In the world of films devoted to wild animals and their seemingly endless plight battling survival in the 21st century, Elephant Refugees offers a unique, up close, and personal account of what is happening to elephants in Botswana. At the Elephant Sands bush lodge in Nata, Botswana, director Louise Hogarth presents a first-hand account of how a drought combined with a sanctuary refuge is almost too much to handle for a family and caretakers.
The intelligence of these enormous animals, combined with their desperation for water, as they require almost 50 gallons a day, is a sight to behold. Their trunks will search every porcelain surface, nozzle, tub, and toilet to snuff out water. Siphoning from a shower, turning on the faucets, storming fences, and invading a swimming pool are all in a day or evening’s work for these animals. Many have traveled hundreds of miles in the blistering heat to be at this location and are dehydrated, exhausted, and stressed out. Their endless intelligence is tested when there’s a dire need, as they use ancient pathways on their quest for water. As water is scarce, humans must share.
In their relentless pursuit, much is destroyed by the elephants. Operating a tourist destination is challenging enough in the dry, sandy Kalahari woodlands of Eastern Botswana, many miles from anywhere. Yet, for the Elephant Sands owners, Marie and Ben Moller, along with caretakers Mike, Saskia, and Tanya Toth and staff, there is no question but to continue to provide water and fix and clean the lodge no matter the damage and waste. They are determined to care for elephants, sometimes arriving daily numbering in the hundreds searching for water. An Elephant Sands attendant can spend an entire day shutting off faucets only to repeat this chore the next day.
“As water is scarce, humans must share.”
Elephant Refugees shows how international crime syndicates have poached animals throughout Africa in alarming numbers over the past 50 years. As a result, hundreds of elephants arrive at Elephant Sands to drink the water due to climate change and continuous drought, perhaps the worst ever, forcing elephants to flee for their lives. They have all signaled to each other across the continent to migrate to Botswana for refuge — elephants know and remember.
A brave and visionary government banned hunting in 2014 on Botswana state land, causing an elephant migration. No one knows how elephants communicate, but they do because when Botswana became poacher free, 60 percent of Africa’s elephants made their way there. Thousands drink from the trough at Elephant Sands Bush Lodge as it’s an oasis in a vast and arid landscape. A trip four hours away to another watering hole showed how desperate things get, as only mud and carcasses are left.
The Mollers are dedicated to their lodge and providing guests with a unique experience among these grey giants. They care for these animals, and the cost to ensure water exists is steep, not just monetary but emotional as well. Everything at the Elephant Sands is an experience, including when a wild elephant calls upon a human to help. Such was the case with Benny, whom a vet assisted in handling an injury. Others are not so fortunate, like baby Tripod because Botswana’s laws forbid people to take care of wild animals unless by a vet or through an orphanage license. Nevertheless, it is tough to see these animals decline.
The day and night footage, with plenty of on-camera commentaries, makes Elephant Refugees compelling, especially seeing and knowing the extremes at work to film and capture everything happening. After all, Africa’s bush is in a drought, and elephants are not the only wild animals roaming around. In 2019, Botswana lifted a five-year ban on elephant hunting, which can cost as much as $80,000 to hunt, and could make elephants extinct in only a decade, so “if you can do something, why not.”
"…compelling..."
