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.

The eight-minute film highlights the African elephants’ race toward extinction at the hands of ivory-seeking poachers, interviewing a group of Garamba National Park rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As they discuss the trials of their profession, they bushwhack their way through 10-foot grasses and cruise by jeep and boat in an attempt to patrol this vast territory.

"The Protectors: Walk in the Ranger’s Shoes" premiered at Tribeca Film Festival'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 former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who advocated for the film and its call to action to support these rangers.

Before the panel commenced, the 250 person 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 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.

It’s estimated that each day, approximately 100 elephants are killed by poachers, and that in 2016, there were more elephants being killed than were being born. "The Protectors: Walk in the Ranger’s Shoes" not only highlights these scary facts but gives a voice to the people risking their lives to save these majestic animals while continuing to push the boundaries of storytelling in VR.

For Kathryn Bigelow’s VR debut, it wasn’t the prospect of diving into the new medium that excited her most, but simply the possibility to tell these rangers’ story in the most effective way.

There are real things we can all do to stop wild elephants from disappearing from our world while cutting off funding for some of the world's most notorious terrorist networks. By premiering the film as part of Tribeca Film Festival's Virtual Arcade, we encouraged every viewer who put on a headset to visit the donations website and help these rangers. We also added a surprise guest to our Tribeca Talks Panel - Hillary Clinton. The former secretary of state was interested in amplifying the message since her own foundation is heavily invested in saving elephants from extinction.

Over 30,000 African elephants die each year at the hands of poachers, and despite the global outcry over the killings, trafficking continues.

The park rangers of African Parks often serve as the last line of defense in a race against extinction at the hands of poachers slaughtering elephants for their ivory tusks that ultimately fund terrorism, facing constant danger and even the risk of death at the service of these sentient, noble creatures. These rangers are truly the unsung heroes in this race against time. Now was the time to create a call to action for these rangers who are putting their lives in danger every day.