23 jumbos jostle for space at Sakrebailu; some may shift to other camps

Shivamogga: The Sakrebailu elephant camp near Shivamogga is currently home to 23 elephants.

Of them, 10 to 13 are likely to be shifted to other camps in the state due to space constraints. 

Sources in the camp said they had space to accommodate only 13 elephants. But presently, they have almost double the capacity.

Camp officials have told the the committee formed to look into grievances of elephant camps in the state during its visit to Sakrebailu that they were not in a position to manage 23 elephants there.

It will be better if around 10 elephants are shifted to one of the other camps, they said. 

Prasanna Krishna Patgar, deputy conservator of forests, Shivamogga wildlife division, told DH that the number of elephants in the Shivamogga camp was more than its capacity.

“We have told the internal committee that we can ideally manage 13 to 15 elephants. The rise in the number of tuskers here is turning out to be a challenge for us. The jumbos are likely to be shifted to other camps in the state, including the one proposed in Chikkamagaluru district.”

He said, “We have over two acres of land in the camp, where 23 elephants are housed. It can’t be expanded due to the presence of private land and the Tunga river nearby. We can train them more effectively in the kraal if we have less number of elephants.”

Patgar said, of the 23 elephants, 17 are male and six are female, including two calves. 

There was a plan to set up another elephant camp at Hayhole near Shivamogga and relocate some elephants there from Sakrebailu. But it did not materialise.

Now, some trained elephants are likely to be shifted to the camp coming up in Chikkamagaluru district.

Trained elephants are used to capture or rescue other wild animals and address man-animal conflicts.