AP Pushes Human - Wildlife Coexistence with Kumki Elephants, HANUMAN Project

Andhra Pradesh is strengthening its response to human–wildlife conflict by combining elephant conservation, trained Kumki elephants and dedicated rapid-response systems. Deputy Chief Minister and Forest and Environment Minister Pawan Kalyan said the government’s objective was to create conditions where people and wildlife can coexist safely, while ensuring farmers living near forests can pursue their livelihoods without fear.

Speaking at a national-level seminar in Visakhapatnam to mark World Elephant Day, Pawan Kalyan, along with Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh, outlined the state’s efforts to reduce human–elephant conflict and strengthen wildlife protection.

Pawan Kalyan said elephant herds had earlier created serious challenges in Andhra Pradesh’s agency areas, with groups of around 132 to 142 elephants damaging crops and threatening local communities. He said reducing such conflicts became a priority after he assumed charge of the Forest and Environment portfolios.

As part of the response, Andhra Pradesh brought four Kumki elephants from Karnataka with the neighbouring state’s cooperation. The specially trained animals have already assisted in 15 operations aimed at controlling aggressive elephants. Their deployment has helped reduce human fatalities in forest-border areas by 70%, while crop losses have also declined, Pawan Kalyan said.

The state is now developing its own Kumki-training capacity. A trained elephant named Jayanth has been deployed in the Parvathipuram Manyam region, with the government planning to train two Kumki elephants every year.

The minister also highlighted the HANUMAN project, launched in March 2026 as an integrated system for managing human–wildlife conflict through rapid response, technology and damage mitigation. The initiative includes 93 response vehicles and seven wildlife ambulances. More than 200 wild animals have been rescued so far, while over 30 have been relocated to safer habitats.

“Our objective is not to separate people and wildlife. True success lies in creating a future where both can safely coexist,” Pawan Kalyan said, stressing the need to protect farmers in forest-fringe areas.

He described elephants as vital to ecological balance and said India had expanded its elephant conservation centres from 26 to 33 since 2014. The country has also identified 150 elephant corridors, alongside efforts to strengthen Project Elephant and technology-based monitoring.

Pawan Kalyan thanked Siddaramaiah, D.K. Shivakumar and Eshwar Khandre for Karnataka’s cooperation in providing Kumki elephants to Andhra Pradesh.

At the event, Pawan Kalyan and Kirti Vardhan Singh released ‘Project Elephant: 30 Giant Steps’. An action plan for South India and wildlife science publications were also unveiled. A Kalamkari artwork was released, while painting competitions across 21,450 schools drew around 20 lakh students.

The ‘Gaja Gaurav’ award was presented to Odisha forest officer Jugal Nayak, who died while working on elephant conservation. Forest personnel who contributed to wildlife protection and rescue efforts were also honoured.