After Oscar win, tourists throng Tamil Nadu camp to see stars of The Elephant Whisperers

“I am from London, we visited here and got to know that two baby elephants from here won an Oscar last night. It is nice to see them, and I really enjoyed seeing them. Elephants are my favourite animal. I am very lucky to see them today,” a tourist told the news agency ANI.

But it's not just international visitors setting a date with the elephants. Domestic travellers are also hoping to catch up with internationally famous elephants. “This is the first time I am visiting the Theppakadu Elephant camp. The only idea is to meet the elephants Raghu and Ammu and, if possible, chat with Bomman and Bellie,” a tourist from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram told the news agency IANS.

The Theppakadu Elephant Camp was established in 1917 and currently houses 28 elephants. These elephants are trained to become kumki or koomkie, tamed elephants that are then used to herd, calm and capture wild elephants that need to be shepherded away from crowded areas or in need of medical aid. While the practice has been criticised by some activists, the use of kumki elephants is prevalent in areas with a large number of the world’s largest land mammals.