KOTTAYAM: The state forest department will give jungle exposure to eight elephants selected from four elephant camps in the state and deploy them in the conflict zones. They will be used as Kumki elephants in the forest areas near the four elephant camps of Kodanad, Kottoor, Konni and Wayanad so that they can gain experience in controlling wild elephants.
“The locations to deploy them have been identified. The elephants will be accompanied by the mahouts. The identified places have a high presence of wild elephants and the trained elephants will be used to drive them away,” Chief Wildlife Warden K.J. Varughese told DC.
Among the eight elephants, six are tuskers and two females.
The forest department currently has only two Kumki elephants. However, during their musth period, the department has no other elephants in its possession.
Two Kumkis belonging to the Topslip camp of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve were brought to the state for checking the wild elephant attacks at Marayur and Kanthalloor in Idukki district recently. The forest department has 30 elephants in its camps.