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Tamil Nadu: This elephant took part in 99 rescue ops, now retires at 60
Kumki elephant 'Kaleem' from the Kozhikamutthi camp in the state's Anamalai Tiger Reserve was involved in 99 rescue operations.
A Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer shared an emotional post about the retirement of a 'Kumki' elephant at the age of 60. Supriya Sahu, who is the additional chief secretary for the state environment department, said that the elephant 'Kaleem' from the Kozhikamutthi camp in the state's Anamalai Tiger Reserve was involved in 99 rescue operations.
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As she attended the guard of honour ceremony for Kaleem, officer shared the video on Twitter and wrote, “Our eyes are wet and hearts are full with gratitude as Kaleem the iconic Kumki elephant of the Kozhiamuttthi elephant camp in Tamil Nadu retired today at the age of 60. Involved in 99 rescue operations he is a legend.”
Sharing photos from the ceremony, she said that for Mahout (elephant handler) Mani, Kaleem is like his elder brother. “It was my honour to witness the retirement ceremony, I will remember & cherish forever,” she wrote.
Kumki elephants are trained captive jumbos used in operations to capture wild elephants, as well as to rescue or treat injured or trapped wild elephants. The term 'Kumki' comes from the Persian word kumak, which means 'aid,' and is widely used by Mahouts.
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These elephants go through extensive training before they get the tag of 'Kumki,' and they are not the same as those found in Indian temples.
Several animal rights activists have appealed against this training system. In January, a petition was filed in the Kerala High Court challenging the recent capture of two wild elephants in Kerala's Palakkad and Wayanad districts. According to the petitioner, the captured wild elephants are being illegally trained to become Kumkis, which are captive pachyderms used in operations to trap and capture other elephants.
He claimed that elephant training was illegal in India and that the Kerala government order of 2018 allowing training of 'kumki' elephants was illegal.
"The state government has no administrative power for grant permission for any purpose under the Wildlife Protection Act. Such powers for the state government had been omitted by an amendment in 1982," the petition said.
The petition further claimed that not only training but also the use of 'Kumki' elephants is illegal as the training methods are cruel, and that these elephants are denied water and food in order to tame them.
(With PTI inputs)
