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In the month of September 2011 the Asian Nature Conservation Foundation (ANCF) welcomed a film crew from the Antwerp Zoo in Belgium. The Antwerp Zoo has been supporting our Land of the Elephant Programme, especially the planning and implementation of the Brahmagiri-Tirunelli Elephant Corridor project.

The film crew in action at the Mutanga Elephant Camp.

Some background:  In May 2009 a baby Asian elephant was born in the Antwerp Zoo and after a nationwide contest was named Kai- Mook which mean Pearl in Thai. In honour of Kai - Mook, and in keeping with their mission: Recreation, Education and Conservation, the Antwerp zoo through their Centre for Research and Conservation supports Asian elephant conservation.  ANCF was chosen as one of their conservation partner in Asia and they have since 2010 been actively supporting the conservation activities of ANCF.

The Antwerp Zoo  decided to produce a series of TV programmes titled ‘ Zoo of Love ‘ , to be broadcast on national television in Belgium, on endangered species and the efforts of the zoo in their conservation. It was in this connection that a film team sponsored by the Zoo touched down in Bangalore.  ANCF was actively involved in the planning and organisation of their trip.  

The crew filming from a jeep in Kabini.

The first stop was Wayanad where we filmed and explained the explained the concept of elephant corridors and their role in wild elephant conservation. As part of the shoot we visited the land acquired for the corridor and the families who had moved from the elephant conflict area. We then proceeded to the Muthanga Elephant Camp to film the management and welfare of captive elephants.

The next stop was the Kabini area of Nagarhole National Park to film elephants in the wild. We had two safaris and were able to film two herds of elephants as well as a few solitary males. One half of the team were also lucky enough to have a tiger sighting for over twenty minutes!  The other notable sightings during the trip were a group of wild dogs hunting a sambar doe and a Peregrine Falcon with a Parakeet kill!

Mr.Surendra Varma of ANCF explaining the concept of elephant corridors .

 After the action in Kabini we went to the Mysore Forest Division to film ANCF’s project studying Human – Elephant conflict mitigation measures. The team finally headed back to Bangalore to film interviews with experts such as Dr.Sukumar, Chairman, ANCF, and other ANCF staff. We were lucky to be able to have got all that we wanted and now and look forward to watching the completed film.