Pawan Kalyan's Kumki Elephant Deal Backfires, Becomes Costly Burden for Andhra

In a major embarrassment for Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, the four Kumki elephants gifted by the Karnataka government to Andhra Pradesh are reportedly unfit to perform Kumki operations.

It may be recalled that actor-politician Pawan Kalyan, who also serves as the Forest Minister of the state, had widely publicized his efforts in signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Karnataka government for the transfer of six Kumki elephants to Andhra Pradesh.

Kumki elephants are trained, captive elephants deployed to control or chase away wild elephants. They also assist in rescue operations and human-wildlife conflict situations.

Against the backdrop of rising man-animal conflicts in parts of Chittoor, Srikakulam, and Vizianagaram districts, Kumki elephants were urgently needed in Andhra Pradesh. Multiple reports of wild elephants running amok in agricultural fields and, at times, even trampling people, have raised serious concerns in recent years.

Subsequently, Karnataka gifted four of the six promised Kumki elephants to Andhra Pradesh in May this year. The partially trained elephants — Krishna (15), Abhimanyu (14), Ranjan (26), and Deva (38) — were sent to a special camp in Chittoor for further training.

However, it has now emerged that none of the four elephants has participated in a single Kumki operation in the past two months. Forest officials have reportedly claimed that the elephants are unfit to carry out such operations. According to reports, Deva is blind in one eye, while Ranjan is so agitated that even its mahout is unable to control it.

Moreover, forest officials have reportedly confirmed that the remaining two elephants are also incapable of conducting Kumki operations.

While the Karnataka government gifted the elephants, their upkeep can cost up to ₹1 crore per year. The Andhra Pradesh government is expected to bear an annual expense of ₹25 lakh for each Kumki elephant.

Pawan Kalyan’s overstatement and the forest officials’ negligence appear to have created a mammoth problem for Andhra Pradesh.