Bhubaneswar: The state government is all set to bring Kumki elephants from Karnataka to keep a close watch on the movements of the two Royal Bengal tigers brought from Madhya Pradesh who were released into the Satkosia sanctuary in Angul district.
The trained Kumki elephants will also be used for capturing, calming and herding wild elephants as well as drive wild elephants away in conflict situations.
“The state government has cleared this proposal of the Forest and Environment department. Efforts are on to bring three Kumki elephants from Karnataka in two-three months,” Chief Wildlife Warden Sandip Tripathy told media persons Tuesday.
“People living on the periphery of Satkosia are panicked after the two Royal Bengal tigers were brought from Kanha National Park and Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh. As there is a possibility that these royal cats will stray into human settlements, the Forest department has decided to bring specially trained Kumki elephants to keep a watch on Bengal tigers and ensure that they do not stray into human habitation,” he added.
Tripathy further said that Kukmki elephants would also help in driving away other elephants entering human settlements. Kumki elephants can also be used for patrolling the inaccessible forest areas to track down the timber mafia and poachers.
Notably, two Kumki elephants, Mahendra and Rajkumar, were brought to Odisha from Karnataka some years ago. These two trained elephants are now engaged in patrolling and other works in Similipal National Park in Mayurbhanj district.