Filming the Elephants
I’m back in Bangalore for a quick trip. I got to spend only two days at Kabini, the Asiatic elephants capital of the world, trying to film the elephants that have come to the backwaters. Yesterday we saw some 200 of them and everyday their numbers are increasing. Its an amazing sight to see them in the open. The elephants are split into groups of 10 to 30 and they all come in the open areas, greet each other, the young ones find company to play with and they move on.
Many males (mostly big tuskers) are in heat or musth right now. There are a lot of fights among them to win the females and almost all males in the area the trying all day to get lucky with the females.
We had very good time filming these elephants. Most tourists like to drive up their vehicles right up to the herd, disturb them and maybe even get one of the elephants to charge at them and feeling satisfied, they drive away. We on the other hand, used to drive up to a point where we thought the elephants would come and setup our base there. Basically, it meant, park our vehicles and setup the tripod and low-pod on the ground and sit with them to shoot the elephants.
Sandesh filming the Elephants at Kabini
Most of the time, the elephants would slowly come towards us and treat us like a rock or some non-living object in the landscape. The day before, we had this group of elephants that slowly moved towards us. When they come close to us, we got slightly worried, but decided to sit through and get our shots. They moved apart and slowly walked past us on either side, while we were sitting on the ground. The experience to be with the elephants so close and they treating you as part of the landscape was something else.
I’m going back tomorrow and will be there rest of the week.
Beautiful description.
wow
Feeling jealous 🙁
Such a nice setup — green grass — drying waterbed – hundreds of elephants – talented film-makers — but inbetween all these a noisy tourist jeep !!! eeks !!!
W.O.W
Came across your photoblog perchance and boy am I glad !
Awesome-Awesome pictures.
Also Kudos to you forgiving up the so called safe and with-it jobs and following your dreams. When you love what you do, I guess it just SHOWS!
wow!
Awesome experience! Wasn’t it a bit too risky being there without a quick escape in case one of them thought of charging?
can imagine 🙂
look fwd to seeing the documentary!
Will take more than a year for it to come out 🙂
The elephants knew we were there and we were kinda close to our gypsy to jump into. But its quite possible to judge the mood of the elephant.
Re: wow
Tell me about the tourist jeeps. So far, they have been quite non-noisy 🙂
1 year :O. I will wait 😛
Man, elephant’s walking past.. Can’t Imagine…
> Most tourists like to drive up their vehicles right up to the herd, > >> disturb them and maybe even get one of the elephants to charge at >> them and feeling satisfied, they drive away.
Although this seems to be wrong doings, you are forgetting a couple of points.
– It is not the tourist who drive their vehicles but the lodge folks who do it.
– It is (*partly*)because of the tourism that the forests have survived.
We need to take these things with a pinch of salt.
Hey
Great Show Kalyan.
What happened to the snakes? Did you finish the shooting there?
Kalyan, What is the object (doesn’t look an elephant) in the middle of the heard? 5th from left.
oh am sure the wait will be totally worth it! 🙂 all the best!
And dont tell me you have not done anything like this before.
I was there in BRT Sanctuary when you were the naturalist and the day earlier when we spotted the tiger on the BRT Temple road, we did this drive in the santuary and you did the *very* same thing that you complain about. – Waited for the elephant who was behind the wall till it charged and start the Gypsy and race ahead -.
Hey mahesh, you read my words in the wrong context.
– It is not the tourist who drive their vehicles but the lodge folks who do it.
Well they do it because the tourists want that experience. If a tourist does not say no, then the driver will not do it.
– It is (*partly*)because of the tourism that the forests have survived.
I would make that completly from partly. Without tourism there is no income for the dept, the local people and it gives people incentive to protect our wildlife.
I never said tourism is bad nor am I complaining about disturbing animals (just the fact that you drive inside the forest can be disturbing). What I meant was the fact that most tourists do not get to see beyond these charges. i.e observing animals for long periods of time without disturbing them. Most people are done shooting any animal in 5 – 10 min and they want to go on in search of the tiger. You know what I mean.
And there is a massive difference between provoking the animal vs experiencing the animals in close quarters.
Re: Hey
Yeah.. the female disappered soon after I left it seems. So never went back there.
Well thats the tourist vehicle 🙂
>> they do it because the tourists want that experience. If a tourist does not say no, then the driver will not do it.
– Can never agree with you on this point. Umpteen experiances with JLR, drivers doing this,especially when there are foreigners in the vehicle.
>>And there is a massive difference between provoking the animal vs experiencing the animals in close quarters.
– Certainly agree with you on this.
There are very few people in the world who get a chance to be in the wild – with the wild.
>> they do it because the tourists want that experience. If a tourist does not say no, then the driver will not do it.
