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CHAPTERS

SUB SCENES

TITLES & TEXTS

VOICES

COMMENTARY

 

00:00:00

00:20:45

00:20:45

BURMA

 

 

 

 

00:00:00

00:03:13

00:03:13

KEDDAH

CAPTURE

 

 

 

 

00:00:17

 

intro/title

fog

TITLE: EIF 00:10:04 to 00:16:21

 

 

 

00:00:46

 

 

guerillas leave camp

TITLE: BURMA 00:34:12 to 00:42:21

 

 

 

00:00:56

 

 

top view keddah door

 

 

 

 

00:01:15

 

 

ants..bird

 

 

 

 

00:01:31

 

 

fire, elephant, pan to door

 

 

 

 

00:02:08

 

 

elephant inside, break door

 

 

01:52:00 - A keddah is an enclosure to trap wild elephants. Burma is the last country where this traditional method of capture is legal.

 

00:02:27

 

 

elephant ropes inside

 

 

 

 

00:03:04

 

 

pulling elephant out

 

 

02:34:17 - The sooner the captives are taken out of the stockade, the better for all concerned - the captives, as well as the men who will have to look after them during the training period.

 

00:03:13

 

 

in crush

 

 

 

00:03:13

00:03:29

00:00:16

Richard Lair

BLACK BOARD 03:13:19 to 03:29:10

A growing body of people feel strongly that domesticated elephants are essentially wild animals and should not be kept in captivity. There are presently over 16,000 domesticated elephants in Asia, and many of these badly need some help.

 

00:03:29

00:04:27

00:00:56

TRAVEL-LOOP

 

 

 

 

 

00:03:49

 

 

jeep landscape

 

 

03:29:23 - In 1999, as photographers and film-makers, we spent months in Burma documenting the interdependent relationship between wild and domestic elephants. Ten years later, a stroke of luck allowed us to go back to the same camp for our new project.

 

00:04:10

 

 

loop

Saw Way Lin bio 03:56:16 to 04:03:19

 

 

 

00:04:27

 

 

Klaus big camerapix taking

 

 

04:24:08 - I wanted to portray elephants the same way I would portray people, showing the amazing variety of their personalities and features. But I needed a high definition that would make life-size prints possible. I could only get such quality with one of those old-fashioned view cameras with impractical film plates and a cloth over the photographer's head.

00:04:27

00:06:27

00:02:00

NAN CHO

LAY TAY CAMP

 

 

 

00:04:53

 

 

Klaus pix taking

 

 

 

00:04:56

 

 

Klaus carries camera

 

 

 

 

00:05:59

 

 

children river Nan Cho

TITLE: Lay Tay Elephant Camp 05:16:06 to 05:20:15

 

05:07:13 - Lay Tay is the base camp of a logging operation in a mountain range in Western Burma. During the working season in the village, there are only women and children to share the lives of the few unfit elephants that are left behind. 05:33:11 - Nan Cho was born in February 1947. She worked 47 years until her retirement in 1998. The timid young female beside her is called Myo Win May. Earlier this year, her mother died in a logging accident and since then she barely leaves Nan Cho's protective shade.

 

00:06:19

 

 

Nan Cho dust sun set

 

 

 

00:06:27

 

LF photo NAN CHO & baby

06:19:00 to 06:26:24

Nan Cho bio 06:20:19 to 06:26:24

 

 

00:06:27

00:07:43

00:01:16

FLASH BACK

TRUCK, LAY TAY, RIVER

 

 

 

 

00:06:46

 

 

trucking

Ten years earlier... 06:27:00 to 06:31:15

 

06:31:02 - During the summer of 1999, elephants were being trucked from all over the country. After decades of forest recovery, it was the beginning of a new logging cycle in this remote mountain range.

 

00:06:53

 

 

arrival Lay Tay

 

 

06:46:00 - Men and animals were gathering in Lay Tay, the newly built base camp.

