The Last Animals

My husband and I saw this film at the Waimea Ocean Film Festival last year. I think it was beautifully done and it is very SAD. Human kind is STUPID and gullible and greedy. Life on this, our one and only earth, is being driven to extinction.

The Last Animals is about the poaching and killing of rhinos and elephants. Right off the bat, the documentary is graphic and very shocking. I was stunned at how much it had shocked me. The story follows around Kate Brooks as she explores the deep underbelly of the African black market and the need for ivory. Brooks does a very good job at explaining why the demand for ivory is so high, and how getting it from rhinoceri have caused some species to nearly go extinct. The documentary is primarily focused on the Northern White Rhino, with only 5 remaining left in the population. Brooks did an excellent job at showcasing how dangerous it is for the park service men to stop poachers. A good chunk of the documentary focuses on that. The documentary is overall a sad, but true message that needs to be heard.

I watched this film on WaterBear and I am wondering how I had not heard of this film since 2017! This is a deeply heartbreaking yet powerful documentary about how greedy criminals, corrupted governments, and unaware consumers are successfully driving animal species to extinction. This is a not an easy film to go through, yet it is one that shows the reality of where we are at and how our actions are destroying life on our precious yet fragile planet. A film that will surely hit deep and is simply a must-see for anyone who inhabits this planet.

Note: To watch it for free, simply go to the WaterBear website or app, sign up, and hit play.

Excellently produced and narrated! A compelling watch delivering a stark warning that time has almost run out for more and more of the most magnificent animals that share our planet with us. Whilst we, endlessly greedy humans either actively contribute to this irreversible disaster or are too shortsighted and self obsessed to realise what an incredible, irreversible, tragic loss this would be to our planet and to ourselves. An absolute must watch!

I have no business pontificating about the nature of animal preservation but I am an ethical vegan of over a decade and meat free nearly 20. The scene cutting off the rhinos horn while the mutilate his body while conscious in the "name of science and preservation" was absolute heinous. It brought me to tears and I could no longer watch this. Something about this doesn't feel right. Either way this should come with intense and loud warnings of live animal mutilation. The cinematography is otherwise beautiful.