TED Talk Analysis: Life Lessons from Big Cats



Beverly and Dereck Joubert

"We no longer have the luxury of time when it comes to big cats." -Dereck Joubert

The TED talk I analyzed was given by Beverly and Dereck Joubert entitled “Life Lessons from Big Cats.” Beverly and Dereck Joubert are award-winning documentary filmmakers that have worked to conserve wildlife for over 25 years. The Joubert's gave this talk as part of the "TED Women" conference in Washington D.C, in December, 2010. As part of the TED Women conference, the audience in attendance were men and women who are as accomplished and fascinating as the speakers. Beverly and Dereck gave a very interesting talk on the importance of animal conservation, which touched the audience and everyone who has viewed the talk, in several different ways.

The Joubert's begin their talk with the question, "Why would one worry about a few cats?" They answer this question throughout the talk they give by referring back to one cat in particular, a leopard they named Lakadema. They have followed this leopard throughout its entire life, and in their presentation, Beverly and Dereck use Lakadema to show how every individual animal has a personality, just as humans.

Image of Lakadema, the leopard

Another aspect they examined was lions and elephants together. For years, the Joubert's could not capture these two animals together, but on one stormy night, they did just that. A pack of lions attacked an innocent elephant, who almost gave up hope. Just as any human would do, the elephant fought back and eventually escaped the pack of lions. The Joubert's wanted to display this image, not only to show one of the highlights of their career, but to show animals display these hopeful characteristics and humans should do everything they can to conserve these species.

The last thing I found interesting in this presentation was when Beverly and Dereck began explaining how Lakadema took care of a baby baboon, after its mother had died. Still only a cub, Lakadema wanted to play with the baboon. The first thought that comes to mind would be a predator, like Lakadema, would try to kill the baboon, but this did not happen. She cared for the baboon, showing Lakadema's true personality. The Joubert's truly get their message across that humans need to be concerned with the conservation of these wild animals. Just as humans, these animals have personalities. Also, as male lions are killed, it messes with the dynamic of a pack. The Joubert's estimate that as one male lion is killed in the pack, over thirty others will be killed because of fighting and new male lions joining the pack. This messes with the ecosystem in Africa, and the Joubert's truly get their message across about the importance of why this is important.

The Joubert's do an excellent job with the presentation of their talk. They show pictures and videos they have personally taken of Lakadema and other animals throughout their time in Africa. The use of personal images and stories makes the audience feel as if they are there with them, as well as more empathetic with the individual animals. Also, their use of transitioning between who is talking makes the presentation more interesting. They are very well rehearsed, and their passion for what they do and their message truly shows.

To find more information on the Joubert's and the animals they work with, visit their website at: www.wildlifefilms.com