Amidst the enigmatic landscapes of the Angolan Highlands, a potential new species of elephant has sparked intrigue and curiosity. This mysterious herd is the subject of Ghost Elephants, a poignant documentary directed by Werner Herzog. The film centers on conservationist and ornithologist Steve Boyes and his longstanding search, having premiered at the Venice International Film Festival last summer and is now available on National Geographic and Disney+.
While Boyes' specialization in bird life might seem at odds with seeking out pachyderms, his connection to the animal world runs deep. Growing up in South Africa, the National Geographic magazine sparked his yearning for exploration. âI grew up waiting for the magazine to arrive; I wanted the maps,â Boyes shared with Ars. âThose would become my garden, or the field beyond, or the riverâwild places imagined and real.â
Boyes' childhood was filled with wilderness adventures, orchestrated by his parents, ranging from Botswana to Tanzania. These experiences immersed him in nature, where he would âembed ourselves in baboon troops and walk with impalas.â While his brother harbored a fear of elephants, Boyes embraced their presence from an early age. The documentary captures stunning underwater sequences of elephants in their aquatic environment, echoing Boyesâ real-life encounters. Under favorable conditions, free of threat, âelephants will come and swim around you and with you and interact with you,â he noted. âSo elephants have always fascinated me.â
Boyesâ academic endeavors took him to the Okavango Delta, where his PhD research on the Meyerâs parrot revealed an intricate connection with the local elephant population, the largest in the world. There, he observed a mutual relationship between the two species, as âEvery tree that the parrots were feeding on, the elephants were feeding on,â he explained. âThe elephants were creating the nest cavities for the parrots by disturbing the trees.â