Oscars impact: TN announces cash award for staff of elephant camps

With The Elephant Whisperers bringing people who care for the jumbos onto the centre stage, the Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday announced a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh each to Bellie and Bomman, whose love for calves was brought out vividly in the Oscar-winning documentary, and to all 91 staff at two elephant camps in the state.

All the 91 staff working at the elephant camps in Theppakadu (Mudumalai Tiger Reserve) in the picturesque Nilgiris district and Kozhikamuthi (Anamalai Tiger Reserve) in Coimbatore will also be provided with houses at a cost of Rs 9.10 crore. Besides, the government also allotted Rs 5 crore for developing the elephant camp in Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Rs 8 crore for establishing a new elephant camp in Sadivayal in Coimbatore.

Chief Minister M K Stalin received the couple at Fort St George, the seat of power of the Tamil Nadu government, and felicitated them with a shawl and a certificate lauding their contributions to conserving wildlife in the state. The couple were also handed over a cheque for Rs 1 lakh each.

In a statement after Stalin felicitated the couple, the government said all 91 staff at the two camps will receive Rs 1 lakh each with the documentary bringing to focus the functioning of the state Forest Department and the way it cares for elephants.

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“Moreover, the Chief Minister has announced the government will provide Rs 9.10 crore to construct eco-friendly and culturally compatible houses for the caretakers of elephants,” the statement said. The government also said a detailed project report (DPR) has been prepared to construct an advanced centre for elephant protection and environment complex in the Theppakadu elephant camp.

Bomman and Bellie dedicated years together to raising Raghu, an orphaned elephant calf which was brought to Theppakadu in 2017 after his mother died due to electrocution in Krishnagiri district. The documentary, which won the Oscars on Monday, captured the bonding and love shared between jumbos and humans who make huge sacrifices in their personal lives to raise the elephants, especially those separated from their mothers.

“Raghu and Bommi (Ammu) are like my own children. In fact, they got more from me than my son and daughter,” Bellie had DH on Monday. Bomman and Bellie also raised another orphaned calf Bommi alias Ammu, but both calves are now under the care of young mahouts and caretakers.

Bellie had to tend to the calves even when her daughter was struggling for her life at a hospital after setting herself ablaze as they couldn’t leave them alone. By the time they reached, her daughter had passed away. Bellie, who has had a troubled past after she lost her first husband to a tiger attack, married Bomman over a decade ago.

Theppakadu Elephant Camp, which was established in 1917 by the British regime, currently houses 28 camp elephants, including those jumbos captured and rescued by the Forest Department.