Africa's Elephant Kingdom Opens
At American Museum of Natural History

The world's largest land mammal thunders across a four-story-high movie screen in Africa's Elephant Kingdom, opening September 26, 1998, at the American Museum of Natural History. This is the inaugural large-format production by Discovery Channel Pictures.

The forty-minute film chronicles the rigorous journey of an elephant family through seasons of devastating drought and torrential rain. During this time, the East Africa plains are transformed from a dry landscape to one swollen with water, and supporting scores of animal species, including elephants. Captivating scenes in the movie include the matriarch charging to defend her family from predators, males jousting as they vie for mating dominance, and youngsters struggling to survive under harsh conditions.

The American Museum of Natural History opens Africa's Elephant Kingdom as a cinematic extension of the public awareness and educational outreach efforts of the new Hall of Biodiversity, which illustrates the crucial diversity and interdependence of all living things. A section of the Hall focuses on the essential role elephants play in shaping the African landscape, and the consequences we may face if they were to disappear. Earlier this century African elephant populations were heavily hunted by humans, and driven close to extinction in some areas. Although they are protected by law today, elephants throughout Africa continue to live under the constant threat from two major forces: illegal hunting fueled by the demand for ivory products, and loss of habitat due to expanding human settlement.

To unlock the secrets of the elephants' world, Discovery Channel Pictures brought elephant expert Iain Douglas-Hamilton on board as the film's scientific consultant. Actor Avery Brooks (known for his role as Commander Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) tells the elephants' story through the eyes of "Old Bull," a sixty-year-old elephant. Through the magic of the large-format lens, Africa's Elephant Kingdom transports audiences from their theater seats to the migration routes of the East African savanna, immersing them in the natural world.

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For more information, contact the Department of Communications at at the Museum of Natural History, 212-769-5800.

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