Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Friday, 25 July 2025, flagged off two trained Kumki elephants — Jayant and Abhimanyu — from his official residence in Mangalagiri, sending them to the Gutchimi camp in Parvathipuram-Manyam district to help contain escalating human-elephant conflict along the Odisha border. Kalyan, who also holds the forest and environment portfolio, welcomed the elephants with flowers and food before formally dispatching them.

The Relocation and What It Involves

The two Kumki elephants are being relocated from the elephant training centre at Musalamadugu, near Palamaner in Chittoor district, to the Gutchimi camp in Parvathipuram-Manyam. Kalyan directed forest department officials to ensure the animals' safety throughout the journey and instructed that, upon arrival, they be acclimatised to local environmental conditions under expert supervision.

According to officials, Jayant and Abhimanyu have previously played a key role in critical wildlife management operations in the Palamaneru and Chittoor regions, where they were effective in safely guiding wild elephant herds back into forest areas. Kumki elephants are specially trained captive elephants used to herd, guide, and — when necessary — assist in rescue and conflict mitigation operations involving wild elephants.

Scale of the Human-Elephant Conflict

Wild elephant herds have been frequently entering Parvathipuram-Manyam district from areas near the Odisha border, causing extensive damage to crops and property. At present, one herd of eight elephants is roaming near Karada village in Bobbili mandal of Vizianagaram district, while a separate herd of four elephants has been sighted near Ghanasara village in Bhamini mandal of Parvathipuram-Manyam district.

The toll has been severe. At least 13 people, including two elephant trackers, have lost their lives in elephant attacks in the region since 2017. Crops spanning nearly 3,600 acres — including paddy, banana, cocoa, oil palm, sugarcane, and vegetables — have been damaged. Tribal communities in the Parvathipuram and Seethampeta agency areas remain particularly vulnerable.

Government's Broader Strategy

Kalyan stated that the Kumki deployment is part of the coalition government's wider approach to balancing public safety, farmers' crop protection, and wildlife conservation through what he described as scientific and humane policies. This is not the first such intervention: in May last year, Andhra Pradesh brought four Kumki elephants from Karnataka to address similar straying incidents. Kalyan had also inaugurated the Kumki elephant training centre in Chittoor district in November.

What Comes Next

Forest department teams will monitor the acclimatisation of Jayant and Abhimanyu at the Gutchimi camp before deploying them in active conflict zones. With wild elephant movement from Odisha showing no signs of abating across both Vizianagaram and Parvathipuram-Manyam districts, officials are expected to step up patrolling and early-warning systems in parallel with the Kumki deployment.