The Edge of Eden

A documentary I watched for the second time a couple of nights ago. It was pretty cool, the landscape, the grizzly bears and the interaction between Charlie and "his" bears.
I give it 4 out of 5 Hi-Fives!



Directors: Jeff & Sue Turner, Canada/United Kingdom, 2006, 89 minutes
Synopsis taken from: http://www.doxafestival.ca/festival/edge_of_eden

The grizzly bear is considered by many to be the most dangerous animal in the world. But Canadian grizzly bear expert Charlie Russell thinks differently. He believes that grizzlies are misunderstood animals and that our fear of them is not only unnecessary, but driving them to extinction. After a life of exploring the relationship between humans and grizzlies in Canada, Russell’s beliefs have taken him to Russia where he has been raising orphaned grizzly bear cubs in the wilderness of the Southern Kamchatka peninsula. For more than 10 years, sixty-five year old Russell has been rescuing orphaned cubs from squalid Russian zoos and releasing them into the last remaining grizzly bear sanctuary in the world. Becoming their surrogate mother, he struggles to teach them everything they need to survive a life in the wild.

The film follows Russell as he rescues two orphaned cubs from a zoo where they are soon to be killed and takes them to his cabin in the remote sanctuary. Over the course of one season he has to introduce the cubs to their new home, teaching them everything he can about a life in the wild. They have to learn the lay of the land, what plants to eat, how to catch fish and how to escape from predatory male bears. The film shows extraordinary scenes of Russell encountering adult grizzlies and holding his ground while protecting his charges.

Raising orphaned grizzly bear cubs, Charlie has been given a rare insight into the world of bears. He has learned that grizzly bears are not the fearsome aggressive killers that so many believe them to be, but rather are gentle, peaceful creatures and that it is possible for humans and bears to live together peacefully and safely, sharing this earth.

With breathtaking footage of grizzlies in a stunning geography, The Edge of Eden brings us closer than most of us will ever be to thesemagnificent animals.