| Last Days | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Kathryn Bigelow |
| Written by | Scott Z. Burns |
| Produced by | Megan Ellison |
| Edited by |
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Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 3 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Last Days is a 2014 Americananimated shortdocumentary film about the decline ofAfrican elephant populations and the illegalivory trade. It was directed byKathryn Bigelow and written byScott Z. Burns. Featured in the film is footage of the 2013Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya, which has been attributed to the militant organizationAl-Shabaab. The film advances the claim that terrorist networks derive much of theirincome from poached ivory.[1]
These claims, which were similar to ones made by several public officials including former U.S. Secretary of StateHillary Clinton, UK Foreign SecretaryWilliam Hague, and Kenyan PresidentUhuru Kenyatta, were based on a 2013 report by the environmental nonprofitElephant Action League (EAL).[1] However, a report published jointly byInterpol and theUnited Nations Environment Programme described EAL's findings as "highly unreliable".[1][2] According to the report, Al-Shabaab's primary income comes from the trade incharcoal, a significant source ofdeforestation.[2]
The world premiere ofLast Days was held at theNew York Film Festival on September 27, 2014.[3][4]
Last Days has been subjected to criticism for being overly simplistic and misleading in its portrayal of how to stop elephant poaching.Survival International, an international organization promoting tribal peoples' rights, has asked for the film to be withdrawn.[5]
Survival DirectorStephen Corry said: "The militarization of conservation is gaining momentum, and it is increasingly fuelling the brutal persecution of hunter-gathering tribes. Tribespeople who hunt to feed their families face arrest and beatings, torture and death at the hands of heavily armed park guards. It seems that the link Bigelow's film claims between the Westgate terrorist attack and ivory poaching doesn’t exist in real life. For certain conservationists to manipulate public opinion like this in favor of policies which exacerbate the destruction of tribal peoples, the best guardians of the natural world, is simply unacceptable."[5]