Dr. Paula Kahumbu: It’s quite difficult.
I wish I could split myself in pieces.
But actually, the two things are interrelated.
We’re suffering severely from climate change, so crops are not going very well.
Children are not getting enough food.
Your children, on some days, can’t go to school, because there are elephants around.
They walk to school, so they literally cannot get to school.
At night, you never know when an elephant is going to come.
So, people sometimes stay up all night.
I’ve met farmers who are so sleep-deprived.
I asked them, “What’s the best thing about this fence?”
and they said, “We can finally sleep.”
The problem is very serious.
Elephant numbers in Kenya and across East Africa are increasing.
So, the problem is getting worse, and we need to find solutions.
You’ve studied elephants for decades.
How often, when you’re doing something like this, do you see something that surprises you?
Dr. Paula Kahumbu: Elephants are one of those species that always surprise you.
When you get that kind of insight, it makes them much, much more interesting.
They are more than just a herd; they become an unfolding soap opera.
They’re very, very entertaining.
What I’ve noticed with elephants is they will do surprising things.
I don’t know if it’s just me.
They know what they’re doing; they know exactly what they’re doing.
The way they interact with people around them, the way they interact with other animals around them.
It’s always amazing spending time with elephants.
Dr. Paula Kahumbu: Well, [it’s] very hard to tell, right?
Especially with modern humans who don’t have that much in terms of social structure anymore.
Elephant families are very tight.
All of the sons and daughters know exactly who’s who in the family.
It’s like Christmas; there’s a lot of hugging and cheering.
There’s an incredible sense [that] everybody in the family is supporting each other.
This idea that the family unit is so close [is] really fascinating.
Even if they’re kilometers apart, they’re still talking to each other.
Then, from time to time, they get back together physically, and they reengage.
And they’re very touchy-feely all the time.
It’s really interesting.
James Cameron is producing this show.
Or, things that have maybe been known but never been filmed before.
[The vision was to] bring that out in a way to galvanize public interest in elephants again.
It’s one of those species that we tend to think we know so much about.
We’ve seen so many films about elephants.
Everybody thinks they’re an expert in elephants.
This film reminds us that elephants are so extraordinary.
There’s no end to this amazing drama of elephants.
Every episode is filmed differently.
You’ll notice it.
The style of the filming changes.
Not just “It’s another landscape.”
That, to me, was the genius of the series.
I hope that audiences say, “Holy cow.
This is the guy who’s going to save the Namibian elephants.
Let’s support him.”
When we were in Asia, there is an incredible woman called Farina who is an elephant expert.
Her organization is trying to secure the last little ribbons of forest left for the incredible pygmy elephants.
I want people to say, “What can we do to help Farina?
What does she need?
She needs equipment, she needs a boat, she needs more funds.”
These are the kinds of things that I hope people will immediately grasp.
No, here is an avenue for you to support elephant conservation in Africa and Asia.
How does that feel, and how has it been to take on that role?
Dr. Paula Kahumbu: It’s been such a roller coaster - incredible, [and] unexpected.
I felt a duty to accept it, and it has been fantastic.
I have to say, I’ve been on many boards; the National Geographic board is fantastic.
It’s just amazing.
[It’s an] incredible group of people.
We’ve had a lot of documentaries that look and feel the same.
They are lovely, they’re beautiful, but they look and feel the same.
The ground-breaking, award-winning natural history franchise Secrets of returns with its next installment, Secrets of the Elephants.
Secrets of the Elephants will change everything you thought you knew about elephants forever.
Check out our otherSecrets of the Elephantsinterview withcinematographer Bob Poole.
Secrets of the Elephantspremieres Friday, April 21 on National Geographic.