– Can never agree with you on this point. Umpteen experiances with JLR, drivers doing this,especially when there are foreigners in the vehicle.
Heh the point is this. 95% of the people are there on a holiday and they drivers do whatever it takes to give them the best experience.. which will translate into a good tip for them.
When I go to these places, I have to tell the driver 2 -3 times that am not here for big game and for birds and other things and though he jumps the gun few times, he eventually figures that I need the quite experience and not the splash and dash one.
But yeah most JLR drivers do it and you need to put your foot down for that.
Re: wow
thats nice to hear — but they are never the same in bandipur and nagarhole as i know 🙂
btw got the books yest 😉 – 4
omg! they really are right in the middle of the pack.
this is as bad as people who heckle zoo animals and try to feed the animals crap.
maybe you could capture their foolishness on tape and air a documentary about “what not to do” !!
How to go about filming?
Just curious, but how hard/easy is it to film? Is there a long process of permits and forms from Karnataka State or Mysore? I was reading on Simon King’s website (http://www.simonkingwildlife.com/diary/DiaryFeb-March2006.pdf) that it was tough as hell to get proper permits to film when he was working with Alphonse Roy up north on Icon Films’ soon to be released “Tiger Kill” for the BBC. Did you guys encounter the same problems?
If an amateur tourist wanted to do what you and Sandesh are doing, is it at all possible? How do I get the guide at JLR allow me to sit back and enjoy the show of animals rather than trudge along? Or is that just part of being a tourist, and not a naturalist/filmmaker?
By the way, next time you talk to someone with Icon films, tell them to update their website – it’s full of broken links!
Kiran Venkatesh
Re: How to go about filming?
India is not very supportive of Independent Wildlife Film makers. If you say you are planning to do a film, you are expected to pay about Rs 20,000/day as filming charges. I rather suggest you just take it with you in tourist jeeps and start shooting. If you choose your visits to JLR on non-peak days, you just might get a jeep for yourself and you decide how you want to spend that time with the jeep.
Basically you can still do everything, but just be ready to shell out some money 🙂
I’m helping icon fix the website issues. should be up and and clean in few weeks/months
Re: How to go about filming?
Rs 20,000?!? My goodness, I wonder who all takes a piece of that…
I’m assuming non-peak days at JLR would be a weekday correct? When I was working at the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement hospital last summer, we went on mobile health visits into Kabini – the side road near where the road forks at the elephant watchtower – I’m sure you know where I’m talking about, and coming back on weekdays we’d always see a ton of tourists crammed like sardines in a jeep.
You should check out BBC Natural World’s “Battle to save the tiger.” I’m sure it’s just preaching to the choir, but the tiger situation is depressing as usual, they’ve got some good interviews with Valmik Thapar, and Belinda Wright of WPSI to name a few.
Good deal on Icon’s website, I’ve been waiting to find out about that Tiger Kill program, as there is scant wildlife programming for Indian wildlife. Although, the recent program on the Gir Tigers from Icon was excellent.
Send my regards to Sandesh, we’re big fans of his work (and yours) over here.
Best regards as always,
Kiran
Brilliant work
Truely Brilliant. Loved reading all your adventures, sounds very thrilling. Wish you all the best. Would love to read more.
picalidooda picalliday
hey there,
saw some of your stunning photographs.
would it be possible to join you in one of your adventures?
thanks,
paz.
uggoblin@yahoo.com
Hey dude do u have any videos of those places? if you do have them, do you post them somewhere as well?
Re: How to go about filming?
Hi Kiran, have we met before ?
Re: How to go about filming?
Haha, never have bud. I came across your website and photos when looking for information on the pregnant Tigress that died in June of last year at BRT (http://www.kalyanvarma.net/photography/photo.php?id=345&tag=BR%20Hills). I was there with some of my relatives that day actually, we drove right by the carcass on the way to the camp. I had emailed you about it a long while back, since you had some photos, wondering if it was poisoned or poached.
I’m based out of the US, maybe we can meet the next time I come back, I’m due for a visit next February. I’m tentatively planning to hit up the big parks up north, while there are some tigers still left.
Here’s another good documentary, just got screened up in Delhi, so you may have heard of it:
http://www.earthcarefilms.com/cur-proj/tiger.htm
Kiran
Re: How to go about filming?
Aha yes.. now I remember your name 🙂
I did see that documentary and it was very very good. The story and script was very tight, just a very novice job of the production itself though.
Hijack
Sorry for hijacking the thread!
I’m planning a short trip of 3 days in July second week. Which place would you suggest BR Hills or Kabini?
Cheers to all experts!
Angry elephant
After viewing this photo on flickr. I recollected your article (above) as well as Kanthi the elephant. Thought I would share this finding
http://flickr.com/photos/czucz/822694125/in/photostream/