Bhubaneswar: Forest, Environment & Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia on Friday inaugurated the State’s first elephant training centre at Simelpadar in Kalahandi district, marking a new step in wildlife management and conservation efforts.
The facility has been established in the Karlapat region, a key elephant corridor in the state, with the aim of helping forest officials better manage elephant movement and address the growing challenges arising from human-elephant interactions.
The minister inaugurated the centre during his visit to Kalahandi as part of the state government’s programme marking two years of the BJP government in Odisha.
Officials said the region has witnessed frequent elephant movement and incidents of conflict in recent years. The training centre is expected to assist in monitoring elephant behaviour and developing strategies to reduce both human-elephant and elephant-elephant conflicts.
Speaking on the occasion, Khuntia said the facility would play an important role in wildlife conservation and help minimise conflicts involving wild elephants. He added that effective management of elephant corridors is essential for protecting both wildlife and local communities.
According to a report by Sambad, the minister also inaugurated a wildlife monitoring tower in the area to strengthen surveillance and improve protection measures for wild animals. The tower will help forest personnel keep track of wildlife movement and respond more effectively to potential threats.
Forest officials expressed hope that the new initiatives would contribute to better conservation outcomes in the Karlapat landscape, which remains one of the important habitats for elephants in the region.
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