Bengaluru: In a formal ceremony held this noon in front of Vidhana Soudha, the Karnataka Government handed over four tamed elephants to Andhra Pradesh as part of an inter-State agreement on wildlife management and conservation.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar officially handed over the elephants to Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, senior Forest Department officials, and other dignitaries were present at the event.

Of the four elephants, two are from the Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu and two from the Sakkarebailu Elephant Camp in Shivamogga.

This transfer is part of a larger agreement signed between Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala during the international conference on elephant-human conflict held in Bengaluru in August last year.

The agreement aims to foster cooperation in areas such as elephant capture operations, anti-poaching measures, and training of forest personnel.

On Aug. 8, 2023, during a visit to Bengaluru, Pawan Kalyan had requested Karnataka’s support in tackling poaching and enhancing the capabilities of Andhra Pradesh’s Forest Department. Following this, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed during a Karnataka delegation’s visit to Vijayawada on Sept. 27.

Today’s handover marks a key milestone in that agreement, as Karnataka formally transfers the trained elephants to aid Andhra Pradesh’s conservation efforts.