Animal and Nature Lover Movies

I love a good nature and animal documentary, and have seen a wide range of them, at the theater, on television, and on DVD. So I was pleased to hear about two new documentaries.

The Elephant in the Living Room gives a view of the the world of keeping exotic animals as pets. It was given numerous awards, including the 2011 Genesis Award bestowed by the Humane Society of the United States. Unfortunately, this film is playing in a limited number of theaters, and is not in my area. If it's not playing in your area, you can try requesting it.

A movie that is coming later this month to Sundance 608 in Madison, and hopefully to a theater near you, is Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? It investigates the reasons (and looks for solutions) into why honeybees are disappearing, a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder. The film offers perspectives from a scientists, philosophers and beekeepers.

I believe documentaries offer the public a glimpse into issues and worlds that we otherwise may not be aware of. There are dozens upon dozens of nature and animal films that I need to make time to see, including National Geographic's Great Migrations, which I purchased on DVD. You can find hundreds of documentaries at websites like National Geographic, BBC, Discovery, PBS, as well as those by independent filmmakers.

Here's hoping that great documentaries continue to be made, that stories get told, and that people not only are entertained, but get educated on important issues that involve our natural planet.