Real Life ‘Elephant Whisperers’ Honoured by Tamil Nadu CM

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday met and honoured  Bomman and Bellie, the tribal couple who starred in the Oscar-winning documentary short film The Elephant Whisperers.

The CM announced an award of Rs 1 lakh to each of them. Stalin also awarded Rs 1 lakh to all the 91 workers at two elephant camps in the state. The workers at the elephant camps in Tamil Nadu will get eco-friendly and culturally sensitive homes, Stalin announced. He also added that a new elephant camp will be set up in Coimbatore.

“The film has drawn the world’s attention to Tamil Nadu Forest Department’s care for elephants,” Stalin said.

Set in Tamil Nadu, The Elephant Whisperers tells the story of an orphaned elephant calf named Raghu who is put in the care of Bomman and Bellie, a tribal couple from the Kattunayakan tribe dwelling in the picturesque Mudumalai forests in the Nilgiris.

The 40-minute documentary, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga celebrates the bond that develops between the elephant and the couple.

Baby elephant Raghu, the star of the Oscar-winning Indian documentary film ‘Elephant Whisperers’ has started to attract tourists. Large numbers of people are traveling to Mudumalai Theppakadu elephant camp in Tamil Nadu to catch a glimpse of the baby elephant made famous by the Indian documentary film.