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Parks, Reserves and Zoos of Arctic and Western Canada (14)
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Animal Friends1958 10 minThis trio of short documentaries paints a portrait of animal-human relationships in a variety of settings. In Roll-call in the Rockies, Banff National Park census-takers on horseback count animals. In the delightful Zoo Comes to Class, animals from Stanley Park Zoo visit an elementary school in Vancouver, to the merriment of all the kids. And in It's a Dog's Life, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Montreal helps place fluffy friends in loving homes. -
Beaver Family1931 14 minA short silent film portraying Grey Owl, the famous conservationist, and a family of beavers who would come when he called and take food from his hand without the slightest fear. The film is set in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba. The story of Grey Owl's life was the subject of a 1999 feature film starring Pierce Brosnan.
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A Bird City1919 5 minA bird sanctuary near Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan is shown. Here in their native haunts are the gull, the heron, the tern, and many other birds as they are in their everyday life. Nesting, mating, swimming and flying, all are shown here in a rare picture.
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The Barrens QuestPeter Blow 1996 44 minThis feature documentary examines the destruction of the tundra barrens of northern Canada for mineral mining, including that of Canadian diamonds. Many species have been threatened by this development, including the caribou and the Eskimo Curlew, a bird that flew the sky in thousands which is now nearly extinct. This film makes a compelling case for planned conservation in one of the last unspoiled wilderness regions left in the world.
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Beaver People1928 13 minA short silent film about famous conservationist Grey Owl (born Archibald Belaney) and his wife, Anahareo, who had a special talent for interacting with beavers. Note: The beavers in the film may be Grey Owl's pets, Jellyroll and Rawhide.
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A Day in Pacific Rim1978 6 minThis short film illustrates a day in the life at Pacific Rim National Park. Located on Vancouver Island, the park houses giant trees, drooping moss and beautiful ocean views that provide breathtaking material for an eager eye.
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Elk IslandJames Jeffrey 1985 23 minThis short documentary focuses on a man-made island that became the first federal sanctuary for wildlife in Canada. Situated an hour east of Edmonton, it houses one of the world's densest collections of wildlife, maintained by Parks Canada. Elk Island offers a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes activity of the island.
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KluaneMarc Hébert & Roger Rochat 1981 57 minKluane National Park is situated in the Yukon area of northern Canada and is a research paradise for glaciologists, geologists and other scientists. Mountaineers come to scale the impressive heights. Animals are free to roam, protected by stringent legislation. This film reveals many facets of this beautiful park, which has been declared a protected zone by UNESCO,
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Octopus HuntBernard Devlin 1965 16 minA voyage down to the green depths of the Pacific Ocean, into the mysterious domain of the deep-sea diver and the marine creatures that are his quarry. The film is about a zoological expedition to capture octopus and wolf eel specimens for the Vancouver aquarium. The underwater action is described by the divers themselves.
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Steam, Schemes and National Dreams1984 28 minThis short film tells the story of the creation, in 1885, of Alberta’s Banff National Park. When 3 young prospectors, seeking gold in the Rockies, discovered hot springs similar to those at famous international spas, they were eager to gain ownership of them. A conscientious surveyor, however, recognizing that a discovery of this importance should be preserved for the use and enjoyment of the public, was instrumental in having the springs and surrounding area declared a park. Based on the unpublished memoirs of one of the young prospectors, the story is re-enacted with humor and intercut with scenes of present-day Banff.
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Strange Doings1964 9 minShark Hunt: Canadian Fisheries Patrol in the Pacific brings in a huge basking shark. Stringing a Line: A power line is strung by helicopter over mountains in Banff National Park. Arctic Town: Inuvik, a new town built on stilts inside the Arctic Circle.
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Triangle IslandTom Radford & Ray Harper 1979 13 minForty miles northwest of Vancouver Island lies Triangle Island, an ecological reserve and home of close to one million birds. Bristol Foster, head of the British Columbia Ecological Reserves Program, guides us across the island through colonies of birds and sea lions. He stresses the need of preserving the ecological balance for the survival of future generations.
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Temples of TimeWilliam Canning 1971 42 minFilmed in the Canadian Rockies and in Garibaldi Park, this documentary features magnificent footage of mountain solitudes and the wildlife found there, of natural splendour in all its changing moods. The film carries the implicit warning that all this may pass away if people do not seek to preserve it. Without words.
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Wildlife in the RockiesWilliam H. Carrick 1957 13 minAfter many years of careful conservation, Banff and Jasper National Parks have become vast zoological gardens. Deer, moose, bear, big-horn sheep, birds and small animals that live above the treeline are natural subjects for the close-up camera, with a backdrop of snowy peaks.
