Chumming With Chipmunks

"Chumming With Chipmunks" is an early 20th-century silent short film that provides a charming and educational look at wildlife, focusing on the interaction between humans and chipmunks:
Context: Filmed by William L. Finley and his wife Irene Finley, this documentary was part of their educational efforts on wildlife. The film captures the friendly behavior of chipmunks in a natural setting, showing how they can become playmates with patience and dedication.
Interaction: The highlight of the film is demonstrating how chipmunks can get accustomed to human presence to the point of eating from people's hands. A particularly notable scene involves a chipmunk sitting on one of the filmmakers' shoulders, searching for nuts in his shirt pocket.
Environmental Education: Beyond entertainment, "Chumming With Chipmunks" serves as an educational tool, emphasizing the importance of wildlife conservation and respect for nature. It shows chipmunks storing food for winter, their sleeping habits, and how they interact with their environment.
Cinematic Style: As one of the earliest wildlife documentaries, the film adopts a cinematographic style that is both informative and poetic, capturing the essence of natural life with a sense of wonder.