Latest news with #Pangolin:Kulu'sJourney
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Oscar-winning director reveals the secret lives of pangolins
Editor's Note: Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet, together with the solutions. Rolex's Perpetual Planet Initiative has partnered with CNN to drive awareness and education around key sustainability issues and to inspire positive action. Pangolins have two claims to fame: first, that they are the world's only scaly mammal, and second, they are one of the most trafficked animals globally. Beyond that, most people know very little about them. But the new Netflix documentary 'Pangolin: Kulu's Journey,' hopes to change that. The 90-minute film follows the story of a three-month-old ground pangolin, Kulu, who is rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, and the slow, intensive process to return him to the wild in South Africa. 'Kulu's got an incredible personality, he's very much his own pangolin,' says director Pippa Ehrlich, best known for the Oscar-winning documentary 'My Octopus Teacher.' 'He's incredibly stubborn, determined to go where he wants to go, not that keen to have this strange two-legged creature following him around everywhere he goes,' she adds. The two-legged creature in question is Gareth Thomas, a conservation volunteer who took part in the sting operation that rescued Kulu. Rehabilitating rescued pangolins is an 'incredibly intensive process,' says Ehrlich: they rarely eat in captivity so they require daily walks, sometimes up to six hours a day, to feed on ants and termites. These daily walks aren't just for feeding: they are also getting the pangolin ready for the sights, sounds, and smells of its new habitat, and helping it overcome the trauma of captivity. 'The rehabilitation team asked (Gareth) if he would take Kulu into the wild and set him free. And I don't know if he realized that that was going to be the next 18 months of his life,' says Ehrlich. The film follows the duo into the wild savanna of Lapalala Wilderness Reserve, a four-hour drive from Johannesburg, immersing the viewer in the world of pangolins. 'They've got a magical quality; they are a mammal but they're covered in scales,' says Ehrlich. 'You just don't want pangolins to be seen only as the world's most trafficked mammal. You want them to be seen as these joyful, unique, special little creatures.' The ground pangolin, also known as Temminck's pangolin or the Cape pangolin, is one of eight species found globally, and the most widely distributed of the four species in Africa, with a territory ranging from South Africa to Sudan. When Kulu arrived at the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, staff called him Gijima, which means 'to run' in Zulu, as the severely underweight yet feisty pangolin was constantly trying to run away during his feeding walks. It was during the six-month stint in the savanna that Thomas nicknamed the pangolin Kulu, a variant of the word for 'easy' in Zulu, to try to soothe him. Thomas grew up spending summers in the wilderness in South Africa and Zimbabwe, where he was born; but after school, he became 'detached' from nature, instead spending most of his time in the city. 'I had a bit of a yearning to be out there again,' he recalls. So in 2019, after picking up wildlife photography, he started volunteering with the African Pangolin Working Group and the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital. Thomas' self-shot footage of the pangolins was pivotal to the film, says Ehrlich: Pangolins are incredibly sensitive creatures, so Ehrlich says the production team had limited shooting days and relied heavily on Thomas for videos of the rehabilitation process and close-ups of Kulu. 'I realized, he has a very deep bond with these animals, and he understands them,' says Ehrlich. 'He understands how to get this very intimate footage, which almost makes you feel like you're seeing the world through the eyes of a pangolin.' While viewers will likely observe thematic similarities between 'My Octopus Teacher' and 'Kulu's Journey' — both explore human-wildlife relationships and our emotional connection with nature— Ehrlich says the drastically different ecosystems changed her approach to the film. 'One of the things that was so compelling about (My Octopus Teacher) is that you're going underwater, and that immediately takes you into this other universe,' she explains. 