Permission sought to bring kumkis to check human-elephant conflict (State of Tamil Nadu, India) A. Subburaj, The Times of India February 16, 2021 COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore forest division has sought permission from the chief wildlife warden to bring two kumki elephants to the Chadivayal elephant camp here to check man-animal conflict in the region. The forest department had set up the camp for kumki elephants at Chadivayal in 2012. Kumki elephants Nanjan and Pari were brought to the camp from Kozhikamuthi in Topslip in 2012. After Nanjan breathed his last in 2014, the department brought kumki Sujay from the Theppakadu elephant camp in 2015. But the elephants were not effective in kumki operations, officials said. They decided to send back Sujay, which was attacked by a wild elephant and Pari back to their former camps in 2017. In April 2018, kumki elephants Cheran and John were brought to the Chadivayal camp from Theppakadu. After realising that the elephants were not fit enough to chase away wild elephants from human habitations, they were sent back to Theppakadu the next year. In 2019, the department brought Suyambu and Venkatesh from the Kozhikamuthi camp. The elephants were used till September 2020. But as Suyambu was in musth for a long period and the mahout was not able to control the animal, the officials sent Suyambu to the Kozhikamuthi camp. They also sent back Venkatesh, which was losing weight. As the Chadivayal camp has no kumki elephants, forest department officials are tackling man-animal conflict with the help of anti-poaching and anti-depredation watchers, who burst crackers to send back elephants to the reserve forest. “We have sent a letter to the chief wildlife warden. We will bring two kumki elephants from Kozhikamuthi or Theppakadu camps once we get the order,” said a senior official. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/permission-sought-to-bring-kumkis-to-check-human-elephant-conflict/articleshow/80937397.cms