Heartbreak For Elephant Whisperers! Elephant Calf Raised For 15 Days By Bomman And Bellie Dies
In a tragic development, a baby elephant that was being looked after by Bomman and Bellie, the benevolent couple from the Oscar-winning documentary 'Elephant Whisperers', died in the wee hours of Friday.
The duo lost their latest 'baby' at the Theppakadu elephant camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. It has been reported that the four-month-old elephant calf died of complications as it could not digest lactogen and due to the stress of separation from its herd.
Separated calf was found in a well
On March 9, the calf was discovered inside a well at Dharmapuri.?For a week, the calf was put under the care of forest veterinarians and Bomman, who visited the place to provide his service.?
They tried to return the calf to its herd in a joint effort but to no avail. Thereafter, Bomman and Bellie were tasked with taking care of the calf.
MTR field director D Venkatesh told TOI that the calf was normal till Thursday noon. However, it had loose motion by the evening, which continued through the night.?
"A team of veterinarians treated the calf. But it died around 1 am on Friday without responding to treatment," Venkatesh said.
Preliminary autopsy report out
A preliminary autopsy stated that the digestive capacity of the calf was compromised due to separation from its herd. Apart from that, a new environment and artificial milk were the reasons behind the tragic death.
Veterinarians also noticed that there were signs of pneumonia in the calf's lungs. Samples of the vital parts of the carcass were collected for lab tests.?
Later, Bomman and the forest staff conducted rituals before burning the carcass inside the forest area.
Bomman and Bellie - the compassionate couple
The elephant caretaker couple Bomman and Bellie?rose to fame after a documentary film 'Elephant Whisperers' was shot at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and the Theppakadu elephant camp within the reserve. The film was based on how Bomman and Bellie go on to raise two abandoned baby elephants, and it captures the special bond between the human caregivers and the baby elephants.?
Bomman and Bellie have their roots in the forest community Kattunayakar Tribe, which resides in Tamil Nadu's Mudumalai National Park. While they initially hunted wild animals from the forest reserve, they later decided to take care of the elephants. Bomman, who hails from a family of mahouts, elephant caregivers, works at Asia's oldest elephant camp, Theppakadu Elephant Camp.??
Bellie, whose first husband was killed by a tiger, initially feared wild animals, but soon after she started caring for baby elephants, she overcame her apprehensions. There's where she met Bomman and tied the knot with him.?
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