'Being in the terrestrial world, even if you don't know the bush, it is way more relatable.' The biggest threat to the pangolins is poaching for the $20-billion illegal wildlife trade, where their scales, meat and body parts are sold for traditional medicine, and their skins used for leather products. According to NGO Traffic, pangolins are largely trafficked to China and the US. With three of the four Asian species critically endangered, and difficulty breeding pangolins in captivity, poaching has increased in Africa: between 2017 and 2019, more than half of illegal pangolin seizures in Asia were from African pangolin species, accounting for 244,600 kilograms of scales and 10,971 individual animals. Ray Jansen, the co-founder of the African Pangolin Working Group, who features in the documentary, has witnessed the scale of this threat firsthand: the zoologist-turned-sting operative helped rescue 301 live pangolins, including Kulu, between 2016 and 2024, leading to the arrest of nearly 700 wildlife traffickers. Prior to 2017, Jansen says arrests in South Africa were met with meager fines, rather than jail time. But in recent years, conservationists like Jansen began providing expert witness testimony in court, resulting in sentences of up to 10 years. 'It sent out a huge warning message to these traffickers about pangolins,' Jansen says, adding that while he's observed a decrease in 'opportunistic' poaching in the country, 'sophisticated' organized crime networks continue to traffic for the international trade. Pangolins rescued from the wildlife trade are incredibly difficult to treat and rehabilitate, says Dr. Karin Lourens, the co-founder and head veterinarian of the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, the first hospital in South Africa to treat pangolins (all pangolins are kept off-site in an undisclosed location). 'Because they haven't eaten, they don't have enough protein,' says Lourens, adding that this then causes a build-up of fluid in their lungs. 'Then, their pancreas stops working, so they can't digest food either.' 'It was a steep learning curve in the beginning,' says Lourens, adding she had no medical guidelines for the first ground pangolins in the hospital, but over the years, the survival rate has soared from 40% to 80%. The film crew also worked with Lapalala Wilderness, the 48,000-hectare reserve where Kulu was ultimately released, to secure filming permits and coordinate with the on-site anti-poaching unit to ensure safety for the pangolins and those transporting them. While poachers are an unavoidable topic when talking about pangolins, Ehrlich made the deliberate choice to highlight the emotional side of the little-known creatures. 'You've got to be careful about anthropomorphism, and I'm sure that's the criticism that we're going to get,' Ehrlich says. Lourens said she would have preferred for the documentary to focus on Africa's pangolin trade, something she says is 'sorely needed.' She also expressed concern about Kulu's overexposure to people during filming. Ehrlich says Thomas was 'incredibly strict' about when the additional videographers could film; 'I think I only did two shoots with Kulu, most of the time it was just Gareth and him,' she adds. Initially, Jansen too wanted the film to focus on the wildlife trade, a subject close to his heart — but after viewing the documentary, he changed his mind. 'It's a much, much better angle to focus on,' he says. 'I'm hoping that it spreads a huge awareness, and the world can fall in love with these incredible creatures.' While poaching remains a major threat for pangolins globally, Jansen says electric fences in game reserves are now 'responsible for the large majority of Temminck's pangolin deaths' in South Africa, illustrated in one terrifying scene when Kulu nearly runs straight into one, saved at the last minute by Thomas. Together with Thomas and Lapalala Wilderness Reserve, Jansen is working on a large-scale electric fence study and exploring new designs that could save wildlife. And a new 'pangolarium,' operated by the African Pangolin Working Group at Lapalala Wilderness, opened earlier this year — a kind of halfway house for pangolins between hospital and release, and a networking hub for conservationists. While it can house multiple pangolins, each one will still need its own dedicated walker for its daily mealtime. Despite global conservation efforts, pangolin numbers are in decline, with all eight species considered vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered by the IUCN. 'Pangolins really are a symbol of the fragility that we see in one another and in nature all around us,' says Ehrlich. She hopes audiences will connect with Kulu's story, and be moved to protect them and their environment: 'There is just nothing else like a pangolin.'