 

00:07:04

 

 

river bath

Nan Cho name 06:56:07 to 07:01:06 Aye Soe Name 07:35:05 to 07:39:12

 

07:02:02 - The Burmese government had sent a team of managers and forest ministry officials to review the workers' physical conditions with all the scrupulous formalities inherited from the British colonial empire.
07:27:05 - Vets examined everyone and wrote their findings in school notebooks. For us, the elephant diaries are a mine of information as they contain all the events marking the animals' lives.

 

00:07:43

 

 

vet checking

 

 

00:07:43

00:08:33

00:00:50

TRAVEL TO

LOGGING SITES

 

 

 

 

00:08:07

 

 

elephants walk to sites

 

 

07:48:13 - We are particularly looking for two figures of the past: a male named Aye Soe, and Aye Sein Ma, a female who was pregnant at that time. We have been told they are both working in a jungle camp upriver.

 

00:08:33

 

 

trees crashing

 

 

08:17:08 - Ten years of harvesting have taken a toll on the forest. It now looks sparse and the trees they are felling appear thinner than before.

00:08:33

00:09:48

00:01:15

ELE CLIMBING

 

Aye Soe Name 08:42:11 to 08:49:14

 

08:42:14 - We find Aye Soe clambering up a steep slope. He climbs when we crawl.

00:09:48

00:13:08

00:03:20

LOGGING

 

 

 

 

 

00:10:19

 

 

Than Myo Thaw

 

 

 

 

00:11:51

 

 

Aye Sein Ma logging

Aye Sein Ma Name 10:19:09 to 10:26:14

 

10:23:13 - And here is our old friend Aye Sein Ma. She looks as skilled and sure-footed as ever. 11:09:21- Burmese captive elephants are slaves. Their labor is forced. In spite of the dragging gear, the chains, the noise that brings back images of past human slavery, one cannot but admire the talent and the master craftsmanship of the elephants and of their handlers.

 

00:12:25

 

 

Aye Soe logging

 

 

 

 

00:13:08

 

 

pushing logs down

 

 

 

00:13:08

00:15:49

00:02:41

Night Release

 

 

 

 

 

00:13:34

 

 

mahout releases Aye Soe

Aye Soe Name 13:24:17 to 13:29:13

 

13:09:10 - A few drops of disinfectant applied to his wounds and Aye Soe is released to feed for himself in the forest. The shackles will reduce his stride and prevent him from straying too far.
Here is the trade off: the animals work very hard but, every evening they get to go back to the wild for twelve hours of semi freedom.

 

00:14:14

 

 

Aye Soe walks away, mud

 

Mahout: This elephant charges, be careful! 13:57:06 to 16:06:04

14:04:00 - After a mud bath to cool down and protect himself from insect bites, Aye Soe soon disappears into the undergrowth. Only the clinking of his bell and chains reveal his presence. Nevertheless, at night the men tell stories of legendary elephants that were cunning enough to push mud and leaves up into their wooden cowbells to stop the rattle. Another would hold the dragging chain in his trunk so it would leave no trace on the ground. Some eventually disappeared for weeks, or vanished for ever.

 

00:15:31

 

 

disappears behind leaves

 

 

 

00:15:49

 

 

night fire moon

 

 

00:15:49

00:16:40

00:00:51

FLASH BACK

AYE SEIN MA PREGNANT

 

U Saw Win: 16:07:01 to 16:10:14 The elephant name is Aye Sein.
Sex female. Register number 4124. U Saw Win: 16:10:20 to 16:13:06 She was born in 1970.

16:13:24 - During the monsoon of 1999, Lay Tay was restlessly expecting the birth of two babies. Two females, including Aye Sein Ma, were approximately 21-months pregnant. The vet was worryied because none of them was showing any sign of an imminent delivery. We had been waiting for weeks.

00:16:40

00:16:56

00:00:16

AYE SEIN MA

LF PHOTO

 

 

 

 

00:16:48

 

 

LF taking photo Aye Sein

 

Fred: 16:46:04 to 16:47:22 No! Don't move!

