TV Reviews : Elephants Journey to ‘Forgotten River’

Imagine yourself playing host to 20,000 hungry, thirsty pachyderms who decide to drop in . . . uninvited. Hard to picture? Well, that’s the subject of “Journey to the Forgotten River,” airing tonight at 7:30 on Channel 28 and at 9 on Channel 24.

The “host” in this case is the Linyanti River in northern Botswana. The reason for this invasion: a six-year drought that forces thousands of animals to make a life-and-death journey northwest to the Linyanti River region in search of water.

Producers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, a husband and wife film-making team who live in the Linyanti region, have done a nice job telling a tale that spans most of a decade in this hourlong “National Geographic” special. Though “Journey” drags a bit, overall it is a good charting of the natural rhythm of this forbidding area.

There are turf wars between resident prides of lions and nomad lions who follow the herds to Linyanti (some excellent night photography here). There are crocodiles who feast on swarms of birds that land on the waters; overcome by group will, the doomed birds land on the same spot over and over again. There are scavengers, predators, the feasters and the feasted upon, Mother Nature at her finest.

Ultimately, the intruders--particularly the elephants, who destroy the river’s forests--change the region. But as “Journey” amply demonstrates, this change is neither good nor bad, simply the natural cycle of the land.

Remember that the next time a herd of relatives drops in for a visit.