Relook into 'khedda' operation to tackle elephant menace: Shivakumar to officials

Acknowledging the challenges of reducing human-elephant conflict in a state like Karnataka with a huge expanse of elephant range, he called upon the forest department to ensure community participation for a win-win situation.

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar expressed concerns about human-elephant conflict (HEC) incidents, urged officials to involve community participation in conservation and urged them to "relook" at the banned khedda operations.

"I was showing a video clip to the chief minister (Siddaramaiah). In my village, adjacent to my house, more than 50 elephants were walking on the border of my house. My mother and family members stay there. We know the difficulty of the situation," he said at the International Conference on HEC Management.

He said Karnataka has the highest number of elephants in India. Acknowledging the challenges of reducing HEC in a state like Karnataka with a huge expanse of elephant range, he called upon the forest department to ensure community participation for a win-win situation.

"I remember that in my childhood days, I could see khedda in Bandipur and other places. It has been stopped. I think you will have to relook at that (khedda)," he said.

Khedda operations involved driving elephants towards deep ditches, which were camouflaged. The elephants, once fallen into the ditch, would be starved as part of a measure to tame them. Reports suggest that elephants sustained injuries in such operations.

The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 banned the khedda operations to protect elephants, which were recognised as endangered species.