Director: Richard Ladkani | US Doc
Have you ever heard of the tataoba or the vaquita porpoise? Well these are two of the world’s most endangered sea creatures and Richard Ladkani’s slick, suspenseful and often heart-rending eco-thriller tells us why.
The totoaba has become a highly-prized Chinese delicacy for its swim bladder. Known as the “cocaine of the sea” because a single one can reach around USD 100,000, poachers in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez trawl for these valuable creatures with illegal gillnets. Another casualty of this effective but damaging way of fishing is the vaquita porpoise. This small elusive whale is found exclusively in the rich biodiverse waters of the Pacific cul-de-sac where its numbers have dwindled to around a dozen. The creature becomes trapped in the nets and dies.
In The Ivory Game Ladkani turned his camera on the plight of the elephants, here he films alongside Sea Shepherd patrol ships, military operatives, and other investigators who follow the poachers’ boats in order to signal disapproval and raise the profile of this emotional fight for the continued survival of this evasive and endangered species.
One live sequence shows marine veterinarian Cynthia Smith and her team putting VaquitaCPR into action. This is a nationwide programme spearheaded by the Mexican government, intended to provide sanctuary for the remaining vaquitas until their future can be secured. MT
ON RELEASE FROM 27 SEPTEMBER 2019