Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Thursday, August 8, reached Bengaluru to hold talks with Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre to request him to send some kumki elephants (trained captive elephants) for the state.
As kumki elephants help drive away wild elephants, the Andhra Pradesh government is requesting Karnataka to send some of these elephants to drive away wild elephants which are causing havoc in a few parts of the state. Pawan Kalyan, who holds the portfolio of Environment and Forests besides Panchayat Raj and Rural Development,
Science and Technology and Rural Water Supply, will urge the Karnataka Forest Minister to accept the request. Meanwhile, Pawan Kalyan called on Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bangalore. Earlier, Pawan Kalyan was accorded a warm welcome on arrival in Bengaluru.
Parts of Chittoor district bordering Tamil Nadu and Parvathipuram Manyam district near Odisha have witnessed several incidents of the human-elephant conflict. In May, the AP Forest Department officials placed a request before their counterparts in
Karnataka to give them nine trained kumki elephants. Karnataka reportedly has about 100 elephants at various camps, but all are not kumki elephants. Kumki elephants are useful in taming wild elephants, keeping both animals and humans safe. Wild elephants are entering villages in some parts of Chittoor and Parvathipuram Manyam districts.
They are not only destroying agricultural and horticultural crops but also attacking humans. This has resulted in the loss of a few lives. In May, a farm worker was trampled to death by an elephant at a mango orchard abutting the Sarakallu forest beat of the Thavanampalle mandal in Chittoor district. In June, an elephant trampled to death another farmer in Ramakuppam mandal in the same district. In August last year, a couple was killed and another person injured in an attack by wild elephants in Chittoor district.
In May, two persons were trampled to death in two separate incidents in the same district. According to officials, trained Kumki elephants and mahouts will assist in driving away the wild elephants. Recently, Odisha also requested the Tamil Nadu government to provide a few kumki elephants to address the problem of human-elephant conflict.