{{Short description|Indian herpetologist and wildlife filmmaker}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Use Indian English|date=June 2025}} '''Shekar Dattatri''' is an Indian herpetologist and wildlife filmmaker from Chennai, Tamil Nadu.<ref>{{cite news|first=Nitin|last=Sreedhar|url=https://www.financialexpress.com/business/industry-for-many-wildlife-photography-is-a-quest-for-trophies-not-conservation-shekar-dattatri-wildlife-film-maker-585259/ |title=For many, wildlife photography is a quest for trophies, not conservation: Shekar Dattatri, Wildlife Film-maker |newspaper=The Financial Express |date=2017-03-12 |accessdate=2025-06-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/11/shekar-dattatri-explorer-moments-raising-awareness-about-Indias-wild/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126141439/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/11/shekar-dattatri-explorer-moments-raising-awareness-about-Indias-wild/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 November 2016 |title=Bypassing Bollywood, a Filmmaker Focuses on Wildlife Conservation |publisher=National Geographic |date=2016-11-25 |accessdate=2025-06-30}}</ref> Shekar Dattatri is a winner of three National Film Awards: the National Film Award for Best Agricultural Film (''Seeds of Hope'', 1988); the National Film Award for Best Cinematography – Non-Feature (''Silent Valley – An Indian Rainforest'', 1991); and the National Film Award for Best Scientific Film (''A Cooperative for Snake Catchers'', 1987).
==Career== Shekar Dattatri's lifelong fascination with wildlife began at the age of 14, when he joined the famous Madras Snake Park as a student-volunteer. This led to nature photography and, subsequently, to filmmaking.<ref>{{cite web|author=Shoba Narayan |url=https://www.livemint.com/Consumer/q5G3cpm2vyvLiS8M6lz3gJ/The-filmmaker-and-the-entrepreneur-Shekar-Dattatri-and-Ramk.html |title=The filmmaker and the entrepreneur: Shekar Dattatri and Ramki Sreenivasan |publisher=Livemint |date= |accessdate=2018-04-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/education/work-for-the-joy-of-it/article18052676.ece |title=Work for the joy of it: Shekar Dattatri |work=The Hindu |date=2017-04-16 |accessdate=2018-04-27}}</ref> He also was among the discoverers of the snake species ''Oligodon nikhili''.{{fact|date=June 2025}}
==Publications== *Whitaker, Romulus; Dattatri, Shekar (1982). "A new species of ''Oligodon'' from the Palni Hills, South India (Serpentes: Colubridae)". ''Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society'' '''79''' (3): 630-631).
==Filmography== *''The Truth About Tigers''<ref>{{Cite news|title =The Truth about Tigers|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CkJhFjsLOE&list=PL81ED47A2E4CDFE43&index=1|date = 21 September 2025}}</ref> *A cooperative for Snake Catchers *''Silent Valley - An Indian Rainforest'' (1990) <ref>{{Cite news|title =Silent Valley – An Indian Rainforest (1990) |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoQsnmHRGsI|date = 21 September 2025}}</ref> *''Mindless Mining - The Tragedy of Kudremukh''<ref>{{Cite news|title =Mindless Mining - The Tragedy of Kudremukh| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWq-JARC7Lw|date = 21 September 2025}} </ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dattatri, Shekar}} Category:Living people Category:Indian filmmakers Category:Indian herpetologists Category:Year of birth missing (living people)