The NFB is committed to respecting your privacy

We use cookies to ensure that our site works efficiently, as well as for advertising purposes.

If you do not wish to have your information used in this way, you can modify your browser settings before continuing your visit.

Learn more
Skip to content
My List
Your request could not be processed.
This film is already in your list

Endangered Species (18)

  • Atonement
    Atonement
    Michael McKennirey 1970 50 min
    This documentary shows efforts by Canadian wildlife specialists to preserve and nurture the creatures that remain in our wilderness areas, species such as the whooping crane, prairie falcons, bighorn sheep, bison, polar bears and grizzlies.
  • Age of the Buffalo
    Age of the Buffalo
    Austin Campbell 1964 14 min
    A vivid recollection of the free west of the North American Indigenous Peoples and the vast herds of buffalo that once thundered across the plains. From paintings of the mid-1800s, the animation camera creates a most convincing picture of the buffalo hunt, both as the Indigenous People and, disastrously, the white hunters practised it.
  • Arkelope
    Arkelope
    Roslyn Schwartz 1994 5 min
    Arkelope is an animated short that takes a pointed look at endangered species and human indifference. When a middle-aged couple come across a nature documentary on the decline of the arkelope while channel-surfing, they learn that although the species has managed to survive a variety of natural disasters, it is now in imminent danger of extinction due to man's short-sightedness. With a serious yet funny approach, this little film illustrates human passivity in the face of the ubiquitous TV set.
  • Being Caribou
    Being Caribou
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Leanne Allison  &  Diana Wilson 2004 54 min
    In this feature-length documentary, husband and wife team Karsten Heuer (wildlife biologist) and Leanne Allison (environmentalist) follow a herd of 120,000 caribou on foot across 1500 km of Arctic tundra. In following the herd's migration, the couple hopes to raise awareness of the threats to the caribou's survival. Along the way they brave Arctic weather, icy rivers, hordes of mosquitoes and a very hungry grizzly bear. Dramatic footage and video diaries combine to provide an intimate perspective of an epic expedition.
  • Being Caribou
    Being Caribou
    Leanne Allison  &  Diana Wilson 2004 1 h 12 min
    In this feature-length documentary, husband and wife team Karsten Heuer (wildlife biologist) and Leanne Allison (environmentalist) follow a herd of 120,000 caribou on foot across 1500 km of Arctic tundra. In following the herd's migration, the couple hopes to raise awareness of the threats to the caribou's survival. Along the way they brave Arctic weather, icy rivers, hordes of mosquitoes and a very hungry grizzly bear. Dramatic footage and video diaries combine to provide an intimate perspective of an epic expedition.
  • The Barrens Quest
    The Barrens Quest
    Peter Blow 1996 44 min
    This feature documentary examines the destruction of the tundra barrens of northern Canada for mineral mining, including that of Canadian diamonds. Many species have been threatened by this development, including the caribou and the Eskimo Curlew, a bird that flew the sky in thousands which is now nearly extinct. This film makes a compelling case for planned conservation in one of the last unspoiled wilderness regions left in the world.
  • Cries from the Deep
    Cries from the Deep
    Jacques Gagné 1981 1 h 36 min
    This documentary records the journey undertaken by Jacques Cousteau, his 24-member team, and an NFB film crew to explore the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, one of the world's richest fishing areas. They discover shipwrecks, film icebergs and observe beluga whales, humpback whales and harp seals. The film also includes a fascinating sequence showing Calypso divers freeing a calf whale entrapped in a fishing net.
  • Death of a Legend
    Death of a Legend
    Bill Mason 1971 49 min
    This documentary film by Bill Mason is about wolves and the negative myths surrounding the animal. Exceptional footage portrays the wolf's life cycle and the social organization of the pack, as well as other film of caribou, moose, deer and buffalo. Mason later made a feature documentary on wolves (Cry of the Wild, 1973) that played theatrically throughout North America and earned $5 million at the box office.
  • A Great White Bird
    A Great White Bird
    Michael McKennirey 1976 51 min
    This film documents the efforts of a group of Canadians and Americans to save the whooping crane from extinction. They display great determination in their dealings with this independent, pre-Ice Age creature. The issues of wild animals imprinting on people and the preservation of wild animals in captivity are examined in this film. Produced in cooperation with the Canadian Wildlife Service and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
  • The Great Buffalo Saga
    The Great Buffalo Saga
    Michael McKennirey  &  Boyce Richardson 1985 55 min
    By the late 1800s the free-ranging buffalo of the western plains of North America were almost extinct. This documentary is the story of the buffalo's revival. Live action, eye-witness accounts and archival photos document our fascination with this ancient and legendary animal.
  • In Search of the Bowhead Whale
    In Search of the Bowhead Whale
    Bill Mason 1974 49 min
    This adventure film features Scott McVay, an authority on whales, and filmmaker Bill Mason. The objective was to film the bowhead, a magnificent inhabitant of the cold Arctic seas brought to the edge of extinction by overfishing. With helicopter and Inuit guide, aqualungs and underwater cameras, the expedition searches out and meets the bowhead and beluga.

