need to add title here

Discovering the secrets of lions

November 25, 2012 4:00 PM

Dereck and Beverly Joubert have been filming Africa's lions for 30 years and their discoveries have challenged conventional wisdom. Lara Logan reports.

Discovering the secrets of lions

60 Minutes OverTimeMarried life in a tent. How do they do it?

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by DereckJoubert March 5, 2013 4:07 AM EST
A few people have written to us regarding the lion cub with the broken back from our film 'The Last Lions', and expressed feelings of distress that we, as filmmakers, didn't intervene. We understand these feelings and I want to take this opportunity to put that scene into context and explain why we chose to let nature run its course.

There isn't space on this forum to say everything we'd like to say on this matter but please follow this link to the Last Lions Facebook Page for our explanation.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=541101752580032&set=a.183976268292584.39761.156269977729880&type=1&theater

Regards,
Dereck.
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by OneWay70 December 11, 2012 7:25 AM EST
It WAS heart-wrenchingly sad but I feel that you are looking at this the wrong way. This is nature, and this happens all the time. They did not say if they did or didn't assist in euthanizing the cub but in a segment of the video they stated that they do not do anything to influence the behavior of the lions. And sadly, THAT happens more often than not. Enter the human element into areas like this and usually the ecological system is tossed on its back. In this case, these people are devoting their lives to documenting something that quite normally goes unseen for the rest of the world. And I doubt that they would devote their entire lives to such a thing just to make money. As far as children being devastated...this stuff is REAL. Take a look at a lot of the cartoons and TV shows children watch. There's more violence in those shows than what was covered in this video. Sad to watch, certainly, though I would rather children watch something real and educational like this than some of the ridiculous shows the wonderful TV execs throw out there for the masses. Just my opinion.
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by OneWay70 December 11, 2012 7:25 AM EST
It WAS heart-wrenchingly sad but I feel that you are looking at this the wrong way. This is nature, and this happens all the time. They did not say if they did or didn't assist in euthanizing the cub but in a segment of the video they stated that they do not do anything to influence the behavior of the lions. And sadly, THAT happens more often than not. Enter the human element into areas like this and usually the ecological system is tossed on its back. In this case, these people are devoting their lives to documenting something that quite normally goes unseen for the rest of the world. And I doubt that they would devote their entire lives to such a thing just to make money. As far as children being devastated...this stuff is REAL. Take a look at a lot of the cartoons and TV shows children watch. There's more violence in those shows than what was covered in this video. Sad to watch, certainly, though I would rather children watch something real and educational like this than some of the ridiculous shows the wonderful TV execs throw out there for the masses. Just my opinion.
Reply to this comment
by OneWay70 December 11, 2012 7:25 AM EST
It WAS heart-wrenchingly sad but I feel that you are looking at this the wrong way. This is nature, and this happens all the time. They did not say if they did or didn't assist in euthanizing the cub but in a segment of the video they stated that they do not do anything to influence the behavior of the lions. And sadly, THAT happens more often than not. Enter the human element into areas like this and usually the ecological system is tossed on its back. In this case, these people are devoting their lives to documenting something that quite normally goes unseen for the rest of the world. And I doubt that they would devote their entire lives to such a thing just to make money. As far as children being devastated...this stuff is REAL. Take a look at a lot of the cartoons and TV shows children watch. There's more violence in those shows than what was covered in this video. Sad to watch, certainly, though I would rather children watch something real and educational like this than some of the ridiculous shows the wonderful TV execs throw out there for the masses. Just my opinion.
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by norwichny1982 December 7, 2012 2:07 PM EST
I understand that nature is sometimes very violent. I wish there was a disclaimer before the cub scene. It was quite disturbing. It would have been nice if someone would have helped it. I'm sure it would have been better off in a zoo than what happened.
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by FromEthiopiaToo December 4, 2012 10:08 AM EST
Where are the indigenous peoples of this land, without whose participation, conservation is impossible?
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by Carbonbasedlifeform88 December 3, 2012 10:25 PM EST
Does anyone know how to give to this couple's organization? Is it called Save the Cats? I would like to help them financially with their important work. I could not find a website for them.
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by divakeys December 3, 2012 9:25 PM EST
I have not stopped crying since I saw this segment. CBS had no right to show this without a disclaimer. If I wanted to see a horrible scene of an abandoned, crippled cub screaming for it's mother, I'd have turned on National Geographic. I'm disgusted with 60 minutes. They (the documentary filmakers) should've euthanized the cub. So disgusting and heartbreaking. Even the filmakers said it was too upsetting to use. I think we all have the right to choose on what to view, and 60 minutes sucker punched it's viewers. Terribly irresponsible reporting. Just a horrifying story.
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by ketapele December 3, 2012 2:52 AM EST
I was born and live in the Country of Botswana. I am proud of the work of these two individuals. Beverly and Derek have brought to the world the unsanitized story of nature. I respect their philosophy of not interfering.
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by GreatHawkster November 28, 2012 7:06 PM EST
I, too, was profoundly and permanently affected by the stark reality and traumatic honesty of the story of the injured cub and it's mother's decision to abandon it. No feeling person could fail to be. However, the change in me that has occurred as a result of Ms. Logan's penetrating report is to re-double, triple, QUADRUPLE my own personal efforts to respect all living things, work incessantly toward the preservation of our precious wild places and it's living creatures, and to stop the violence, whether through poaching, predating, or just plain cruelty against animals, domestic and wild. A safer, caring world for all of us begins with each one of us.
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