Leader Live
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Giant Pangolins 'need time to shine' says Chester Zoo
The zoo is taking part in the Big Green Give between April 22 to 29, and all the funds raised will help protect pangolins in Africa. By sheer coincidence, Pangolin: Kulu's Journey also debuts on Netflix this week. The documentary, directed by Pippa Ehrlich, who also directed My Octopus Teacher, tells the story of a trafficked Temminck's pangolin and his path to re-release. Chester Zoo has been working with pangolins in Uganda since 2018 and is now reaching out to members of the public to support this year's Big Give campaign, which focuses on the giant pangolin. Thanks to increased media attention, pangolins are, hopefully, having a 'moment' which, according to Naomi Matthews, Africa Biomonitoring Manager in the zoo's Field Programmes team, is about time. Naomi has been advocating for pangolins since she joined the zoo 12 years ago and now manages the Chester Zoo giant pangolin project, working closely with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. She said: 'I was 21 when I first discovered what a pangolin was, while watching a David Attenborough documentary. 'I couldn't believe I'd never heard of them before, and they quickly became one of my favourite animals. 'Once I learned about the threats they face, I was passionate about making sure the zoo got involved in their conservation.' Pangolins are unique as the only mammals with scales. There are currently eight recognised species of pangolin, all threatened by poaching and habitat loss. Among them, the giant pangolin is one of the least documented and least understood and is also one of the most trafficked animals in the world. Naomi is blending field conservation – coordinating a conservation assessment of the species through camera trapping, behavioural research, and direct pangolin protection – with academic study, as her PhD research forms part of the project. 'I just think they're fascinating,' she said. MORE NEWS 'I've always loved the weird and wonderful mammals—the ones that don't really fit into other categories. 'Our whole team is passionate about pangolins, and it's that passion that keeps us going. 'Studying them is incredibly difficult and often challenging, but that's also what makes it so rewarding. 'We see waves of interest in particular animals. ''I think a lot of it is driven by social media and pop culture. 'First everyone was obsessed with meerkats, then capybaras, and now pygmy hippos are having a moment. I think it's time for pangolins.' Naomi's PhD on the conservation ecology of giant pangolins has been breaking new ground in understanding the species. So little is known about these gentle creatures that much of her work is starting from scratch. 'One of the highlights of researching them is watching them on our camera trap videos,' said Naomi. 'My PhD research set out to answer some of the key questions about giant pangolin, conservation ecology and behaviour. 'But it quickly became clear that to do that, we'd have to first improve our knowledge of where and how to find them—then work on counting them by developing new survey methods.' Naomi added: 'We're often asked: 'If you struggle to find them, how are they being so heavily poached?' 'The answer is that poachers often operate in large groups, sometimes with up to 20 hunting dogs, which sniff out pangolins and other wildlife indiscriminately. 'In contrast, we have to be far more wide-reaching, surveying up to 300 burrows at a time. We must be subtle, non-invasive, and patient.' There is a way to help pangolins have their moment and keep the giant pangolin project rolling. If you donate £5 during the Big Give Green Match Fund, we'll receive £10 – doubling your impact to help save this vulnerable species from extinction. From April 22-29, match-funders at Big Give have pledged to double all donations made to Chester Zoo's pangolin fund. The zoo is aiming to raise more than £16,000, which will go directly towards supporting pangolin conservation efforts in Uganda. Pledge here from noon on April 22 to help save giant pangolins at
CNN
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Oscar-winning director reveals the secret lives of pangolins
Pangolins have two claims to fame: first, that they are the world's only scaly mammal, and second, they are one of the most trafficked animals globally. Beyond that, most people know very little about them. But the new Netflix documentary 'Pangolin: Kulu's Journey,' hopes to change that. The 90-minute film follows the story of a three-month-old ground pangolin, Kulu, who is rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, and the slow, intensive process to return him to the wild in South Africa. 'Kulu's got an incredible personality, he's very much his own pangolin,' says director Pippa Elrich, best known for the Oscar-winning documentary 'My Octopus Teacher.' 'He's incredibly stubborn, determined to go where he wants to go, not that keen to have this strange two-legged creature following him around everywhere he goes,' she adds. The two-legged creature in question is Gareth Thomas, a conservation volunteer who took part in the sting operation that rescued Kulu. Rehabilitating rescued pangolins is an 'incredibly intensive process,' says Elrich: they rarely eat in captivity so they require daily walks, sometimes up to six hours a day, to feed on ants and termites. These daily walks aren't just for feeding: they are also getting the pangolin ready for the sights, sounds, and smells of its new habitat, and helping it overcome the trauma of captivity. 'The rehabilitation team asked (Gareth) if he would take Kulu into the wild and set him free. And I don't know if he realized that that was going to be the next 18 months of his life,' says Elrich. The film follows the duo into the wild savanna of Lapalala Wilderness Reserve, a four-hour drive from Johannesburg, immersing the viewer in the world of pangolins. 'They've got a magical quality; they are a mammal but they're covered in scales,' says Elrich. 