    Please note that this is an archival film that makes use of the word “Eskimo,” an outdated and offensive term. While the origin of the word is a matter of some contention, it is no longer used in Canada. The term was formally rejected by the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 1980 and has subsequently not been in use at the NFB for decades. This film is therefore a time-capsule of a bygone era, presented in its original version. The NFB apologizes for the offence caused.
  • Keepers of Wildlife
    Keepers of Wildlife
    Michael McKennirey 1972 20 min
    Canada's wilderness areas harbour some of the last remaining species of North American wildlife. This film shows what is being done by specialists of the Canadian Wildlife Service to prevent further depletion of their numbers. It is an enormous program of tabulating, banding, tagging, and, in the case of larger animals such as the bear and the buffalo, giving health check-ups. An engrossing film for any audience, replete with close-ups of animals, waterfowl, and fish.
  • Loon Dreaming
    Loon Dreaming
    Iriz Pääbo 2002 7 min
    This animated short makes us see the world through the eyes of a loon. We dive down deep into the waters in pursuit of fish, launch skyward from the water and fly high over the busy highways and sprawling subdivisions that scar the natural world--before gently splashing down on a secluded lake.
  • Meltdown
    Meltdown
    Carrie Mombourquette 2012 1 min
    In this short animation, a polar bear must try his luck finding a job in the big city when the last of his Arctic ice environment disappears. It’s hard fitting into the human world, however, so this bear finds a more creative solution to his predicament.
  • Pocket Desert - Confessions of a Snake Killer
    Pocket Desert - Confessions of a Snake Killer
    Teresa Marshall  &  Craig Berggold 1999 24 min
    This personal documentary is the story of Teresa Marshall, who grew up on a British Columbia ranch. Every child needs a demon, and Teresa took battle against rattlesnakes. In the dry interior of B.C., the south Okanagan and Similkameen valleys form the bio-region known as Canada's "pocket desert." As settlers' dreams of creating an agricultural Eden erase fragile desert lands that support a breathtaking array of wild species, the narrator and her snake-hunting neighbours are forced to examine their environmental attitudes.
  • Return of the Swift Fox
    Return of the Swift Fox
    Jy Chiperzak 1988 26 min
    The swift fox is one of the many lost species that has suffered from the cultivation of the prairie grasslands. An innovative program has been implemented to reintroduce the swift fox into its original habitat in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Documenting the history and human misuse of this fragile ecosystem, this short film illustrates the precious balance between human and wildlife use of the environment.
  • A Sea Turtle Story
    A Sea Turtle Story
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Kathy Shultz 2012 9 min
    This animated short chronicles the life cycle of the critically endangered sea turtle. Capturing the beauty of the ecosystems that sea turtles inhabit, the film is ideal for all audiences, and for teaching young and old alike about these fascinating creatures.
  • Twixt Heaven and Earth
    Twixt Heaven and Earth
    Donna Caruso 1998 47 min
    This documentary follows Dr. Stuart Houston, an expert on the Swainson Hawk. Living on the prairies during the summer, this bird flies 11,000 km to Argentina for the winter. These majestic birds are facing a serious threat: toxic pesticides. Houston and his team use satellite technology along with traditional bird-banding to greatly increase our knowledge of the lives of migratory birds.