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War of Space | Human/Elephant Conflict in the Maasai Mara

As human and elephant populations increase across the Serengeti ecosystem, the Maasai Mara region of Kenya is struggling with room for both to exist peacefully. Conflict is daily and sometimes deadly. A group of dedicated rangers is working to find a way to end the war of space.

  • Matt Mays
    Director
  • Matt Mays
    Writer
  • Matt Mays
    Producer
  • Trey Fehsenfeld
    Producer
  • Saba Douglas-Hamilton
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Kenya
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • International Elephant Film Festival
    New York City
    March 3, 2016
    Did not screen
    Winner, Micro-Short Category
Director Biography - Matt Mays

Producer, Director and Writer, Matt Mays, is a three-time National Emmy Award winner. In a career spanning over 20 years, Mays’ work extends to hundreds of hours of TV series and specials, commercial spots, feature documentaries, shorts, industrial films, music videos and much more.

His work has taken him around the world, contributing to notable projects such as the Emmy winning SportsCentury series for ESPN, reality lifestyle and medical series for the Discovery Networks and reality programming for various MTV Networks.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The human population in the Maasai Mara region of Africa has grown by 7% per year for the last 16 years; three times the national average of 2.5%. This is pushing more and more people into elephant rangelands, which leads to Human-Elephant Conflict.

More people living in the Maasai Mara means the takeover of more land used for farming and infrastructural developments like roads, railways and pipelines. Most of the land traditionally home to elephants has been separated into title deeds given to individuals, privatized. Herds of elephants can have trouble reaching food and water sources and their options are more limited with the livestock grazing on the same grasses they rely upon for food. If this grazing by livestock continues to go unchecked it will lead to widespread soil erosion having a devastating impact on the grass growth and ecosystem in the future.

“THIS IS A WAR OF SPACE. EVERYONE IS TRYING TO CARVE OUT A LIVING IN THIS AREA.”
- Marc Goss