Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Forest Department has introduced comprehensive facilities including kitchen, restaurant, night shelter, bathing area and a playing field for elephants at the Kumki Elephant Training Centre in Kumarkhunti, located within the Chandaka wildlife division near here.
Opened on March 6 this year, the centre now hosts six elephants, namely Mama, Chandu, Uma, Kartik, Master Jaga, and Shankar. These gentle giants are under the care of 13 mahouts and assistant mahouts from Odisha and Assam. The young pachyderms, separated from their herds, are undergoing training to assist in managing human-elephant conflicts by driving away wild herds from human habitations, officials said.
These elephants have been brought from various forest areas in Odisha, including Similipal and Kapilas, according to Sarat Chandra Behera, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Chandaka wildlife division. To ensure effective training of the elephants, the centre has established several specialised amenities including a restaurant with designated areas for each elephant, Somya Ranjan Beura, a forest officer of Chandaka wildlife division, said.
