Allison Argo–, and writer-producer of “Tusker: Brotherhood of Elephants,” a new episode of the PBS series Nature—recounts how her background in the family business of theater (on Cape Cod) may have made her uniquely equipped to launch a filmmaking career. 
Her first film, “The Urban Gorilla,” made quite a splash—it was narrated by Glenn
Close, broadcast by National Geographic, accorded all kinds of awards and acclaim. And the life of Ivan–the titular “Gorilla”—became vastly improved. Thus began a long string of Argo-made documentaries, almost without exception telling animal stories and stories about animals (not the same thing), fulfilling a decades-long commitment, as stated on the Argo Films website, “to provide a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.” That figures into the ethos of her sizable body of work, whether a film is a project she created and developed under the Argo Films banner, or a documentary such as “Tusker: Brotherhood of Elephants,” which she explained, resulted from a conversation with Nature executive producer Fred Kaufman, and a subsequent collaboration. Argo elaborates on the genesis of “Tusker,” having earlier noted that she’s a longtime, passionate elephant enthusiast. We discuss how, filmed in the shadow of Mount 
Kilimanjaro, the doc chronicles the lives of a trio of so-called super tuskers—Craig, Pascal, and Esau—who were different ages, and at different phases of life, facing different challenges, tribulations, and changes. A few days before this interview–long after filming was completed—word came that the much-beloved Craig had died, at age 54. I asked Argo for a remembrance of the popular pachyderm—labeled in the film, with what became sad irony, “a living legend”—and she added to the chorus of
voices who rhapsodized about Craig, noting this truly gentle giant evidenced a fundamental kindness and projected a certain calm when being filmed, photographed, and otherwise. Craig also served as a generous mentor to younger male elephants, a towering figure in multiple senses, including that, as a super tusker, he sported monstrous tusks that weighed 100 pounds each. We touched on how most articles, shows, and docs about elephants tend to focus on the animals living in matriarchal societies, led by the oldest, wisest female, who guides the family, including mothers, daughters, sisters, and others—a pachyderm sisterhood. In contrast, we remark on how “Tusker” arrived as if seeking equal time to present the other side of the story, including a similarly singular glimpse into the annual cycle of musth, a period of heightened hormones that male African elephants experience for breeding and asserting dominance. We wrap up by circling back to Argo Films, focusing on its next release, “Forever Home,” which Argo says examines a farm animal sanctuary, and the innovative “Animal Centered Design” with which the founders created living spaces for the animals, based on the fundamental traits and preferences of a given species. (https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/, https://www.argofilms.com/)
ALSO: I spoke with Diane Emery, owner of Whiskers Workplace, an enterprise in Saint Petersburg that rents out workspaces of various sizes, furnished with an assortment of equipment and furniture—and also furnished with varying numbers of adoptable cats! The feline population wandering the Workplace involve at least the (temporary) residents of CJPaws, a Saint Pete cat rescue, which just happens to be housed in the same building as Whiskers Workplace. Emery describes clicker training—how it works, its virtues, what it can accomplish, etc.—and places it in the context of “Clicker Training For Cats,” a series of classes they’re offering Tuesday evenings through January, plus Feb. 3. People can benefit from participating in one or more session—it’s not essential to attend them all, Emery said. The classes are taught by “Cat Man Dude,” Adam Daytz, a certified cat behavior consultant. To enroll, visit the Whiskers Workplace website: https://whiskersworkspace.com/ Part of the proceeds go to CJPaws: https://reeltimeanimalrescue.com/cjpaws/
COMEDY CORNER: Zoltan Kaszas’s “Cats Part One” (DS edit) (https://www.zoltancomedy.com/)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme”
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play “Name That Animal Tune” today.
AUDIO ARCHIVE:
Listen Online Now:
