How to Care for a Baby Elephant (The Elephant Whisperers) portrays the moving journey of a couple in southern India devoted to caring for a small orphaned elephant. A singular family, united by challenges and crises.
Honoured with the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film, this documentary explores a deeply sensitive relationship between humans and animals, both struggling at the same time for their mutual survival. Filmed before the covid-19 pandemic, it avoids sensationalism and banality, celebrating the grandeur of our planet.
How to Care for a Baby Elephant presents an intimate narrative that lays bare the daily lives of young elephants that are orphaned, injured or abandoned. Directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, it illustrates the genuine love of the caregivers Bonman and Belli for a small elephant, Raghu, after the devastating loss of a daughter. Raghu lives at the Theppakadu sanctuary, one of the oldest still in operation.
Rather than dwelling on weighty subjects such as poaching, the documentary prefers a more optimistic approach, portraying a complex yet dignified reality. With superb cinematography, it unveils stunning images of sunsets and majestic elephants. Available on the streaming platform Netflix, this film is a gentle, delicate and moving work that will certainly influence future productions of its kind.
As in India, there are elephants in Mozambique, and here too it is essential to protect these majestic animals. It is truly important to have narratives that highlight their stories and inspire us to rethink our role as guardians of our precious natural environment. This documentary can be a call to action, a reminder that, regardless of geographical location, responsibility for preserving nature is a collective duty.
