But there is something almost addictive about elephants, and Alphonse and I have gone on to make several more elephant films together. They say they never forget. They're also the most unforgettable animals on earth. We both felt like we had been waiting all our lives to be here together. Here was an opportunity to record an elephant herd in a way that had never really been done before in India.
Asian elephants are very different animals from their African savannah dwelling cousins.
For one thing, they are jungle animals, and much more difficult to see and follow in the thick undergrowth. Making a film about the elephants of the tropical forests of Anamalai would present a challenge. It was also dangerous. Although not harassed like the herds of Midnapur, elephants are by nature unpredictable, and those of Anamalai were no exception. You could be standing 10 feet from an elephant and just not know it was there.