Sun May 18 14:05:24 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the provided text:
**Karnataka to Loan Trained Elephants to Andhra Pradesh to Combat Human-Elephant Conflict**
**Bengaluru, India – May 18, 2025** – In a collaborative effort to mitigate human-elephant conflict, the state of Karnataka will officially hand over trained “kumki” elephants to Andhra Pradesh on May 21st. The exchange is part of a broader agreement between Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala to share best practices in wildlife management, stemming from discussions during an international conference held in Bengaluru last year.
The official handover ceremony will take place at the Vidhana Soudha, with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar presenting the elephants to Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. Kalyan, who also oversees the Environment portfolio, initially requested assistance from Karnataka in August 2024, seeking eight kumki elephants and training for Andhra Pradesh forest staff. A mutual understanding agreement was signed between the two states in September 2024.
According to Karnataka Forest and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre, the move is strategically beneficial for both states. Kolar district in Karnataka, bordering Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district, has witnessed increased human-elephant conflict. By assisting Andhra Pradesh in managing wild elephant populations, Karnataka aims to prevent rogue elephants from crossing the border and exacerbating the conflict within its own territory. Khandre clarified that the kumki elephants used for the Jamboo Savari during Mysuru’s Dasara celebrations would not be part of this agreement.
First Piper 