Episode Information

The Minds Of Giants explores what it is like to be an elephant, as revealed by revolutionary new research, much of which has been conducted especially for this program. The story starts with an accidental discovery. As a team of scientists struggles to find out how many elephants are left in Africa, they discover intriguing new behavior. In order to survive, the elephants are learning. They are clearly collaborating and passing information between them. The African elephant is way smarter than we ever realized. Then exciting and specially commissioned research reveals yet more astonishing capabilities. Elephants can co-operate, they can problem-solve, they have self-awareness. Some would say they are conscious. They certainly exhibit empathy, grief, joy, fear and revengefulness. We are discovering that elephants must be considered alongside the great apes and cetaceans as one of the cleverest and most complex creatures on the planet. We are also losing them fast…

Never before has so much ground breaking research been featured in one film about elephants. Set against Africa’s harsh beauty and shot with the latest technology, The Minds Of Giants will change our understanding of the largest land mammal on earth.