A juvenile male orangutan satisfies his curiosity by checking out the IMAX camera, up-close. (Photo ©2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Photo: Drew Fellman)
Born to Be Loved, Wild, and Free
Born to be Wild IMAX 3D opens hearts and minds to animal rescue
Watching the documentary film Born to Be Wild in IMAX 3D is the next best thing to actually being in the wild with the actual animals. Born to Be Wild shares the amazing stories of primatologist Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas and elephant authority Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick.
"The stories of these ladies are so important to the rest of us," said narrator Morgan Freeman. "Their stories bring to light the necessity of preservation—that there are other forms of life. We need to save their habitats."
The reason Dr. Galdikas and Dr. Sheldrick have dedicated their lives to care for the animals is made clear in this movie.
"You understand why the caregivers love them so much," said director David Lickley. "These are animals that are really smart. They love people; they'll cling to you if it's an orangutan, and if it's an elephant they'll playfully rub against you."
Parts of the film take place in Camp Leaky, the forerunner of the Orangutan Foundation International's Care Center. Like Oscar-award winning narrator Morgan Freeman stated in the movie, Camp Leaky is "the only place where humans and orangutans are treated as equals."
"They're so close to humans—they share 96 per cent of our genetic material," said Dr. Galdikas. "They share the same emotions with us. You can read them. You can tell if they're angry, jealous, even if they're embarrassed. You can tell if they like something or they don't like something. They're very gentle, benevolent, and benign."
The cast and crew captured unforgettable scenes with the childlike, carefree orangutans.
"One of the particularly memorable shots for me was when there was an orangutan up in a tree, swinging, and he grabs another tree," said Lickley. "He pulls it and it comes crashing down. We didn't expect the tree to fall, but that's the orangutan world is all about. That was an amazing, lucky shot to get, to be there, rolling, when that incident happened."
Another memorable scene in the film took place in Kenya.
"With the elephants, it was the elephant rescue," Lickley continued. "We hoped that we had a chance to film a baby elephant rescue, but it was right down to the last week of filming and they hadn't found an elephant to rescue. Then it just kind of happened, right in front of our eyes. We were able to capture it as it was happening."
Born to Be Wild underlines the bonding between humans and orphans of the wild.
"You reap what you sow with an elephant," said Dr. Sheldrick. "If a caregiver is kind and loves the elephants from their heart, the elephants will detect that and like him."
In many ways elephants are just like human children, said Sheldrick.
"When you raise them in the nursery, you see them every day," she said. "We replace the elephant family with a human family, and the elephants will remember their human family for life. It's been scientifically proven that the memory part of an elephant's brain far surpasses human's memory. The saying that an elephant never forgets is absolutely true."
"When you are watching Born to Be Wild, there's something in your heart that reaches out to these animals," said Lickley. "Dr. Galdikas and Dr. Sheldrick show us that everyone can make a difference. And that's what this film is trying to do—to get that emotional impact across to the audience."
For more about Born to Be Wild, check out Kid Reporter Cassandra Hsiao's review of the movie . The movie opens in theaters Friday, April 8. And be sure to check out Cassandra's interview with biologist turned filmmaker David Lickley about making the movie!
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