David Attenborough and Jumbo the elephant at the American Museum of Natural History / PHOTO: BBC PICTURES
Sir David Attenborough, the veteran naturalist and broadcaster known for groundbreaking documentaries like Life, Blue Planet, Frozen Planet and Planet Earth, has been working with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) on a new film.
With the working title Jumbo: The Life Of An Elephant Superstar, Attenborough and a team of experts at the AMNH in New York, New York, created a 60-minute documentary that explores the story of the elephant who inspired Disney’s Dumbo.
Jumbo’s moving story began when he was brought to London Zoo in 1865. But the supersize animal was difficult to control and sold to PT Barnum’s circus in the US. More than 20 million Americans came to see Jumbo and the troubled elephant became a star. Attenborough’s upcoming programme investigates Jumbo’s life and the mysterious circumstances of his death, looking too at elephants in the wild and examining changing attitudes to captivity.
“AMNH provided archive photographs and information, along with direct access to Jumbo’s skeleton,” Roberto Lebron, senior director of communications at the museum told Attractions Management. “The production was interested in doing a DNA analysis of the skeleton, which we facilitated – the results will be discussed in the film. The museum’s provost of science Michael Novacek was also interviewed.”
Lebron says the museum is looking into possible related programming for next year.
Attenborough has collaborated with attractions since the 1950s, when he worked on Zoo Quest alongside the BBC and ZSL London Zoo, establishing his talents in front of the camera.
While with the AMNH, Attenborough also filmed a short video about the importance of natural history museums in learning about and protecting the animal kingdom.
He says: “I’ve been fascinated by animals for as long as I can remember and if you’re fascinated by animals, you want to know more about them. The great place to know about them is, of course, museums.
“Institutions like this are the very foundations of all zoological knowledge.
“The natural world is becoming poorer and more damaged. If we want to prevent it being damaged, we have to understand how it works and we have to understand what it is that we’re doing that may have an effect. That is perhaps the most important thing that’s facing humanity today. If we want to preserve the richness of the animal world, we have to know how it works. And these are the places that tell you.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 4
Interview: Jane Cooper
We talked to Jane Cooper, COO
and president of Herschend Family
Entertainment, about the company
portfolio and all things Dollywood
David Attenborough and Jumbo the elephant at the American Museum of Natural History / PHOTO: BBC PICTURES
Sir David Attenborough, the veteran naturalist and broadcaster known for groundbreaking documentaries like Life, Blue Planet, Frozen Planet and Planet Earth, has been working with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) on a new film.
With the working title Jumbo: The Life Of An Elephant Superstar, Attenborough and a team of experts at the AMNH in New York, New York, created a 60-minute documentary that explores the story of the elephant who inspired Disney’s Dumbo.
Jumbo’s moving story began when he was brought to London Zoo in 1865. But the supersize animal was difficult to control and sold to PT Barnum’s circus in the US. More than 20 million Americans came to see Jumbo and the troubled elephant became a star. Attenborough’s upcoming programme investigates Jumbo’s life and the mysterious circumstances of his death, looking too at elephants in the wild and examining changing attitudes to captivity.
“AMNH provided archive photographs and information, along with direct access to Jumbo’s skeleton,” Roberto Lebron, senior director of communications at the museum told Attractions Management. “The production was interested in doing a DNA analysis of the skeleton, which we facilitated – the results will be discussed in the film. The museum’s provost of science Michael Novacek was also interviewed.”
Lebron says the museum is looking into possible related programming for next year.
Attenborough has collaborated with attractions since the 1950s, when he worked on Zoo Quest alongside the BBC and ZSL London Zoo, establishing his talents in front of the camera.
While with the AMNH, Attenborough also filmed a short video about the importance of natural history museums in learning about and protecting the animal kingdom.
He says: “I’ve been fascinated by animals for as long as I can remember and if you’re fascinated by animals, you want to know more about them. The great place to know about them is, of course, museums.
“Institutions like this are the very foundations of all zoological knowledge.
“The natural world is becoming poorer and more damaged. If we want to prevent it being damaged, we have to understand how it works and we have to understand what it is that we’re doing that may have an effect. That is perhaps the most important thing that’s facing humanity today. If we want to preserve the richness of the animal world, we have to know how it works. And these are the places that tell you.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 4
Interview: Jane Cooper
We talked to Jane Cooper, COO
and president of Herschend Family
Entertainment, about the company
portfolio and all things Dollywood
London Museum will open four new food and drink destinations when it launches its new home
at Smithfield on 28 November, making hospitality a central part of the visitor experience at one
of the capital's biggest cultural openings of the year.
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
