Wild Dog Diaries
Encyclopedia
Wild Dog Diaries is a wild life film portraying the behaviour of wild dogs (Cuon alpinus). The film was directed by the photographer duo of Krupakar-Senani
and mainly picturised in the Bandipur National Park
and the Mudumalai National Park
of India
.
, the Indian wild dog. It is an endangered species and has been slaughtered till the end of the 20th century because it was considered as a vermin
. Dholes live in the regions of Central Asia
, India
, Malay Peninsula
and Sumatra
and can live up to 16 years in captivity. They are mostly rusty-red in colour and inhabit thick jungles. They live and hunt in packs and feed on deer, antelope and similar animals.
and completed in the year 2006. It was shot over a period of 12 years . The shooting of the film was a difficult task because of the elusive nature of the dhole
and the forest terrain. While shooting for this film, Krupakar-Senani were kidnapped and held captive by the forest brigand, Veerappan
.
but is abandoning the venture because it is elusive. He encounters a tribal, Bomma, who gives insights about how to track the dhole. The film is about the social nature of a pack of dogs. The pack hunts together and various instances where they co-ordinate to kill a prey is shown. The meat that the adult dogs eat is regurgitated and the bones separated which is offered to the smaller pups as their meal. The film also shows how the adults protect the pups in the pack. Two female dogs which have strayed from another pack try to join this pack. The female leader of the pack, sensing that she might lose out on the male dogs in her pack, tries to prevent them from joining the pack. But the newcomers manage to lure away some males from the pack and start their own pack.
, Japan
where it beat 320 other entries to win it. It also won the Best Film award in the environment film festival, Vatavaran 2007 held in New Delhi
.
The film won the best documentary film award in Asian television awards, Singapore 2007
Krupakar-Senani
Krupakar Senani are wildlife photographers belonging to the state of Karnataka, India. They have also produced the wildlife film Wild Dog Diaries for National Geographic Channel, which has won the following awards:...
and mainly picturised in the Bandipur National Park
Bandipur National Park
Bandipur National Park is one of India's best known protected areas and is an important Project Tiger reserve. It is located in the Chamarajanagar district of southern Karnataka in South India,...
and the Mudumalai National Park
Mudumalai National Park
The Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary Tamil:முதுமலை வனவிலங்கு காப்பகம், now also declared a Tiger Reserve, lies on the northwestern side of the Nilgiri Hills , in Nilgiri District, about north-west of Coimbatore in the westernmost part of Tamil Nadu, on the interstate boundaries with...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Cast
The film is about a pack of dholeDhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
, the Indian wild dog. It is an endangered species and has been slaughtered till the end of the 20th century because it was considered as a vermin
Vermin
Vermin is a term applied to various animal species regarded by some as pests or nuisances and especially to those associated with the carrying of disease. Since the term is defined in relation to human activities, which species are included will vary from area to area and even person to person...
. Dholes live in the regions of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
and Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
and can live up to 16 years in captivity. They are mostly rusty-red in colour and inhabit thick jungles. They live and hunt in packs and feed on deer, antelope and similar animals.
Production
The film was produced for the National Geographic ChannelNational Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
and completed in the year 2006. It was shot over a period of 12 years . The shooting of the film was a difficult task because of the elusive nature of the dhole
Dhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
and the forest terrain. While shooting for this film, Krupakar-Senani were kidnapped and held captive by the forest brigand, Veerappan
Veerappan
Koose Muniswamy Veerappan commonly known as Veerappan, was a notorious dacoit, or robber bandit, of India. He was active for a period of years in a broad swath of land covering 6,000 km² in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu...
.
Story line
The film traces the life of Krupakar, a film maker who wants to make a film on dholeDhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
but is abandoning the venture because it is elusive. He encounters a tribal, Bomma, who gives insights about how to track the dhole. The film is about the social nature of a pack of dogs. The pack hunts together and various instances where they co-ordinate to kill a prey is shown. The meat that the adult dogs eat is regurgitated and the bones separated which is offered to the smaller pups as their meal. The film also shows how the adults protect the pups in the pack. Two female dogs which have strayed from another pack try to join this pack. The female leader of the pack, sensing that she might lose out on the male dogs in her pack, tries to prevent them from joining the pack. But the newcomers manage to lure away some males from the pack and start their own pack.
Awards
The film won the Festival Grand Award 2007 in the Japanese Wildlife Film Festival held in ToyamaToyama, Toyama
is the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about 200 km north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km northwest of Tokyo....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where it beat 320 other entries to win it. It also won the Best Film award in the environment film festival, Vatavaran 2007 held in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
.
The film won the best documentary film award in Asian television awards, Singapore 2007