'You just don't want pangolins to be seen only as the world's most trafficked mammal. You want them to be seen as these joyful, unique, special little creatures.' The ground pangolin, also known as Temminck's pangolin or the Cape pangolin, is one of eight species found globally, and the most widely distributed of the four species in Africa, with a territory ranging from South Africa to Sudan. When Kulu arrived at the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, staff called him Gijima, which means 'to run' in Zulu, as the severely underweight yet feisty pangolin was constantly trying to run away during his feeding walks. It was during the six-month stint in the savanna that Thomas nicknamed the pangolin Kulu, a variant of the word for 'easy' in Zulu, to try to soothe him. Thomas grew up spending summers in the wilderness in South Africa and Zimbabwe, where he was born; but after school, he became 'detached' from nature, instead spending most of his time in the city. 'I had a bit of a yearning to be out there again,' he recalls. So in 2019, after picking up wildlife photography, he started volunteering with the African Pangolin Working Group and the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital. Thomas' self-shot footage of the pangolins was pivotal to the film, says Elrich: Pangolins are incredibly sensitive creatures, so Elrich says the production team had limited shooting days and relied heavily on Thomas for videos of the rehabilitation process and close-ups of Kulu. 'I realized, he has a very deep bond with these animals, and he understands them,' says Elrich. 'He understands how to get this very intimate footage, which almost makes you feel like you're seeing the world through the eyes of a pangolin.' While viewers will likely observe thematic similarities between 'My Octopus Teacher' and 'Kulu's Journey' — both explore human-wildlife relationships and our emotional connection with nature— Elrich says the drastically different ecosystems changed her approach to the film. 'One of the things that was so compelling about (My Octopus Teacher) is that you're going underwater, and that immediately takes you into this other universe,' she explains. 'Being in the terrestrial world, even if you don't know the bush, it is way more relatable.' The biggest threat to the pangolins is poaching for the $20-billion illegal wildlife trade, where their scales, meat and body parts are sold for traditional medicine, and their skins used for leather products. According to NGO Traffic, pangolins are largely trafficked to China and the US. With three of the four Asian species critically endangered, and difficulty breeding pangolins in captivity, poaching has increased in Africa: between 2017 and 2019, more than half of illegal pangolin seizures in Asia were from African pangolin species, accounting for 244,600 kilograms of scales and 10,971 individual animals. Ray Jansen, the co-founder of the African Pangolin Working Group, who features in the documentary, has witnessed the scale of this threat firsthand: the zoologist-turned-sting operative helped rescue 301 live pangolins, including Kulu, between 2016 and 2024, leading to the arrest of nearly 700 wildlife traffickers. Prior to 2017, Jansen says arrests in South Africa were met with meager fines, rather than jail time. But in recent years, conservationists like Jansen began providing expert witness testimony in court, resulting in sentences of up to 10 years. 'It sent out a huge warning message to these traffickers about pangolins,' Jansen says, adding that while he's observed a decrease in 'opportunistic' poaching in the country, 'sophisticated' organized crime networks continue to traffic for the international trade. Pangolins rescued from the wildlife trade are incredibly difficult to treat and rehabilitate, says Dr. Karin Lourens, the co-founder and head veterinarian of the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, the first hospital in South Africa to treat pangolins (all pangolins are kept off-site in an undisclosed location). 'Because they haven't eaten, they don't have enough protein,' says Lourens, adding that this then causes a build-up of fluid in their lungs. 'Then, their pancreas stops working, so they can't digest food either.' 'It was a steep learning curve in the beginning,' says Lourens, adding she had no medical guidelines for the first ground pangolins in the hospital, but over the years, the survival rate has soared from 40% to 80%. The film crew also worked with Lapalala Wilderness, the 48,000-hectare reserve where Kulu was ultimately released, to secure filming permits and coordinate with the on-site anti-poaching unit to ensure safety for the pangolins and those transporting them. While poachers are an unavoidable topic when talking about pangolins, Elrich made the deliberate choice to highlight the emotional side of the little-known creatures. 'You've got to be careful about anthropomorphism, and I'm sure that's the criticism that we're going to get,' Elrich says. Lourens said she would have preferred for the documentary to focus on Africa's pangolin trade, something she says is 'sorely needed.' She also expressed concern about Kulu's overexposure to people during filming. Elrich says Thomas was 'incredibly strict' about when the additional videographers could film; 'I think I only did two shoots with Kulu, most of the time it was just Gareth and him,' she adds. Initially, Jansen too wanted the film to focus on the wildlife trade, a subject close to his heart — but after viewing the documentary, he changed his mind. 'It's a much, much better angle to focus on,' he says. 'I'm hoping that it spreads a huge awareness, and the world can fall in love with these incredible creatures.' While poaching remains a major threat for pangolins globally, Jansen says electric fences in game reserves are now 'responsible for the large majority of Temminck's pangolin deaths' in South Africa, illustrated in one terrifying scene when Kulu nearly runs straight into one, saved at the last minute by Thomas. Together with Thomas and Lapalala Wilderness Reserve, Jansen is working on a large-scale electric fence study and exploring new designs that could save wildlife. And a new 'pangolarium,' operated by the African Pangolin Working Group at Lapalala Wilderness, opened earlier this year — a kind of halfway house for pangolins between hospital and release, and a networking hub for conservationists. While it can house multiple pangolins, each one will still need its own dedicated walker for its daily mealtime. Despite global conservation efforts, pangolin numbers are in decline, with all eight species considered vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered by the IUCN. 'Pangolins really are a symbol of the fragility that we see in one another and in nature all around us,' says Elrich. She hopes audiences will connect with Kulu's story, and be moved to protect them and their environment: 'There is just nothing else like a pangolin.'