 

 

00:16:53

 

LF photo AYE SEIN MA

16:48:08 to 16:53:02

Aye Sein Ma bio 16:49:00 to 16:53:02

 

 

 

00:16:56

 

 

lens reflection

 

 

 

00:16:56

00:17:54

00:00:58

FLASH BACK

BABY BIRTH

Thein Sein Gyi bio 17:21:10 to 17:27:19

 

16:57:03 - On a clear full-moon night, Aye Sein Ma delivered a baby male on the 27th of September 1999 at four o'clock in the morning. He was given the name of Thein Sein Gyi and his father was Than Htike. He grew up together with another baby female not knowing that the next four years in Lay Tay would become the best memories of their lives.

00:17:54

00:19:57

00:02:03

TRAINING

KANZA TRAINING CAMP

TITLE: Kanza Training Camp Northern Burma 18:00:06 to 18:06:05

 

18:19:02 - Every captive elephant goes through the ordeal of training. Calves born in captivity are taken away from their mothers at the age of four. Wild animals are brought for training immediately after their capture whatever their age. The goal is to break their spirit, and it can take a few days or a few months. Training is often a cruel process that might more accurately be called "rough breaking" with two primary goals: to teach the elephant to stand still and to not attack human beings. Throughout Asia the same methods have been in use for centuries and still are today.

00:19:57

00:20:05

00:00:08

FLASH BACK

THEIN SEIN GYI RIVER

Thein Sein Gyi 1999 19:57:17 to 20:02:01

 

19:57:18 - Of the two babies, only Thein Sein Gyi survived his schooling.

00:20:05

00:20:34

00:00:29

RIVER

THEIN SEIN GYI RIVER

Thein Sein Gyi 2009 20:05:20 to 20:12:14

 

20:06:18 - Aye Sein Ma' son is ten-year-old now and I wonder what the future has in store for him. By the time he reaches adulthood there will be no more timber to drag out of these forests. What will happen to him, to Aye Sein Ma and to the 6000 Burmese working elephants?

00:20:34

00:20:52

00:00:18

TRAINING

NIGHT SCENE

 

 

 

 

00:20:52

00:31:58

00:11:06

THAILAND

 

 

 

 

00:20:52

00:21:03

00:00:11

Night Travel

 

TITLE: THAILAND 21:04:00 to 21:10:05

 

20:53:05 - Other Asian countries banned logging decades ago, each pursuing a different option.

00:21:03

00:21:45

00:00:42

SLEEPING

MAETAMAN

 

 

21:14:01 - On the other side of the eastern border, Thailand found a fragile balance between the two faces of the modern age: profit and empathy.

00:21:45

00:24:46

00:03:01

MOTALA

LAMPANG

Motala bio 21:54:03 to 21:59:01 Mosha bio 24:27:20 to 24:34:24

 

21:45:21 - By a combination of circumstances in August 1999, at the very same time as we were monitoring Aye Sein Ma, another female named Motala stepped on a land mine along the border between Burma and Thailand as the crow flies 220 miles east of Lay Tay. Although her front leg was seriously injured, she walked for three days to the Elephant Hospital in Lampang where she had to be amputated. Ten years of surgery and rehabilitation were necessary before Motala could receive a prosthetic leg. 23:56:02 - As time passed, the ethnic conflicts in Burma brought more landmine victims to the hospital. Mosha was wounded in 2006 when she was only 7 months old. The two disabled cows grew very fond of each other.

00:24:46

00:25:45

00:00:59

BATTLE SHOW

SURIN & NIGHT

 

 

 

 

00:24:58

 

 

battle Surin

 

 

 

 

00:25:11

 

 

night show

 

 

25:06:12 - The logging ban of 1989 hit Thailand very hard, stripping elephant owners of their main source of income virtually overnight and sending animals begging in the streets of Bangkok.
But some were more ambitious.

 

00:25:27

 

 

thrgh market

 

 

 

00:25:45

 

 

Fred meets Nathong

 

 

25:37:11 - At a fair, we meet Toy, a mahout, and his elephant Ngathong. They work for the Royal Elephant Kraal in Ayutthaya.

