BENGALURU: Karnataka will hand over trained kumki elephants to Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday as part of efforts to address the growing man-elephant conflict along the border of the two states, said Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar will hand over the elephants to Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Forest Minister Pawan Kalyan during a ceremonial function to be held on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha, he said.
He also said the handover is part of an agreement on the exchange of best practices signed between Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala during the international conference on elephant-human conflict held in Bengaluru last August.
Khandre recalled that on August 8 last year, Pawan Kalyan had visited Bengaluru and requested support in nabbing poachers and training forest personnel in elephant capture operations. In response, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the two states during a delegation visit to Vijayawada on September 27. As part of this agreement, the elephants will now be officially handed over.
He added that elephant-human conflict is also increasing in Karnataka’s Kolar district, which borders Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor. The upcoming elephant capture operations in Andhra Pradesh will not only address local conflicts but also help prevent the entry of poachers into Karnataka.
Thus, the handover is expected to indirectly benefit Karnataka as well. Khandre also clarified that no kumki elephants associated with Karnataka’s prestigious Dasara, or those identified for the upcoming celebrations, will be sent to Andhra Pradesh.