Overview

• Karnataka handed over four kumki elephants to Andhra Pradesh in a ceremonial event at Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru, on May 21, 2025.
• The transfer is part of a September 2024 Memorandum of Understanding between Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala to share best practices in wildlife management.
• The kumki elephants, trained to guide wild herds away from human settlements, aim to mitigate crop damage and human fatalities in Andhra Pradesh's conflict-prone districts.
• Two additional kumki elephants will be delivered later after completing health checks and training, ensuring their readiness for deployment.
• A new care center near Palamaner in Andhra Pradesh has been established to house the elephants, with Karnataka mahouts training local handlers for two months.