00:25:45

00:26:58

00:01:13

NGATHONG

AYUTTAYA

 

 

 

00:26:11

 

 

Ngathong Toy family

TITLE: Royal Elephant Kraal 25:45:22 to 25:49:21

Toy: 25:50:16 to 25:53:00 This is my wife. Toy: 25:50:16 to 25:53:00 This is my daughter

 

 

00:26:58

 

 

Ngathong screams and runs

Ngathong bio 26:21:20 to 26:32:12

 

26:37:11 - Ngathong is a promising young bull, with a long career in the cinema to his credit. Among other films, he played in Oliver Stone's movie "Alexander". His owner and Toy's employer, Laithongrien Meepan, is the world's largest private owner of elephants. He has sought to raise the status of the mahouts especially because he believes the solution to any captivity problems lies in the skills of their keepers. 29:08:13 - Meepan masterminded the re-enactment of famous battles between the Thai and Burmese armies. While giving the animals the opportunity to break from routine, the shows attempt to restore some of the elephants' former glory and to upgrade the mahouts' image in Thai society.

00:26:58

00:29:34

00:02:36

SHOW

AYUTTHAYA

 

 

00:29:34

00:29:57

00:00:23

PIOM

INTERVIEW LAITHONGRIEN MEEPAN

 

Meepan: 29:46:20 to 29:50:15 Ten years ago I dreamed about 100 elephants. Meepan: 29:50:22 to 29:52:23
People were laughing Meepan: 29:53:05 to 29:57:14
Now I have more than 100.

 

00:29:57

00:31:19

00:01:22

BABIES

AYUTTAYA

Pocket bio 30:44:03 to 30:50:18 Ngamnet bio 30:56:00 to 31:00:13

Meepan: 29:59:07 to 30:07:02 After I had 40 or 50 elephants I talked about elephants will be born here a lot.
Meepan: 30:07:15 to 30:12:04 People ha ha...
All doctors said you cannot do, Meepan: 30:12:09 to 30:19:12
but after 10 years I have 50 babies born here.

30:23:19 - Meepan wants to realize an old dream. He raises elephants like cattle, hoping to create a safer breed for the entertainment industry. Hopefully these calves will be safe and well-fed, and they should end up working in a tourist camp. The downside is that, at birth, they are sentenced to a life in captivity. Their eventual release into the wild would be impossible and they will never get a chance to roam freely in the forests.

00:31:19

00:31:58

00:00:39

NGATHONG

EVENING

 

Toy: 31:35:17 to 31:40:08 I love you Nathong, see you tomorrow. Goodbye.

31:17:00 - In the evenings, Toy takes Ngathong to his sleeping grounds and closely observes his behavior to detect the smallest changes in mood. In a few weeks, Ngathong will display the early symptoms of musth. 31:45:19 - Musth is a natural periodic condition in mature bull elephants which brings them to the brink of temporary insanity.

 

00:31:58

00:42:05

00:10:07

INDIA

KERALA

 

 

 

00:31:58

00:34:37

00:02:39

MUSTH

GURUVAYUR

 

 

 

 

00:32:29

 

 

office

TITLE: INDIA 32:08:02 to 32:13:10

 

32:13:22 - With an essentially male population of wild-born captive elephants, India is confronted even more than other countries with the problems caused by musth. In April in Kerala, we found that a large proportion of animals were affected by the condition.

 

00:34:37

 

 

elephants in musth

TITLE: Guruvayur Temple Elephant Sanctuary 33:29:14 to 33:35:19

 

32:42:01 - At the early stage, they appear listless and lose appetite. Then the temples start swelling considerably, causing acute pain comparable to a severe toothache. A thick oily substance begins to flow down from the temporal glands accompanied by a large rise in testosterone levels. 33:39:00 - Even the most placid elephants display a very aggressive behavior toward humans and other animals. They have to be isolated and chained at all times for a period ranging from a few days to several weeks. 34:10:12 - Most of the accidents with elephants occur when the mahouts fail to recognize the first signs of musth.

00:34:37

00:36:43

00:02:06

NANDAN

 

 

 

 

 

00:34:58

 

 

trucking Nandan

NANDAN Name 34:53:05 to 34:57:21

 

34:41:00 - April is the season of the religious celebrations in Kerala and to the great pride of his owner, Dr Kaimal, Nandan has been selected for the largest of all festivals, the Thrissur pooram.

