Beetlemania

In Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve on the plains of South Africa, an army of dung beetles does one of the dirtiest jobs in the animal kingdom. Dr. Gimo Daniel studies these beetles, who voraciously recycle the dung of the much larger animals on the plains. It might seem like a bizarre and thankless undertaking, but dung beetles are crucial to the health and waste management of this environment.

In Northern Thailand, the longstanding tradition of beetle fights is a fascinating spectacle. Ummat Somjee befriends local beetle fighters to understand how locals have raised these beetles to fight for sport. In order to raise strong beetles, and get them to fight, the Thai locals pay close attention to the Rhinoceros Beetle’s behavior, diet, and natural habitat.