In this six part series premiering on Monday, 19 October at 18:00 on DStv channel 182, viewers will get a chance to view through Emmy Award winning wildlife cameraman Bob Poole’s lens, the restoration of Gorongosa National Park.
Over two years Poole joined scientists and conservationists at the park, in the battle to bring animals back to the once legendary national park. The fabric of life across this million-acre paradise was shredded during the long civil war. Now, an international team of scientists and conservationists has assembled to repair it. It is one of the most ambitious wilderness restoration projects ever attempted.
Instead of staying behind the lens filming the action, he got his hands dirty, helping scientists collar and track the park’s elusive lions, decode the behaviour of the angry elephants, wrestle and study massive crocodiles, and help truck in herds of animals to replace the ones that were lost during the civil war. They must race against time to revive the park and protect the animals amid armed conflict, recruiting nearby villagers to support their efforts.
Bringing this project closer to home, the FOX International Channels Africa team was tasked with producing on-air and digital assets that would be shared and used globally in the different FIC regions. A collaborative effort led by Samira Gerin-Singh, head of on-air and creative services, resulted in a tribute to the restoration efforts of all involved with Gorongosa’s rebirth.
Moved by the restoration process, the team knew that their task was beyond a simple creative brief – they had to tell the tale through imagery and hope that it would encapsulate the spirit of Gorongosa. The deliverables included a digital toolkit, social artwork, web banners, and print. The team came up with the concept and worked under the banner of “what was destroyed by man is now being reclaimed by nature”.
“When we were given the opportunity to create the creative campaign that would be shared globally, we knew we didn’t want to tell another African war story. To us, the restoration project at Gorongosa has been a story of incredible hope, and a testament to what we, as humans, can achieve when we come together. Through the campaign, we celebrate the re-birth of what was a war-ravaged and devastated ecosystem and, hopefully, it will shine a spotlight on the ongoing efforts to restore the park to its once glorious state,” Gerin-Singh says.
Catch Africa’s Wild Kingdom Reborn on Nat Geo Wild on DStv channel 182 on Monday, 19 October at 18:00.
For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com/za. Alternatively connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.