Kumkis to Give Ecotourism Push to The Elephant Camp Near Palamaner

TIRUPATI: Established to monitor and manage wild elephant movement along the Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border areas, Musalimadugu kumki elephant camp near Palamaner in Chittoor district is planned to be turned into an eco-tourism destination offering controlled access to the camp to visitors in the next two months.

Musalimadugu kumki camp is located about nine kilometers from Palamaner town, on the outskirts of Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary. AP’s Forest department had set up the camp to combat the increasing human-elephant conflict in mandals located on the edges of the forest. Herds of wild elephants frequently enter villages and farmlands in the region, damaging crops and attacking villagers, some of them fatal.

To counter these wild elephants, the AP government brought four trained kumki elephants from Mysore in Karnataka in November last year as per an agreement between the two neighboring states. Two local elephants joined the four kumkis in the camp, bringing the total number of elephants in the camp to six.

Forest officials said kumki elephants have been specially trained by elephant breeders to prevent herds of wild elephants from entering human habitats and return them to forests. Kumki elephants are conditioned to move in groups and respond to commands from experienced grooms in Karnataka. Kumkis and grooms, along with forest staff, check the movements of wild elephants and encourage them to return to the forest.

Musalimadugu camp initially attracted large crowds who wanted to watch the elephants and educational activities. However, the forest department later stopped public entry due to inadequate visitor facilities and crowd management issues. With the eco-tourism initiative now launched, the ministry has decided to reopen the camp to people on an orderly basis.

Chittoor district forest officer G. Subburaju said the department was working on a proposal to allow public access to the kumki elephant camp to promote environmental awareness and conservation and educate visitors about elephant training activities.

“The proposal will be implemented within a month. According to the plan, visitors may be allowed to stay in the camp for one hour each during the morning and evening sessions. The ministry has proposed an entry fee of ₹50 for adults and ₹30 for children.”

Work continues for the construction of internal roads, children’s playgrounds, drinking water facilities, canteen and toilet facilities in the area. Proposals have been made to set up a Nagaravanam opposite the camp at an estimated cost of ₹2 crore.

Officials said the elephants were housed in specially prepared enclosures with veterinary supervision, feeding facilities and bathing areas. Special grooms and caretakers supervise them at all hours of the day.