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A movie showing aquatic genet and water chevrotain

Discussion in 'TV, Movies, Books about Zoos & Wildlife' started by baboon, 18 Feb 2014.

  1. baboon

    baboon Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Hi, in early 2000s I had seen a National Geographic documentary film on TV. This film was taken in Congo by a Frenchman, showed the life of a group of central African rainforest animals, the scenes included a mother aquatic genet caught fish along the river and fed its cubs in the den; a water chevrotain rush into the river to escape the attack of a crown eagle; an African civet try to scent mark a tree pangolin; an African palm civet emerge from its den at dusk; a pair of okapi and so on. Now I want to find that movie on Internet but I don't know the movie's original English name, as I had only seen the Chinese translated edition on TV. Does anyone know the movie?
    I have only found some footage of the movie on National Geographic website: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/mammals-animals/other-mammals/genet_fishing/
    BTW, does anyone know whether there are other movies / photos of wild aquatic genets? I am amazing of this species but have not found any photo via Internet. Thanks a lot!
     
  2. DavidBrown

    DavidBrown Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    In the United States the show was called "Heart of Africa" and was shown as a mini-series on public television. It was narrated by Avery Brooks, an actor maybe best known for his role as Captain Sisko in "Star Trek Deep Space Nine". It was shown in 1996.

    I remember very well the footage of the chevrotain swimming in the stream. If I remember correctly there was also a sequence of some mountain gorillas playing with a chameleon.

    Heart of Africa (TV Mini-Series 1996) - IMDb
     
  3. baboon

    baboon Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Thank you very much! Although I don't remember there were any human beings appear in the edition I had seen (what I mean is, the lady on the cover of the DVD), and that edition was just 1 hour long......

     
  4. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    Heart Of Africa contains three episodes I think. The one baboon wants was called Hidden Congo when played on NZ tv years ago. The alternative title is Forest Primeval.

    They were filmed by Alan Root (English rather than French ;)).

    I found the segment on the crowned eagle vs water chevrotain on youtube, narrated by some guy who (as someone on the comments noted) should be narrating for Nickelodeon not National Geographic! Worth watching just for the voice :D Just don't wonder whether the footage was faked.....
     
    Last edited by a moderator: 6 Jul 2017
  5. baboon

    baboon Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Thank you. I don't know this film was produced by Alan! His wildlife documentary was among the first ones showing in China.
     
  6. zooboy28

    zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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    It does seem faked, there are no shots showing both animals together or anything.
     
  7. baboon

    baboon Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I used to read an article about how the movie be produced, most of the animals appeared in this movie, such as the aquatic genet family, the water chevrotain, the African civet, the suni, were rescued from the hunters and kept by humans, otherwise it was impossible to film the real wild aquatic genet or water chevrotain. They also planed to let an African golden cat appear in the film, but it died of disease just before the work began. Even though it is a great film as there are no other films telling the life of these elusive species.
     
  8. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    yeah the whole thing is totally faked. Obvious giveaways are multiple camera-angles of the same shots, not to mention the underwater shots of the chevrotain.