A Genet’s Tale

Experience the life of a common genet, a slender cat-like animal with a long body, a long ringed tail, large ears, a pointed muzzle and partly retractile claws. By tracing their footsteps on the lesser traveled natural paths of Europe, the genet opens a world of beauty and the harsh realities it lives by.

Genets are highly agile, have quick reflexes and exceptional climbing skills. They can walk, trot, run, climb up and down trees, and jump. They live on the ground, but also spend much of their time in trees. Following A Genet’s Tale we’ll acquaint ourselves with these skills and living conditions, survival for the genet relies on it.

The will to survive rings especially true when one such small female genet sets out to discover the world on her own. Throughout the documentary film director José Antonio Vallejo has followed her around, experiencing her world just as she discover hers.

The common genet’s home lies in the Mediterranean forests of Europe, a once lush and wide stretched green belt covering most of southern Europe. These days, however, the genets homes are dwindling. The Mediterranean forests have suffered from degradation and habitat loss through logging, overgrazing, conversion to agriculture, urbanization, fire suppression, and introduction of exotic and invasive species. Blissfully oblivious, our female genet continues her discoveries and wildlife interactions, as the Genet’s Tale unravels.