Maharashtra is likely to get its first ‘Kumki’ elephants as the State Forest Department is planning to provide Kumki training to its two captive male elephants of the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) soon. In recent years, the man-elephant conflict in Maharashtra has increased drastically mainly in Gadchiroli, Gondia and Chandrapur districts. A herd of wild elephants are frequently moving in all these districts causing frequent encounters with humans. In 2023, the herd entered Vidarbha from Chhattisgarh and initially stayed in Gondia district where it caused damage to crops and human settlements. Thereafter, it moved to Gadchiroli and then entered into Telangana State.

 

The herd has been frequently moving in Telangana and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra. It is the first time, the State Forest Department encountered with wild elephants and for this the department has no policy so far. The department is working hard to handle these wild elephants by framing a mitigation plan. The Kumki training is also a part of the same plan. Maharashtra has an elephant camp in Kamlapur in Gadchiroli district where eight elephants are staying. However, among them, no one is a Kumki elephant. The captive male elephants of Pench Tiger Reserve -- Bhima (55) and Subramaniyam (27) came from Karnataka in 2023.

 

Till then, both elephants were deployed for tiger rescue operation in PTR and nearby tiger reserves. Keeping the recent movement of wild elephants in mind, the Forest Department is planning to train these both elephants as Kumki. “An expert team from Karnataka will come to Pench to train these elephants. It will take few months thereafter our elephants can be used to control wild elephants not only in Gadchiroli district but also in other states on the basis of the requirement,” said Akshay Gajbhiye, Deputy Director, Pench Tiger Reserve to ‘The Hitavada’. Trained Kumki elephants will be used by Forest Departments to rescue injured wildlife, calm or trap wild elephants, and help train or guide other captive or orphaned elephants.

 

Karnataka is a primary provider of trained Kumki elephants—supplied via inter-state agreements and elephant camps—to states like Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand to help handle and drive back wild elephants crossing over from neighbouring regions. Kumki elephants are deployed alongside forest personnel, drones, and GPS tracking to safely herd, divert, or calm rogue wild tuskers away from human habitations and farmlands. For last three years, Maharashtra Forest Department is taking help of Karnataka for training of elephants in Pench and to handle wild elephants in Gadchiroli. “After this training, our elephants will help the department to control the wild elephants in Gadchiroli and also in tiger rescue operation in the state. Like Gadchihroli, the Sindhudurg district has also affected with wild elephants from last many years. We can provide these elephants there also after their training,” said Gajbhiye.