Africa: Masai Mara Lions/Virunga Gorillas

The second of EcoVentures' armchair safaris tapes has narrator George Plimpton inviting viewers to the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya for a look at the lifestyle of the lions. Combining old safari footage (including scenes from the filming of Simba, during the 1920s) with contemporary shots of the lions seen in their day-to-day lives, the Masai Mara Lions segment shows lionesses playing with their cubs-as well as bringing home the bacon, in a few graphic hunting scenes (these are hard-working females). In addition to the habits of the lion, viewers see the majestic beasts in the context of the African plain life at large, and thereby gain a better understanding of the delicate ecological balance that governs these ferocious, yet gentle, creatures. Bridging the two segments is a "fun facts" quiz for the audience to review the material they've just seen. The Virunga Gorillas segment is shorter, and less detailed. In addition to mentioning the work of Dian Fossey (recently the subject of Gorillas in the Mist), the segment features early footage of Carl Akeley's 1921 groundbreaking expedition. After a brief overview of the gorilla's lifestyle (during which the adolescent gorillas are described as "animated gremlins"), the program concludes on a somber note with a discussion between Plimpton and Russell Train, Chairman of the World Wildlife Fund-U.S./The Conservation Foundation, about the dwindling gorilla population. Well-researched and professionally presented with entertaining original music and colorful graphics, this program is highly recommended. (Available from: EcoVentures, 2021 L Street NW, Suite 250, Washington, D.C. 20036;1-800-862-8900.)