Forest and Environment Minister Pawan Kalyan received the elephants, handed over to him by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar
Published May 22, 2025 | 10:01 AM ⚊ Updated May 22, 2025 | 10:01 AM
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar handing over Kumki elephant documents to Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. (X)
Synopsis: To mitigate increasing human-wild elephant conflicts in several districts of Andhra Pradesh, the state government has brought Kumki elephants from Karnataka. Kumki elephants are trained to work with their mahouts to approach and guide wild elephant herds back into forest areas.
The stage is set to protect Andhra Pradesh farmers from unexpected attacks by wild elephants, mainly in the Chittoor, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam districts. The state government has received four Kumki elephants, trained in driving away wild elephants from human habitations, from the Karnataka government.
While the Andhra Pradesh government had sought six Kumki elephants, Karnataka could spare only four, as the remaining two had health issues and were still under training. However, they will also be handed over to Andhra Pradesh at a later date.
Forest and Environment Minister Pawan Kalyan received the elephants, handed over to him by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Wednesday, 21 May.
The tuskers were handed over as part of an agreement between the two state governments. While handing over the elephants, the Karnataka chief minister presented agreement documents, licenses, and guidelines for elephant care to Pawan Kalyan.
Pawan Kalyan, who is also Andhra Pradesh’s deputy chief minister, performed a traditional Gaja Pooja as the state government staff received the elephants. Karnataka officials flagged off the pachyderms as Pawan Kalyan showered them with flower petals.
The four elephants, named Deva, Krishna, Abhimanyu, and Mahendra, will be accompanied by Karnataka mahouts for two months to train their Andhra Pradesh counterparts in elephant care and related aspects.
Over the last few years, there have been incidents of wild elephants destroying crops or causing human fatalities in Andhra Pradesh, a disturbing human-elephant conflict in the state.
This is particularly evident in districts like Chittoor, Parvathipuram Manyam, Tirupati, Annamayya, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam, which are close to forest areas or border states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Odisha.
According to sources, at least 25 human deaths have been reported due to wild elephant attacks in Andhra Pradesh from 2020 to May 2025. The wild elephants have also caused significant crop losses, estimated at ₹233 crore, across Andhra Pradesh since 2015, with a substantial portion occurring after 2020. Crops like sugarcane, banana, maize, tomato, paddy, and other horticultural crops were primarily affected.
Chittoor and Parvathipuram Manyam districts were the most affected, with recurring incidents involving herds from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Odisha going on the rampage. Forest officials attribute the increasing human-elephant conflict to habitat loss, deforestation, and scarcity of food and water in forests for the elephants.
The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department has been grappling with the problem but is hamstrung by a lack of trained Kumki elephants and inadequate preventive measures like fencing.
Kumki elephants are trained to work with their mahouts to approach and guide wild elephant herds back into forest areas. Their presence, combined with human commands, signals wild elephants to move away from villages or farmlands.
They are often deployed in groups to create a formidable presence, encouraging wild elephants to retreat without confrontation. Kumki elephants could also be positioned strategically to block wild elephants’ paths into human areas, nudging them toward forests.
The Kumki elephants are typically large, mature, and trained to respond to commands, making them confident and assertive. Their size and controlled behaviour can intimidate wild elephants, especially younger or less dominant ones, prompting them to avoid conflict and move away from human habitations.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
