RANCHI: To tackle the rising man-elephant conflict in Jharkhand, which has claimed over 27 human lives in the past few months, the State Forest Department is set to deploy at least six trained ‘Kumki’ elephants sourced from Karnataka. The specially trained elephants are used to control aggressive and rogue wild elephants.
According to officials, the Kumki elephants will be deployed to manage herds of rogue elephants that stray into farmlands, damage crops and allegedly attack people. They are trained to manage, capture or drive back aggressive wild elephants into forest areas without causing harm.
Forest officials believe the deployment will help reduce human casualties and restore a sense of safety in conflict-hit regions.
“Kumki elephants are bigger than the normal size of elephants which are used to tranquilise and control rogue elephants causing damage to life and property. Due to their bigger size, they enable forest staff to reach rogue elephants and corner them from four sides and drive them back into the jungles,” said a senior forest official, requesting anonymity. “They are well-trained elephants controlled by mahouts,” the official added.
According to the official, the presence of Kumki elephants is a key non-violent wildlife management tool, helping guide rogue herds away from human settlements and back into forest areas.
Earlier on Saturday, during a high-level meeting with Chief Minister Hemant Soren, senior officials of the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department informed that six trained Kumki elephants are being arranged to assist in monitoring and rescue operations. They also said a rapid response mechanism is being developed with expert support to mitigate elephant attacks in Jharkhand.
Authorities are hopeful that the arrival of the Kumki elephants will bring much-needed relief to frightened communities and help prevent further loss of life in Jharkhand’s conflict-hit areas. The trained elephants are expected to use their calm presence and controlled movements to lure and steer rogue elephants away from human habitations.
Recent reports indicate that around 27 people have died in the past few months in Ramgarh, Bokaro, Hazaribagh, West Singhbhum, East Singhbhum, Lohardaga, Gumla and Dumka districts.
In Chaibasa alone, a single rogue elephant has reportedly killed over 17 people. In Hazaribagh, a herd of five elephants trampled seven persons to death in a single night, triggering panic among villagers and prompting urgent intervention by forest authorities.
Forest officials reiterated that the deployment of Kumki elephants is expected to significantly reduce human casualties and restore a sense of safety in the affected regions.