Sauvons Bambi

In the final weeks of May, something happens simultaneously across European farmland: the fields get cut, and the fawns are born.

Sauvons Bambi (Saving Bambi) is a documentary project to highlight the role that hunters, hunting federations, and other organizations are playing in saving Roe Deer every harvest season. This is the alternative story line to the famous “Bambi Film” a story line of respect, ethics, and a deep caring of wildlife by those that sustainably utilize them.

This film documentary project was to show the investment and respect that hunters and hunting organizations have in saving baby fawn Roe Deer – essentially the basis of the Bambi film. The Disney film was the first piece of work that painted hunters and hunting in a bad light – showing how deer are afraid of hunters.

Our documentary Sauvons Bambi is about showing that the only people that truly respect Roe Deer in the European landscapes are hunters and hunting organizations. Those people that truly value the animal.

Every year between May 15th and June 15th farmers are cutting their respective hay fields for the very first time. This is the very same time that doe Roe Deer are dropping their fawns. Given the lack of undercover under the forests in Europe, these baby fawns are hidden in the hay fields. This poses a conflict that results in the mutilation of baby Roe Deer due to the hay cutters.

In certain countries (Germany) its mandatory for agriculture and farmers to contact the local organizations and alert them to cutting times so that Roe Deer can be found.

In Belgium and France it is done voluntarily by organizations interested in saving these deer. In Belgium, the Sauvons Bambi organization is not a purely hunter led organization but instead has both hunters and nonhunters working as drone pilots and volunteers working the landscape. In France, the work of saving Roe Deer is led by the many hunting federations across the country.

“The reason we wanted to do this documentary as this is a story that nobody knows about, early mornings, long drives, just to save a baby roe deer. Who else is doing this work?”

Storylines

Sauvons Bambi.

Bergara Foundation funded the conservation work of this project including purchasing over $45,000 worth of drones and administration support for Sauvons Bambi organization in Belgium and the hunting federations in France.

Only organizations doing the vast majority of the work on saving these Roe Deer fawns are hunters and hunting organizations.

This documentary provides an alternative storyline to the original Bambi film about the respect and ethics that hunters in Europe have around Roe Deer and wildlife conservation

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