
Oscar-Winning ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ Was Shot at THIS Beautiful Location In Tamil Nadu That Deserves A Visit
The Oscar winning short documentary ‘ The Elephant Whisperer’ was shot at a beautiful destination in nature’s lap in Ooty. The Director stayed at the location for around 5 years to shoot the powerful yet gentle documentary.

Amid the hills of Nilgiris, snuggled around the lush green beauty in Ooty lies the land of elephants. Theppakadu Elephant Camp is one of the places that is abode for the wild elephants that run rogue and are here tamed to become more gentler. Also, it is here where the Oscar Winning Short Documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ were shot. It is first ever Indian production that has bagged an Academy Award making a golden mark in the history of Indian films.
The Theppakadu Elephant Camp in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is the oldest elephant camp in Asia. It was established around 105 years ago and since then documents to the narratives of several wild elephants turned gentler and cared of. And it goes to say, what else could have been a better shoot location than the elephant camp itself?
Theppakadu Elephant Camp
There is something about the southern beauty that take the breath away. The people, culture and stories from the nooks is what ties the diverse Indian fabric together.
Situated on the banks of river Moyar, it presently has 28 elephants. A dedicated bunch of Mahouts is providing training and care to these elephants. The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, of which the Theppakadu Elephant camp is part of, has a good population of the indigenous Kattunaykan tribes to which Bommie and Bellie belong to.
The Theppakadu Elephant Camp rehabilitates rogue elephants that enter human habitations and enter into conflict with people. These elephants are given proper training at these camps and converted to Kumki elephants.
The Story Of The Wild Tuskers
The elephants here are tamed and trained by the mahouts. Mahouts Kirumaran and Wasim have harboured a lifetime of stories where they have changed the lives of these elephants for the better. One such elephant is Moorthy, who was the cause of death of nearly 22 people but now after 12 years of love and gentle training he has come a long way.
Kirumaran and his ways are praised as he was the man behind replacing metal chains with ropes when on an operation to capture elephants. Just like humans, animals also require emotional availability to be able to build trust and form that bond.
The Elephant Whisperers
Directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, the Oscar winning documentary was shot at the camp. The director of the movie, Kartiki Gonsalves had stayed in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve for five long years to shoot the documentary and it has paid off taking her to an Oscar victory.
Since the historic win, several people have already begun to visit the
Ooty is a beautiful and serene hill station in the south. One can visit Rose garden, Ooty Boat house, Waterfalls, several lakes and enjoy savouring the delicious cuisine here. Whenever you are planning a trip to Ooty, do include this beautiful nature’s camp in your itinerary and explore the world of babay elephant Raghu who got us the Academy Award!
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