 

00:36:21

 

 

Dr Kaimal interview

 

Kaimal: 35:06:24 to 35:12:19 - How old is he?

 

He is about 35. Very nice, very good elephant.

Kaimal: 35:13:07 to 35:19:02 No trouble at all. Anybody can handle him

and he has good features.

Kaimal: 35:20:08 to 35:26:08 His forehead must be big. Tusks must be

in the proper direction and proper size.

Kaimal: 35:26:14 to 35:29:02 They should not be downwards.

So many aspects.

Kaimal: 35:29:09 to 35:32:18 He even has sparkling eyes.

Kaimal: 35:43:06 to 35:47:10 Trimming is allowed. Beautification.

Kaimal: 35:47:16 to 35:50:03 - It was done here?

Yes

Kaimal: 35:51:09 to 35:56:04 The measurement is taken

from the inner canvas to this region here.

Kaimal: 35:56:11 to 35:59:10 The distance must be equal on the tusk.

Kaimal: 35:59:11 to 36:02:22 - The same distance?

- Using that distance will be safer.

Kaimal: 36:02:23 to 36:06:17 Actually we add 1 or 2 inches

to be on the safe side.

Fred: 36:06:18 to 36:09:22 How long does it take to do one tusk?

Kaimal: 36:10:04 to 36:14:22 Nearly four hours.

One tusk two hours, the other tusk two hours.

Kaimal: 36:14:26 to 36:18:14 These animals have already been cut

several times before.

Kaimal: 36:18:15 to 36:21:02 The animal knows there is no harm in cutting.

 

00:36:35

 

 

LF taking photo Nandan

 

 

36:31:23 - The value of an Indian elephant depends entirely on his looks and the prestige it reflects on his owner.

 

00:36:43

 

LF photo NANDAN

36:35:24 to 36:43:04

Nandan bio 36:36:14 to 36:43:04

 

00:36:43

00:42:05

00:05:22

POORAM

THRISSUR

 

 

 

 

00:37:17

 

 

Pooram preparation

 

 

36:59:08 - The region's most outstanding bulls are groomed, made up and caparisoned for the most extravagant 36-hour standing marathon an animal can possibly withstand.

 

00:38:09

 

 

morning pooram

 

 

 

 

00:38:43

 

 

intermission

Nandan Name 38:40:06 to 38:43:08

 

38:29:06 - We feel sorry for these elephants. And we worry. For despite the golden trappings and the worship, it takes a lot of stamina and hard training to endure motionless for hours the uproar rising from the huge crowd of exhilarated devotees.

 

00:42:05

 

 

Pooram - fireworks etc.

 

 

40:48:18 - Not surprisingly, festivals are the scene of many accidents. Elephants collapse or run amok, crush properties and kill people, causing each year more concern among animal activists and government officials.

 

00:42:05

00:49:58

00:07:53

SRI LANKA

 

 

 

 

00:42:05

00:43:31

00:01:26

WILD ELEPHANTS

 

TITLE: SRI LANKA 42:11:04 to 42:15:24 TITLE: Kaudulla National Park 42:37:11 to 42:42:05

 

42:10:08 - After the frenzy of the Indian crowds, we feel the urge to see wild elephants. For once we need to meet the original.

00:43:31

00:45:00

00:01:29

HAMBANTOTA

COLLARED ELEPHANTS

 

 

43:37:12 - Sri Lanka is estimated to have between 5,000 and 6,000 wild elephants. Farmers and a wide range of development projects are taking more of the available land that was once elephant habitat. Fuelled by a burgeoning human population, the conflicts over space claim 250 animal and 50 human lives each year.

 

00:44:39

 

 

Pruthu on road

TITLE: Dr Prithiviraj Fernando scientist CCRSL 44:24:12 to 44:31:06

 

44:36:11 - Most elephant deaths are due to attacks from rural people in retaliation or in self-defense. They use baited explosives which fatally damage the animal's mouth.

