Last Wild Places: Gorongosa | National Geographic
(Mysterious music) - The war took a lot from this place. We all started from this wilderness, and it has to remain on us; otherwise, we lost our identity, we lost part of us. (Intense music) I am part of the next generation of women that has to make sure that this place survives. (Intense music) - It's difficult to explain to somebody who did not know what was here, but myself, I knew what was here. (Urgent music) We are in Gorongosa National Park in Southern Africa, very close to the Indian Ocean. Tourists, they used to come from all over the world, and animal populations used to be huge. The war in Mozambique was very terrible. One million people died. When a country faces war, nature is first to face challenge. Animals have been poached to buy firearms and equipment to feed soldiers. Ninety percent of the animal population disappeared. Our mission of this park is to restore the Gorongosa ecosystem. Not only nature but also to develop human beings.
- As a woman, especially in the science field, in the beginning it was really bad. I remember very well my first time in the field, and the rangers would say, "No, I'm not going with you to the field because you're a woman, you're a girl, you won't make it." I've been tracking these elephants for two months so far, so it's quite recent. I can't see footprints, but it's very fresh. There's not even dung beetles in it yet. They went into the forest. There's other women extremely brave that do patrols every day, the rangers.
Take one! (Foreign language conversation) I became a ranger because I wanted to work and move ahead with my life. Some of the training was difficult for women, but I wanted the job. I pushed through and realized I could do anything a man could do. Before I came here, there were many poachers. The animal population used to suffer a lot because of the steel wires and traps. We find them and remove them. We are protecting all the animals that are here at Gorongosa National Park. You know she works with a very big animal. Which animal is really, really big? Elephants!
What would happen to us if girls are not educated? What will this world be? I mean, who wants to work with elephants? Raise your hands. So you should have many questions for her today!
The girls' club is a platform where girls can talk and share their ideas, share their challenges. I didn't have a very smooth childhood. Not because my parents were not good, no. On the contrary, it was just, we were poor, and we had many, many difficulties. It's just what many other African girls are also going through. I'm from Beira. I grew up there. I studied there. But it wasn't easy. No one paid for me. I couldn't even buy the school uniform. I used teeny tiny pencils. There are lots of challenges. But the most important thing is not to quit. I never gave up.
(Singing in foreign language) It's important to remind them that there's another door for them, that they can be something. They can break that circle, and they can fly. (Laughs) Yeah. (In foreign language) (Children clapping) (Dominique laughs) It's important to do something in my country because otherwise, who will? (Dramatic music) Do you see? They've just gone into the forest. (Gasps) We have ellies. Don't charge, be nice. That's a nice bull. Yeah, it's gonna go to the water. It's okay. Here they are. Hi. Look at that one resting the trunk on the others, on the younger; you see that?
The biggest thing that connects me with elephants is their empathy. They do anything to protect their family. They're capable to forgive even when humans have done so many bad things to them. The elephant population is recovering; we're seeing an increase in the numbers, and I am seeing a lot of new babies being born. Gorongosa is growing and is thriving. The park has a new vision and a new model.
(Radio chatter) Some of our initiatives are already being taken and adapted to other parks in Mozambique. So yes, Gorongosa can act as a role model for other places. People need nature. And people must take care of nature. Gorongosa, don't cry. We are going to plant what is needed here. We are taking care of you. People are now looking and feeling connected again with nature because of Gorongosa, especially for girls. They want to be biologists. They want to be conservationists. Now we have women rangers for our communities from the buffer zone. It is a gate, you know, for all these women. They're seeing this chance, and they're taking it. (Upbeat music)