Bhunte shares some beautiful and often heart-wrenching tales of elephants in the wild and in captivity. While Bhunte believes elephants should only live in their natural habitats, he also respects that some abandoned elephants have found solace in the care of compassionate mahouts. Unfortunately, some mahouts have unintentionally harmed elephants due to a lack of knowledge about caring for elephants. The most celebrated recognition of the elephant whisperers unfurls the beautiful bond between elephants and humans to the entire world. This bond is hard-earned, as becoming a good mahout requires a lifetime of dedication. A good mahout is akin to a good parent, as they shape the elephant’s future temperament. The tribal mahouts of Nepal and India possess exceptional knowledge about elephants. When the world outside of elephant-ranging countries, is busy developing the welfare indices, the pure relationships shared by elephants and mahouts in this part of the world- stand as a classic example of empathy. Bhunte salutes each mahout who took care of his friends in the captive.

“…he saw a clumsy-scared calf-
Abandoned.
Hiding behind the wooden crawl.
Yet he accepted as a child.
Now to behold as a grown-up.
Reaching out to the tallest of trees.
A testimony of dedication and love-
his white hairs and wrinkled skin-
And that gentle pat on her forehead.
Who says a human cannot be parents
To the wild!”

~Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel, A tale of a mahout