the documentary is graphic and very shocking. I was stunned at how much it had shocked me. The story follows around Kate Brooks as she explores the deep underbelly of the African black market and the need for ivory. Brooks does a very good job at explaining why the demand for ivory is so high, and how getting it from rhinoceri have caused some species to nearly go extinct. The documentary is primarily focused on the Northern White Rhino, with only 5 remaining left in the population. Brooks did an excellent job at showcasing how dangerous it is for the park service men to stop poachers. A good chunk of the documentary focuses on that. The documentary is overall a sad, but true message that needs to be heard.

I watched this film on WaterBear and I am wondering how I had not heard of this film since 2017! This is a deeply heartbreaking yet powerful documentary about how greedy criminals, corrupted governments, and unaware consumers are successfully driving animal species to extinction. This is a not an easy film to go through, yet it is one that shows the reality of where we are at and how our actions are destroying life on our precious yet fragile planet. A film that will surely hit deep and is simply a must-see for anyone who inhabits this planet.

Note: To watch it for free, simply go to the WaterBear website or app, sign up, and hit play.