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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Jackson County district election turnout under 17 percent Makeover brings new look to old clinic Coffee with the editor Police Reports 10 things to know for Monday, May18 Education John Muir students need help producing eighth-grade yearbook Ashland High School seeks volunteers for 2015-16 Heading to Harvard Rising from the ashes Ashland High School again earns national honors Environment Demonstrators hope to save tree Documentary 'When Giants Fall' tells tragic story of elephant poaching Mt. 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Chris Honoré: The journey of the African elephant Other Views: Vaccine rate improves Editorial Other Views: Vaccine rate improves Our View: Focus on the basics Our View: Elected or appointed? Our View: Change is brewing Our View: Forest work is a bargain Letters Letters to the Editor, May 14 (No heading) Letters to the editor: Tuesday, May 12 Letters to the Editor, May 8 Letters to the Editor, May 6 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ambrose spins a conservative fantasy Guest Opinion: Restoring the Plaza's sense of place Guest Opinion: Making conservation a game Guest Opinion: A good day to act Columns George Barnes: We need to help free Tom Brady Chris Honoré: The journey of the African elephant Herb Rothschild Jr.: An appalling budget Jeffrey Gillespie: Shame on the high seas Arthur I. Cyr: Camp David summit will not help Mideast stability Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Ashland Calendar, Thursday, May 14 4 Things To Do This Weekend Movie listings: May 15-21 Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum at The Mountain House Steve Poltz, Grant-Lee Phillips at Old Ashland Armory Theater Ticket Availability Ticket availability Ticket Availability Departing Ashland Independent Film Festival programmer talks about what makes a good movie Ticket availability Music The Farr Side: Contest open for singer-songwriters The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Interview: Country singer Suzy Bogguss enjoying life on the road The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour Visual Art Movies Documentary 'When Giants Fall' tells tragic story of elephant poaching Movie review: ‘Mad Max’ is a fresh, fantastic approach to a classic idea Your A-to-Z guide to the ‘Mad Max’ franchise Movie listings: May 15-21 'Wild Tales' is twisted, dark and lovely Food and Drink Taqueria Picaro takes over Tabu space Owner of Mix and Amuse to bring Flip burger joint to Ashland Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Community Blog: God's sigh: the breath of peace Sid McKeen: A bumper crop of idle observations Cars We Remember: 1955 and 1956 Plymouth memories Home Help: Keep a man cave top of mind when choosing a new home Haiku Corner: Week of May 4 - 9 Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Mocha Musings Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Jackson County district election turnout under 17 percent ... Coffee with the editor ... Ticket Availability ... Jackson County district election turnout under 17 percent ... Coffee with the editor ... Ticket Availability ... REVIEW Documentary 'When Giants Fall' tells tragic story of elephant poaching Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted May. 17, 2015 at 12:35 PM Updated May 17, 2015 at 3:12 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted May. 17, 2015 at 12:35 PM Updated May 17, 2015 at 3:12 PM » Social News Local journalist and documentary filmmaker Leslie Griffith has produced a wrenching, soul-pummeling movie, “When Giants Fall,” vividly detailing the slaughter of African elephants for their ivory — and giving them about five years before extinction. A big draw at the recent Ashland Independent Film Festival, it was shown Friday for the Southern Oregon University Film Club. It’s making the film festival circuit — including in the offending lands of Africa and China — and gathering acclaim with critics and audiences before general release, says Griffith. “Never in the history of the world has there been hundreds of countries marching in defense of another species,” she said in an interview. “It’s the beginning of a worldwide movement and it’s the only way our grandchildren are going to see these wise and magnificent creatures.”  Griffith, the winner of nine Emmys (and 37 nominations), says she moved to Jacksonville because “it’s more expansive here and I have the peace I need to make this film.” The world is vaguely aware that something terrible is happening to elephants, she said, and she hopes the film will bring it into focus for the world’s media so the political will can be found to bring poaching under control. The film uses shots of bloody elephant corpses sparingly, focusing on tender interviews of people in anti-poaching campaigns, declaiming that elephants are as intelligent as humans and must be saved. It follows the money, detailing how ivory is the currency Africans use to buy arms. The arms industry is arming both sides, poachers and anti-poachers, creating a new arms race. Over 1,000 anti-poachers have been killed, the movie notes, as it shows their huge cemetery. You may want to hate the poachers, but they’re just young boys living in poverty with nowhere else to make a buck. The big consumer of ivory and everything else on the continent is China. The U.S. is the number-two ivory consumer. On the film’s Facebook page, Griffith says half the elephants — more than 4,000 — were poached in Tanzania’s national park in just the past year. Filming for two years in Africa, you wonder if Griffith was afraid for her life. “Yes, I was. Anyone who pulls out a camera in Africa should be afraid,” she says. “I was knocked down by security in Mombasa (Kenya) and they took my camera. They would have taken me, too, if I hadn’t run as fast as I could.” The film leaves you with little hope and a new insight into the depths of greed, poverty and violence in the human heart. But there’s a pushback too, shown in anti-poaching marches all over the world. “If the pushback is strong and keeps mounting, we can save them,” Griffith says.  One of Oregon’s congressmen, Peter DeFazio, is a strong supporter of sanctions for ivory consumer nations and she urged support for his efforts. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted May. 17, 2015 at 12:35 PM Updated May 17, 2015 at 3:12 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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