The Elephant Whisperers: MK Stalin Felicitates Elephant Caretakers

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin congratulates the elephant keepers Bomman & Bellie after The Elephant Whisperers’ Oscar victory.

On Wednesday, M.K. Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, felicitated and congratulated Bomman and Bellie, the couple in charge at Theppakadu Elephant Camp.

The two were in Kartiki Gonsalves’ Oscar-winning short documentary “The Elephant Whisperers,” which was about people who can communicate with elephants.

The Chief Minister also stated that the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund would provide Rs 1 lakh to each of the 91 elephant keepers in the two camps.

Moreover, Stalin said that Rs 9.1 crore would be used to build homes for the Mahouts. In the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, an additional Rs 5 crore was announced to build an elephant camp.

Bomman and Bellie were praised in the 39-minute documentary “The Elephant Whisperers” for their compassion and patience in caring for the elephant calves “Reghu” and “Ammu” in the Theppakadu elephant camp in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve near The Nilgiris.

Kartiki Gonsalves, the director of the short documentary film, spent five years in the forests with the mahouts and carers to painstakingly capture the documentary that demonstrates the closeness and affection between the wild animals and the carers.

With Guneet Monga serving as Executive Producer, the brief documentary movie is an Indo-American production. Kartiki Gonsalves, a Tamil Nadu native who made his acting debut with it and was raised in Ooty, received the Oscar for best first film.