NOVA: Master of the Killer Ants  (2007)

Theatrical Release Information:
NOVA: Master of the Killer Ants

As screened on PBS's science documentary series NOVA, Master of the Killer Ants hones in on an exotic and bizarre biological phenomenon. The program travels to the Mandaras Mountains of Northern Cameroon, inhabited by the Mofu tribe. For untold centuries, the members of this tribe have existed in natural balance with the surrounding entomological kingdom - until a tumultuous drought upends that balance and sends legions of termites into silos and huts, effectively threatening the safety and well-being of residents. The Mofus then respond in a most unexpected and ingenious way: the village Shaman sires the Jaglavak, one of the Earth's most deadly species of red army ant (with deadly pincers and impenetrable thoraxes and abdomens) to combat the termites in large waves. This program offers a detailed examination of the insects' behavior via microphotography, as it studies the broader social, spiritual and cultural customs of the Mofu tribe. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide