Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin congratulates ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ caretakers on their Oscar win and awards cash prizes

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin met with the The Elephant Whisperers’s main characters, caretaker couple Bomman and Bellie, as well as young elephants Raghu and Ammu on Wednesday. The Tamil Nadu government also announced several cash prizes for all 91 caretakers at the state's elephant camps, as well as new facility upgrades.

The Chief Minister was photographed with the couple as he presented them with shawls, trophies, and cheques for their efforts with the elephants. Reportedly, cash prizes from the CM Relief Fund would be given to all other elephant caretakers, with money set aside for new facilities.

The government of TN has decided to show its gratitude to the 91 people who look after the state's elephants by awarding each of them a grant of one lakh rupees from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. In addition, 9.1 crore is set aside to build homes for mahouts. 5 crore has been set aside for the development of a “Elephant Camp” in Anamalai Tiger Reserve. According to reports, an 8 crore elephant camp with basic facilities would be built in Coimbatore Chavadi.


Kartiki Gonsalves directed the documentary film, which was produced by Guneet Monga of Sikhya Entertainment. Kartiki and Guneet accepted the award on stage. In her speech, the director also thanked Bomman and Bellie, both members of the Kattunayakar tribe.

FAQs

Q1: Which award did ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ win?
Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film.

Q2: Who directed ‘The Elephant Whisperers’?
Kartiki Gonsalves