With unprecedented footage, "Elephant Path" captures the beauty and behavior of the rare and elusive Forest Elephants. Our guides on this journey are Sessely Bernard, a tracker and elder of the Bayaka people, and Andrea Turkalo, an American field biologist.
In a remote clearing in the rainforest of the Central African Republic (CAR) called Dzanga Bai, the elephants gather to bathe in the mud and drink the mineral-rich water.
Andrea’s presence at the clearing and her close relationship with Sessely have been important factors in keeping poaching to a minimum at Dzanga Bai. Each day Andrea and Sessely sit side by side on the wooden observation platform talking quietly and recording the behavior of the elephants. Moses has a scar. Anatol has rips in his ears. Brice likes to charge. There is Romana, Ezra, Izzy and Madonna. For decades Andrea and Sessely have watched the elephants bathe and play and grow. They’ve seen newborns coaxed along, youths tussle, and young bulls learn to be males. Sharing the platform with Andrea and Sessely is Zephirine Mbele, an eco-guard on the front lines of the anti-poaching efforts.
As their lives converge on the paths of the last wild herd of forest elephants in the Central African Republic, each will be tested by the realities of war and the limits of hope for the majestic animals they have committed their lives to study and protect.