One of the first things I appreciated when I entered the motion picture business 20 years ago was the diversity of projects I was allowed to work on, from Pillsbury Dough Boy commercials, to Grateful Dead videos. The small but hip production company I worked for in San Francisco, Colossal (Pictures), had a great variety of unique projects come through their door. In my first year there I had the opportunity to work on a Wim Wenders film, “Until the End of the World”. Though, it was no smash success, one of the things I gleaned from the project was that these opportunities continued to open up new horizons to my experiences in life, and that a thorough exploration of life’s possibilities could be pursued through this profession. With that in mind the craft of film making took on an almost anthropological purpose. I considered the industry as a kind of cultural petrie dish, allowing for a secular study of life through the ubiquitous lens of the medium. God’s eye as it were, but without the politics of ethics.
In the years since I’ve had the opportunity to pursue a rich diversity of experiences through my chosen profession, from making a documentary about sex in Las Vegas with George Bush’s cousin, to working on Star Wars with the esteemed talents at Industrial Light & Magic. The kinds of stories we refer to as “guilty pleasures” when we’re tuned into the box and watching. But what the viewers at home don’t get to experience is the true-to-life inspiration that comes from engaging in the pursuit of these stories we get to tell.
Two jobs comes to mind of late. The first was back in March when our team at Wide Eye received a call from Bob Bates, a producer in LA who was in search of a crew to shoot an interview with renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall for an upcoming women’s conference put on by Maria Shriver. Dr. Goodall was passing through town to promote global consciousness and local action in the name of preservation of our natural resources. Bob knew that with her busy itinerary he may not have a better chance to sit down with her and speak again this year. So he came to Boise and hired us to do the shooting.
We entered it into the calendar, and prepared for it in the same way we do all of our shoots. We paid little attention to Dr. Goodall’s celebrity status, and cautioned ourselves against great expectations. So when the day arrived, and the lights were set according to standards her assistant deemed adequate, we were prepared to acquire whatever Bob needed to gather. She only had a half-hour out of her very busy schedule. We were determined to make Bob’s time with her as efficient as possible.
At around 10:30 in the morning Dr. Goodall entered the room we’d set up for her carrying a stuffed monkey she calls, “Mr. H.” It’s unusual to see an adult woman carrying around a stuffed animal and at first impression I got the sense that Dr. Goodall, at 75 years old, might be slightly aloof, frail, and have some curious idiosyncrasies. However, when she sat down and began talking, regaling us with stories going back to her childhood, and early adult adventures in Africa, my judgmental sense of her changed to something closer to awe. It is rare in this day and age to hear anyone speak with the sense of conviction, and single minded devotion that Dr. Goodall shared with us. A sense of devotion and purpose that began in her childhood with her fascinations and observations of the animals on her farm. That curiosity and gift for observation lead her to Tanzania where she studied the Gombe chimps and was the first to witness behaviors, tool making, never before seen in species other than humans. For a woman in this male dominated field of study, it was more than just courage that earned her a Ph.D from Cambridge and the privilege to observe these primates. It was the only road she could follow to remain true to her convictions, her curiosities, and her sense of self. And it was her intuitive insight that allowed her to share the remarkable, emotional attributes of these primates. Observations and a sense of humanity rarely allowed in the field of science. Insights she continuously shares today with the global community about sensible topics such as preservation of natural resources. A tender, and sometimes contentious issue, that when confronted squarely as Dr. Goodall and her peers have been able to do, not only promotes healthier habitats, but also builds a consensus of consciousness that leads to better decision making by we humans who share this planet.
I am occasionally fortunate enough to be inspired by the subjects and the people we get to work with, but never before have I felt like applauding the interviewee as I wanted to do when Dr. Goodall was finished speaking with us. Though, the professional in me censored my exuberance, I did have the honor of thanking her when it was all said and done, saying simply, “That was delightful!”
And as for her stuffed chimpanzee, Mr. H has been traveling with Dr. Goodall since 1996, and he’s already been to over 50 countries and has been touched by more than 2 million people. He’s a kind of mascot for change and global awareness as I understand it. And should you want your own Mr. H, his junior can be purchased through the Jane Goodall Institute. A worthwhile investment when you consider that the money is going to help the Institute continue the good work of helping to take care of our planet. I’ll buy that for a dollar, or even $15.
It’s tough to compare anyone’s achievements to those of Dr. Goodall, but here in our own community another citizen takes a similar stand for the rights of animals, and she’s been doing so for the past 30 years. Sally Maughan, who runs Idaho Black Bear Rehabilitation, was the recent subject for an Animal Planet shoot here in town, and the good folks from Parthenon Entertainment in England who produce the show selected us as HD camera crew. We’ve had the opportunity to work with Sally in the past, but this was the first time for me to be able to get an in depth look at the remarkable work she’s doing to keep the black bear population healthy and alive throughout the inter-mountain west.
We started our shoot in April, and spent several days at her facility on the west end of town filming a group of 18 month old cubs being moved from pen to pen, and familiarizing themselves with their new surroundings. Tom was able to get closest to the bears with his camera, and at one point appeared to enter into a waltz with one of the little guys. We were also able to spend some quality time with the adorable 3 month old cubs that were penned up in Sally’s small bedroom. Though, it may sound unorthodox, I assure you, these cubs were getting the best of care, and it was out of convenience that Sally kept them close. Who really wants to head out into the cold of night every hour to feed hungry cubs? But for nearly 20 of the last 30 years that’s what Sally has done for her Black Bear friends.
The cubs generally come to her orphaned. Either momma bear has died from disease, or she’s been killed by hunters, or vehicular accident. The two 3 month old cubs we got to know appeared on a vets doorstep somewhere in Washington last January. No doubt a den had been raided and someone discovered the truly wild nature of these creatures and decided they’d be better off with professional care.
Sally does the bottle feeding so they only identify with her as their foster mother. I jokingly asked her if she had a bear costume, and she alluded to the fact that there have been times when it’s come in handy. With or without the costume, Sally looks the part. She’s short and well grounded the way a momma black bear might be. And she’s tough as nails, so it’s smart to stay on her good side.
She makes a point of keeping the bears as wild as when they arrived. She talks with them, but leaves them to their own devices throughout the day, monitoring them from a distance on closed circuit TV to insure they’re in good health. They eat a steady diet of dog food, apples, carrots and lettuce fed to them daily by John, a gentle guy fashioned as a goth punk rocker who is Sally’s main assistant.
They are kept healthy, monitored, and treated by Veterinarian Tim Murphy. And when it comes time to send them back to the wilds from whence they came, they’re off on the back of a flat bed truck in solid steel bear cages, chauffeured by fellow bear lovers, Terri and Larry Limberg.
This past week we were able to hook up with Sally’s bears again and head over to Washington to film their release. Sally has a great success rate with her bears, few rarely entering back into the folds of the human population. But to guarantee further success, the Washington Fish and Wildlife service maintains a consistent policy of making the bears last experience with humans the worst of their young lives. Tough love they call it, and upon release the bears are chased into the heart of the national forest by barking Karelian Bear Dogs with Fish and Wildlife officers firing blanks from their shotguns to scare them off. It appears at first to be almost a wild west show, but I’m sure it’s just the sort of “tough love” the bears need to keep them at a safe distance from human population.
As I look ahead at our calendar of events, it’s hard telling what sorts of adventures await us, but I can be assured it’ll likely be something different and unique, offering us a broad scope of experiences. And should we be lucky enough to work again with people as dedicated and caring as Sally Maughan and Dr. Jane Goodall, we can count ourselves as fortunate.
