Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Forest and Environment Pawan Kalyan on Sunday inaugurated the Kumki elephant training centre in the state's Chittoor district. The 20-acre centre has come up at Musalimadugu village, adjoining the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary in Palamaner mandal, to train Kumki elephants to monitor and contain the movement of wild elephants straying into human habitations.
It was in May that Andhra Pradesh brought four Kumki elephants from Karnataka to contain wild jumbos straying into villages. The wild jumbos are entering Andhra Pradesh from neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka through the Mudumalai and Bannerghatta sanctuaries on the fringes of the Western Ghats.
They often stray into farmlands and cause extensive damage to crops, and pose a threat to human lives. According to an official release, the forest officials briefed the Deputy Chief Minister on the crucial role of Kumkis in mitigating the rising human–elephant conflict across western Chittoor and the adjoining Annamayya and Tirupati districts.
Forest officials elaborated on how trained elephants were used to drive wild jumbos safely back into their habitats and into the Koundinya sanctuary. Pawan Kalyan was told that elephant attacks led to 23 human deaths in the Kuppam, Palamaner, and Chittoor ranges since 2021.
The wild jumbos also damaged crops over 4,000 acres. The Deputy CM inspected the centre, took keen interest in the various aspects of the training, interacted with mahouts, and gifted Rs 50,000 from his personal funds to them.
He also watched the Kumkis perform manoeuvres, captured the same on his camera and fed the elephants. The Deputy Chief Minister also unveiled the poster of Project HANUMAN (Healing and Nurturing Units for Monitoring, Aid and Nursing of Wildlife).
The initiative aims to strengthen wildlife care, rehabilitation, and conflict management through systematic monitoring and modern veterinary support. Officials briefed Pawan Kalyan on the 11 core components of the project, which include setting up rapid response teams, wildlife rescue units, animal healthcare facilities, and awareness programmes in forest hamlets.
Pawan Kalyan directed officials to prepare a detailed roadmap with defined targets and timelines for effective implementation. The Deputy CM said both the Kumki camp and Project HANUMAN would play a strategic role in protecting wildlife while ensuring the safety of local communities.
He directed that a new app be developed with advanced technology to enable information related to animal movement to be made available to the public at any time. He wanted the app to be made available by March 3, 2026.
He suggested that the officials of the Forest Department, Panchayat Raj, and Agriculture and Horticulture Departments should coordinate on the issue of taking the HANUMAN Project forward. He asked officials to review the progress of the project in the third week of November.
Pawan Kalyan also underlined the need to identify alternatives to the crops that are being severely damaged by elephants and convince farmers to go for alternative crops. There are many mango orchards in the Chittoor district, and elephants get attracted to such crops.
"We should coordinate with the departments concerned on the impact of changes in those crops on the income of the farmers. We should focus on alternative sources of income like beekeeping and eco-tourism development," he said.
Officials said that they have received permission from the Centre to implement a special radio collar system for elephants. This will help track the movement of elephants and alert citizens residing in the periphery of forests.