5 Wildlife Movies You Can't Miss

Some people are all about getting up close and personal with animals. Then there are those who are very comfortable admiring the wild from the safety of their homes. When you are unable to take out time for that much-needed vacation, fret not, for we have this thing called movies. There you go, now you can have lions, tigers and bears around you because here's a list of five classic movies on wildlife you must watch. Spoiler alert after watching these, you may want to seriously think about taking that vacation

Born Free (1966)
Based on Joy Adamson's non-fiction book (1960) of the same name,  Born Free is one of the best movies ever made on wildlife. From three lion cubs that were rescued (two of which got sent to Rotterdam Zoo in Netherlands) to raising the third one&mdashElsa the lioness&mdashwell into maturity and everything that is in between belonging to the wild and being around human settlement, this movie warms one's heart from the beginning till the end. Now an adult lioness, Elsa gets into trouble with villagers for which the Adamsons face the pressure of either sending Elsa to a zoo or back in the wild. Zoo being out of question, in three months' time, the Adamsons work hard on reintroducing Elsa to the wild. After a year of separation, the Adamsons return to Kenya with hopes of finding Elsa again. The lioness remembers them and is now with three cubs of her own. 

Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
This movie is based on the true story of the naturalist Dian Fossey and her works in Rwanda with mountain gorillas. The story is set first in Congo where Fossey begins her study on the rare and endangered mountain gorillas. Faced with the &nbspCongo Crisis, Fossey is forced to shift base to neighbouring country Rwanda. But Rwanda has its own share of problems when it comes to poaching and corruption. Thus begins Fossey's struggle with the government in attempting to help conserve&nbspthe rare animals. The movie focuses on the rampant poaching and the trade of the body parts of the endangered species. Gorillas in the Mist is a great eye-opener as far as the threat of a likely extinction and gorilla tourism is concerned.

(Also, watch Virunga, a fantastic and award winning documentary on conservation of mountain gorillas, armed militia and preserving the Virunga National Park in Congo)

The Bear (1988)
This is a French movie adapted from the book The Grizzly King by James Oliver Curwood. The story revolves around an orphaned bear cub who befriends an adult male grizzly bear who is also pursued by hunters. Between bonding and escaping the hunters, the two bears form a deep friendship and they have many adventures together. One such adventure leads to their separation, capture of the bear cub by the hunters and a chance incident that results in a change of heart of one of the hunters. The movie ends with the two bears reuniting after a scary encounter of the cub with a cougar who is easily scared off by the grizzly. Watch this movie for the adorable friendship between two unlikely companions.

Duma (2005)
This movie should have come with the tagline 'How to travel the African wilderness with a cheetah'. This movie is based on a true story How it was with Dooms by Carol Cawthra Hopcraft and her son Xan Hopcraft. Duma is set in the South African countryside and revolves around a rescued orphaned cheetah cub. A young boy, Xan, and his family decide to take care of the cub (naming him Duma) to&nbsplater release him into the wild. This plan hits a roadblock after a family tragedy. Along with Duma, Xan and his mother move to Johannesburg. Duma has disastrous adventures in the city because of which Xan and he flee and head to Botswana where the cub&nbspcan be free in the wild. Thus begins their adventures through the harsh Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Kalahari Desert, Okavango Delta and finally to Erong mountains. Duma hears the call of the wild and Xan realises that this is where they must part ways. A happy ending with Duma reunited with the wild.

Into the Wild (2007)
This movie, adapted from Jon Krakauer's 1996 non-fiction Into the Wild , is based on Christopher McCandless' travels across North America leading to his final days in the Alaskan wilderness. McCandless leaves his city life and starts a life of isolation in the wild. After a period of isolated bliss, the harsh reality starts to sink in, the fact that nature is harsh starts to dawn on him. With no more food supply, McCandless is forced to fend for himself. Unfortunately he ends up eating a poisonous plant and falls ill. Now slowly dying, he documents the remainder of his life and self realisation.

All the more reason to be careful with nature.

Did this list give you wildlife movie goals