New York Times
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Pangolin: Kulu's Journey' Review: Emotional Rescue
The healing goes both ways in the documentary 'Pangolin: Kulu's Journey,' as a troubled man and an endangered mammal form a startling bond. The result is a movie so sweet and soothing you'll be forced to admit that sometimes the universe — or, in this case, Netflix — gives you exactly what you need. What Kulu needs is rescuing and rehabilitation. As a pangolin, sometimes known as a scaly anteater, this gentle beast is in high demand because of the importance of its scales in traditional Chinese medicine. Saved from illegal traffickers as a baby during a sting operation, Kulu is underweight and panicked. Once installed at the Lapalala Wildlife Reserve in South Africa, he will need constant care and monitoring for many months until he is able to survive on his own. In the hands of Gareth Thomas, a former poker player turned Volunteer Pangolin Walker, Kulu is as cherished as the average human newborn. For Thomas, whose difficult adolescence and the loss of close friends led him to seek a more emotionally meaningful life, Kulu's well-being is a round-the-clock obsession. Leading the animal to the tastiest anthill, braving predators to sleep outside his burrow, or just cuddling and playing — Thomas isn't joking when he describes himself as a helicopter parent. Beautiful to look at and unabashedly sentimental, 'Pangolin,' patiently directed by Pippa Ehrlich (whose 2020 documentary, 'My Octopus Teacher,' also revolved around a cross-species love connection), is informative yet blessedly light on talking heads. Slices of narration by the ant specialist Dr. Caswell Munyai tell us that the pangolin is believed by some African people to possess mystical powers; observing Kulu's ability to entrance his protector, that seems all too believable. 'There's got to be a point where you let go,' Thomas says, sadly, near the end. I, for one, am not convinced that he has. Pangolin: Kulu's Journey Rated PG. Running time: 1 hour 28 minutes. Watch on Netflix.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Netflix Co-CEOs See $60M Pay Packages in 2024
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos saw his total pay package rise to $61.9 million in 2024, while co-CEO Greg Peters brought in $60.3 million. The pay package for Sarandos included a base salary of $3 million, unchanged from the prior year, as well as stock awards of $42.7 million, in addition to a $12 million bonus. Last year, his total pay package was $49.8 million, as no stock awards were granted to him in 2023 (or in 2022). More from The Hollywood Reporter Jayson Tatum Talks NBA Playoffs, Acting Ambitions and His New Coach Fragrance Campaign 'Pangolin: Kulu's Journey' Review: 'My Octopus Teacher' Director Delivers Another Heart-Tugging Study of Man and Nature Issa Rae, Awkwafina, and 'Black Mirror' Director Unpack the Horrors and Longing in Rebellious Queer AI Love Story "Hotel Reverie" The pay package for Peters also included a base salary of $3 million, up slightly from $2.89 million the prior year, as well as a $12 million bonus and $42.7 million in stock awards. His total pay package was up from $40.1 million in 2023, as he also did not receive stock awards at that time. The slight difference in salaries came as Sarandos earned slightly more in options awards and had a slightly higher value under 'other compensation,' which includes use of the corporate aircrafact. The stock awards totals reflect the grant date fair value of restricted stock units and performance share units. Netflix overhauled the way it pays its top executives in December 2023 after shareholders rejected its CEO pay earlier that year. The streaming giant has earned mostly positive reviews from Wall Street analysts during 2024 thanks to subscriber growth helped by its crackdown on password-sharing as well as the rollout of its cheaper advertising-supported subscription tier. Netflix shares have been flying high for most of 2024. Most experts had headed into the company's third-quarter earnings report with a bullish mindset despite some warnings that the company's increased market value may require some patience before a further stock run-up. But the stock continued to perform well. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Netflix's content slate included the likes of Squid Game season 2, the Jake Paul/Mike Tyson fight, and two NFL games on Christmas Day. That led Netflix to forecast paid net subscriber additions to be higher in the fourth than in the third quarter. More to come. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire Sign in to access your portfolio
