Shekar Dattatri

Shekar Dattatri is an Indian herpetologist and wildlife filmmaker from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. 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. He also was among the discoverers of the snake species Oligodon nikhili.

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 A cooperative for Snake Catchers Silent Valley - An Indian Rainforest (1990) Mindless Mining - The Tragedy of Kudremukh