Deep in the Angolan Highlands, there is talk of a mysterious new species of elephant. For years, conservationist and ornithologist Steve Boyes has been dedicated to uncovering the truth of this elusive herd, a journey that takes center stage in Ghost Elephants, an evocative documentary directed by renowned filmmaker Werner Herzog. After its debut at the Venice International Film Festival last summer, the film is now coming to National Geographic and Disney+.
It might seem unusual for an ornithologist to pursue such a quest, but for Boyes, this mission felt like a natural extension of his lifelong passions. Growing up in South Africa, Boyes was captivated by the explorers he read about in National Geographic magazine. 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
Boyesâ formative years were filled with adventures into the wild, often accompanied by his parents and brother on trips to places like Botswana and Tanzania. âWe used to embed ourselves in baboon troops and walk with impalas,â said Boyes. Despite his brother's fear of elephants, Boyes formed an early bond with these magnificent creatures. The documentary showcases stunning underwater scenes of elephants plodding through water and swimming on their sides, echoing Boyes' personal interactions. Given the right conditions, if unthreatened, elephants âwill come and swim around you and with you and interact with you,â he said, adding to his lifelong fascination with them.
In his adult life, Boyes pursued his PhD research on the Meyerâs parrot in Botswana's Okavango Delta, home to the worldâs largest elephant population. There, he discovered a unique symbiotic relationship between the parrots and elephants: âEvery tree that the parrots were feeding on, the elephants were feeding on,â he noted. âThe elephants were creating the nest cavities for the parrots by disturbing the trees.â