Odisha knocks on Tamil Nadu’s doors to help tackle jumbo attacks, seeks four Kumki elephants and mahouts

Odisha knocks on Tamil Nadu’s doors to help tackle jumbo attacks, seeks four Kumki elephants and mahouts

Subject : Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

To mitigate man-elephant conflict which is emerging as a key challenge in Odisha, the state government has sought four Kumki elephants and their mahouts from Tamil Nadu.

More on news:

• According to official figures from Odisha’s forests department around 925 people died and 212 were disabled in human-elephant conflicts in the state in the past 10 years, from 2012-13 to 2021-22.
• As many as 784 elephants also died in the state during that period.
•  Odisha introduced the programme with the help of Kumkis in the 1990s in Similipal and Chandaka and it needs to be revived in view of the growing conflicts.

About the initiative:

• The Odisha government also hopes to revive its elephant training programme with Tamil Nadu’s help.
• It is initially planned at four places including
  • Chandaka in Khurda district, 
  • Satkosia in Angul district, 
  • Kapilash in Dhenkanal district and 
  • Similipal in Mayurbhanj and will be later expanded to other areas
• Odisha which lacks trained mahouts  has also requested Tamil Nadu to depute mahouts to take care of the Kumki elephants and to provide initial handholding support to the local mahouts in Odisha.

About Kumki elephants:

• Kumki (also known as Thappana in Malayalam) is a term used in India for trained captive Asian elephants used in operations to trap wild elephants,  to rescue or to provide medical treatment to an injured or trapped wild elephant.
• They are used in capturing, calming and herding wild elephants or to lead wild elephants away in conflict situations.
• They can be deployed strategically to help manage and drive wild elephants, thereby reducing damage to crops, human habitation and the potential loss of both human and elephant lives.
• These elephants can also be deployed for forest patrolling and rescue operations
• The Kumki elephants  serve  as an invaluable asset to the state’s wildlife organization and aid its efforts to minimize conflicts.

About Simlipal National Park:

• Simlipal is a tiger reserve in the Mayurbhanj district in the Indian state of Odisha
• It is part of the Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve, which includes three protected areas
  • Similipal Tiger Reserve, 
  • Hadgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and 
  • Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Simlipal National Park derives its name from the abundance of red silk cotton trees growing in the area.
• The Similipal Biosphere Reserve lies within two biogeographical regions: the Mahanadian east coastal region of the Oriental realm and the Chhotanagpur biotic province of the Deccan peninsular zone. 
• Volcanic sedimentary rocks are aligned in three concentric rings and accentuate the area’s geologic formations. 
• The highest peak in the Similipal hill range is Khairiburu (1,168 meters). 
• Numerous waterfalls and perennial streams flow into major rivers, such as the Budhabalanga, Baitarani and Subarnarekha.