Good step, but not long-term answer: Activists on Odisha’s request for ‘kumkis’ & ‘mahouts’ from Tamil Nadu

Wildlife activists and experts have hailed the Odisha government’s decision to deploy kumkis (domesticated, trained elephants) from Tamil Nadu to minimise the increasing human-elephant conflict in the state. At the same time they have also urged the government to improve elephant habitats so as to lessen the conflict.

“The deployment of kumkis is a welcome step. But it can’t mitigate the increasing conflict in the state,” said Biswajit Mohanty, former member of the National Board for Wildlife.

He added that unrestricted quarrying and mining in Odisha’s elephant habitats were some of the major causes of conflict between the animals and humans.

“Take for instance, the Hindol area in Dhenkanal and Mayurbhanj districts. We have written a number of letters to stop unrestricted quarrying there so that conflict between humans and elephants, which has increased manifold, can be minimised,” said Mohanty.

Similarly, elephant corridors have not been notified till date in Odisha, despite activists having asked for it for the last 10 years, he noted.

Jitshatru Mohanty, trustee of non-profit Save the Elephant, told this reporter that the deployment of the kumkis in conflict-prone areas was a ‘short-term measure’.

“This method has been successful in some southern states like Tamil Nadu. In the long-term, though, habitat improvement is urgently needed to solve conflicts,” said Mohanty, a retired senior forest officer.

The Odisha government on January 22, 2024 wrote to the Tamil Nadu government, seeking four kumkis to be deployed in Odisha’s areas prone to human-elephant conflict.

“Kumkis can be deployed strategically to help us to manage and drive wild elephants, thereby reducing damage to crops, human habitations and the potential loss of both human and elephant lives. These elephants can also be deployed for forest patrolling and rescue operations,” said Satyabrata Sahu, additional chief secretary of Odisha in a letter to Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary, environment, climate change and forests department of Tamil Nadu.

“These elephants will serve as an invaluable asset to our state’s wildlife organisation, adding to our effort to minimise conflicts and safeguard both human and wildlife interests,” he said.

Satyabrata Sahu also requested mahouts (elephant keeper) from the Tamil Nadu government in order to take care of the kumkis. These mahouts would provide initial handholding to Odisha’s local mahouts and get them acquainted with the kumkis.

“In light of the urgency and magnitude of human-elephant conflict in Odisha, I would request your prompt consideration of this proposal. Your support will significantly contribute to our ongoing conservation effort and prove instrumental in mitigating the wildlife conflicts in Odisha,” the letter read.

The state government’s decision to deploy kumkis assumed significance as Odisha was one of the states affected by human-elephant conflict last year, said experts.

As many as 794 elephants died in Odisha due to various reasons from 2013-14 to 2022-23, a government report said. In 2022-23, as many as 92 pachyderms died in the state, the sources said.

During the same period, 994 people were killed and 660 sustained injuries due to elephant attacks, they added. The highest toll of such victims was 148, recorded in 2022-23.

Similarly, crops standing over 33,822 acres had been damaged by elephants in the state during the decade that ended in 2022-23, according to the report.

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