BENGALURU: Karnataka jumbos are in great demand. As many as 57 elephants from the state have so far been sent to states like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Orrisa, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. Reason: Karnataka camp elephants are not just the highest in number in the entire country, but are also well-trained to follow commands.
In the recent past, there have been three instances when jumbos from the state were sent to Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. An official from Project Elephant, an initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, said, “It won’t be wrong to say that Karnataka elephants are best trained. Though it is not permitted to buy and sell elephants, it is on the directions of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests that camp elephants are being sent to other states.”
The bond that an elephant shares with its mahout is also unique in Karnataka. The mahouts in the state are mostly tribals -- Jennu Kurubas, Kadu Kurubas and Bengali Muslims --- who are accustomed to living in the state’s forests for generations.
The seven elephant camps of Karnataka -- Sakrebylu, Dubare, K Gudi, Pansoli, Mattigud, Rampura and Balle -- are home to around 125 jumbos, which is much more than the total capacity of 70. “Each camp can house not more than 30, but the number is high in all the camps”, the official said.
“Another reason for increased number of elephants in the camps is the rising number of man-elephant conflict. The rogue, old, ailing or injured elephants have to be brought to the camps, and once they arrive, they cannot be kept idle or aloof. They have to be kept in company of other jumbos, failing which they start developing mental health issues. They gradually start getting trained by looking at other elephants,” said a senior official from the Karnataka Forest Department.
While many activists and conservationists have strongly opposed the move of sending elephants to other states, officials say that the practice is not new. It started in 2015-16. The elephants are sent to other states where they are utilised in operations involving capture of other wild animals like tigers and leopards, patrolling, carrying logs and training other captured elephants.
“The number of applications from other states seeking camp elephants is only increasing. On many occasions, the demand is for our aggressive and courageous bulls like Abhimanyu, which we cannot part with. We instead suggest them to go for females and calves. To accommodate more elephants, new camps are being set up in Bodhipadaga (Chamarajanagar), Haragngi (Kushalnagar) and Bheemankatte (Madikeri),” the official added.