Bhubaneswar: Seven elephant calves that were rescued after being separated from their herds will undergo Kumki training in Chandaka Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
According to Chandaka DFO Sarat Behera, the process for training of the elephant calves at Kumarkhunti centre in the sanctuary has been started with their transportation from different places in Odisha.
Five calves – Kartika, Uma, Padma, Shyama and Shiba – from Kapilash in Dhenkanal district, Mama from Nandankanan Zoo near Bhubaneswar and Jagannath from Similipal South Jenabili will be brought to Kumarkhunti centre for training, he said.
While Mahouts of Odisha, Assam and Karnataka will be engaged to look after the calves, expert trainers will impart the Kumki training in their presence.
After being fully trained, the Kumki elephants will be engaged in forests to deal with poachers and timber mafia. Besides, they can also be used to carry the tourists on sight-seeing, Behera said.