 

00:45:00

 

 

dead elephant

 

 

00:45:00

00:48:15

00:03:15

MILLENIUM

RANI and interview

 

 

 

 

00:46:14

 

 

river

TITLE: Millennium Elephant Foundation Retirement Home 45:00:17 to 45:04:19

 

45:10:24 - On the other hand, the Sri Lankan government doesn't seem to favor or encourage domestication. On the contrary, it looks as if it has decided to let the tradition die out. 45:20:10 - The Millennium elephant foundation serves more or less as a retirement home for working elephants. 45:34:14 - In recent years, the captive elephant numbers have decreased to about 100 individuals. With a ban on capture from the wild and a cultural prejudice against breeding, as is done in India, no new animals are added to the aging population. The decline is bound to be rapid in the coming years.

 

00:46:30

 

 

Rani walking

 

 

 

 

00:46:34

 

 

Rani pix taking

 

 

46:31:16 - Rani fell into a mud pit when she was about a year old. She was found by villagers and sent to the elephant orphanage in Pinnawala.

 

00:46:42

 

 

Rani through view finder

 

 

 

00:47:44

 

 

Rani close up

 

Carminie: 47:29:00 to 47:33:21 They have a gentleness. They have intelligence.

46:52:23 - Later, a Hindu temple received her as a gift and Rani grew up there, raised by the owner's daughter. When the daughter got married, she left Rani in the care of the Millennium foundation. The young female has never received proper training. She is a fully tamed elephant who essentially enjoys people's company.

Carminie: 47:34:00 to 47:35:20 They remember.

Carminie: 47:36:14 to 47:40:09 They can be quite temperamental too,

Carminie: 47:40:20 to 47:45:11 It is just the way they walk, their whole way

 

#######

 

LF photo RANI

47:44:00 to 47:49:23

Rani bio 47:45:00 to 47:49:23

Carminie: 47:45:15 to 47:48:16 of being an elephant, is what I called very special

 

 

00:48:15

 

 

Mrs Carminie interview

TITLE: Mrs Carminie Samarasinghe Millenium Elephant Foundation 47:52:11 to 47:59:00

Carminie: 47:49:22 to 47:51:17 It's like human beings, you know.

 

Carminie: 47:51:18 to 47:57:24 Each one of us has our own temperaments, our own feelings and that sort of thing

Carminie: 47:59:08 to 48:08:16 They are big. The way they walk, the way they hold themselves are also.

Carminie: 48:08:17 to 48:11:18 Each one is different from the other.

Carminie: 48:13:00 to 48:16:17 - Your coffee

Thank youvery much

 

00:48:21

 

 

landscape

 

 

 

00:48:21

00:49:58

 

PERAHERA

 

 

 

48:49:03 - In Sri Lanka, elephants hold an important role in a range of traditional Buddhist and Hindu ceremonies. With the dwindling number of healthy bulls, temples need to rely more and more on gifts from neighboring countries. Some of the elephants participating in the perahera festivals were born in India, Thailand and Burma.

 

00:49:58

00:50:56

00:00:58

WASHINGTON

ZOO

 

 

 

 

00:50:56

 

 

Washington ZOO with LF photos

TITLE: Smithsonian's National Zoo Washington D.C. 50:04:15 to 50:12:08

 

50:21:09 - Western zoos and conservationists believe it is essential to keep a population of domesticated Asian elephants because of the crucial roles they could play in the future protection of the wild species.

 

00:50:56

00:51:53

00:00:57

BURMA

NAN CHO

 

 

 

 

00:51:06

 

 

Lay Tay LF photo taking

 

 

50:44:00 - But outside the true scientific claims, the fact is that as a beast of burden, the Asian elephant has for at least 4,000 years worked for man at the price of untold suffering: mostly overworked and often mistreated. It would seem fair that, at the moment of its decline, we consider all possible routes to offer them a honorable and peaceful retirement.

 

00:51:36

 

 

Nan Cho & baby sun set

 

 

 

00:51:53

 

Romain Gary

BLACK BOARD 51:37:13 to 51:53:12

I defy any one to look upon elephants without a sense of wonder. Their very enormity, their clumsiness, their giant stature, represent a mass of liberty that sets you dreaming. They're...yes, they're the last individuals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

00:51:04

00:52:30

00:01:26

CREDITS

51:04:14 to 52:30:00

 

 

 

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