From National Geographic Documentary Films, "The Protectors: Walk in the Ranger’s Shoes", is a documentary short shot in virtual reality that chronicles a day in the life of a ranger in Garamba National Park, managed by the conservation non-profit African Parks, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These rangers often serve as the last line of defense in a race against extinction at the hands of poachers slaughtering elephants for their ivory tusks, facing constant danger and even the risk of death at the service of these sentient, noble creatures. The rangers of Garamba National Park are truly the unsung heroes in this race against time.

Over 30,000 African elephants die each year at the hands of poachers, and despite the global outcry over the killings, trafficking continues. The Protectors: Walk in the Ranger’s Shoes is a call to action to help African Parks and to end the Ivory War.

"The Protectors: Walk in the Ranger’s Shoes" premiered at Tribeca Immersive’s Virtual Arcade on April 20th, 2017. Filmmakers Kathryn Bigelow and Imraan Ismail hosted a panel at Tribeca Film Festival on Earth Day where they were joined by Andrea Heydlauff (Director of African Parks), Rachel Webber (Executive Vice President, Digital Product at National Geographic) and former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Before Clinton and the three other panelists were interviewed by Bigelow, the audience donned virtual reality headsets at their seats and experienced — in 360 degrees — what it's like to be one of the 200 rangers fighting well-armed poachers in the park the size of Delaware. The film gives the viewer both the experience of being in the grass and searching for poachers, and up in the air looking down. A wrenching scene shows the rangers arriving at the carcass of a slaughtered elephant.

After audience members experienced the anti-poaching struggle faced by employees of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Garamba National Park via VR headsets, Clinton joined the post-film panel to discuss efforts to end the illegal killing of elephants. Clinton also tweeted about her appearance at the panel and shared a link to encourage donations to African Parks.

Following its Tribeca run, the film was released exclusively on Within for one week before hitting YouTube and Facebook360.

"The Protectors: Walk in the Ranger’s Shoes" is a powerful piece of conservation media—the kind of work that makes an audience want to take action. Hillary Clinton described Bigelow and Ismail’s film as a necessary portal—“a portal that people can go into and think about,” she said. “There is a lot that can be done: Stop the killing, stop the trafficking, and stop the demand. And part of that is protecting these rangers, who are up against some of the most ruthless killers anywhere on the planet right now, and doing the very best they can.” Clinton tweeted about the film and panel the following day, along with a link to make donations.

After a successful run at Tribeca Film Festival, National Geographic released the film across various platforms such as YouTube and Facebook360, encouraging viewers to help support these rangers.