CHENNAI: Bomman and Bellie who were featured in the Oscar-winning documentary film 'The Elephant Whisperers' were felicitated by Chief Minister MK Stalin at the Secretariat on Wednesday. Stalin presented each of them cheques of Rs 1 lakh, besides a shield and shawl to honour them, an official release said.
The Tamil Nadu forest department's activities in elephant care management got global attention through this documentary.
'The Elephant Whisperers', in its 39-minute runtime, depicts an unbreakable bond between two abandoned elephant calves Raghu and Amu and their caretakers, Bomman and Belli.
It is produced by Guneet Monga and Achin Jain of Sikhya Entertainment.
There are 91 elephant caretakers working at the two elephant camps at Theppakkad in Mudumalai National Park and at Kozhikamuthi in Annamalai.
To mark this occasion, Stalin announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh each to all 91 mahouts and cavadis (assistants to the mahouts) from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund.
The Chief Minister also announced financial assistance of Rs 9.10 crore for the construction of eco-friendly and culturally compatible houses for all 91 elephant caretakers.
Further, the government announced a sanction of Rs 5 crores towards the improvement of the Kozhikamuthi elephant camp at Anamalai Tiger Reserve.
It also announced the setting up of a new elephant camp at Sadivyal in Coimbatore with necessary facilities for the maintenance of elephants at a cost of Rs 8 crore, a press release said.
During the visit to Nilgiris last year, CM Stalin announced the setting up of a state-of-the-art elephant conservation centre and eco-complex at Theppakkadu elephant camp in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
A detailed project report has been prepared in this regard to move forward on the proposal, the release added.