Filmmaker Captures Elephant Families Like Never Before

A baby elephant disappears beneath its mother's enormous body, seeking shelter in the forests of Kaziranga National Park. The photograph captures what Sangita Iyer believes we miss when we think of elephants as just a species to protect.

For over a decade, the National Geographic Explorer has photographed India's elephants in a way most people never see them. Her images show mothers comforting calves, herds communicating through touch, and families making decisions together.

Iyer's connection to elephants started at age three when her grandmother took her to a temple in Kerala. She saw a magnificent bull elephant, but noticed something others seemed to miss: the animal was chained and distressed. That moment stayed with her for decades.

In 2013, after 20 years as a videographer, she began documenting India's captive elephants. The camera became what she calls "a witness" to their lives. Her documentary on captive elephants later won 13 international film festival awards.

Her most powerful photographs come from Kaziranga National Park, where she captured wild elephant families in their natural habitat. One image shows a newborn calf reaching out to touch its mother while surrounded by protective herd members. Another captures a pregnant matriarch standing at the front of her herd, carefully assessing whether it's safe for the group to cross.

Iyer photographs elephants using touch to communicate, trunks reaching toward one another in moments of connection. In one scene, a herd stayed close to their youngest member while sizing up unfamiliar humans nearby.

Why This Inspires

Iyer believes conservation starts with how we see animals in the first place. By showing elephants as individuals with families and emotional lives, she hopes viewers will recognize something familiar in them. Once people truly see elephants as beings with relationships and societies of their own, she says, it becomes much harder to look away.

Her work asks a simple question: Can a photograph make us care enough to help save an elephant? Her images suggest the answer is yes.