Goa, Karnataka to join hands to curb human-elephant conflicts, call on ‘Omkar’ in 14 days: Rane

Panaji, Sep 20 (PTI) Goa and Karnataka on Saturday agreed to adopt a collaborative approach to check human-elephant conflicts, said the coastal state’s Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane.

The minister also said that a decision to rehabilitate elephant ‘Omkar’, which has entered Goa and has been damaging crops, will be taken in the next two weeks.

Rane said he and his Karnataka counterpart Eshwar Khandre held a meeting in Panaji in the presence of senior forest officials from both states.

The meeting deliberated on strategies to mitigate man-elephant incidents and explored the possibility of a three-party agreement among Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, he said.

“The discussions focused on the need for a tripartite agreement aimed at building capacity and implementing coordinated strategies to mitigate human-elephant conflict across the region. Such collective action will strengthen our efforts towards ensuring safety for both communities and wildlife,” Rane said in a statement.

The minister said the immediate concern before the states was Omkar, the elephant that strayed into Goa’s Tamboxem village from Maharashtra and has been destroying crops for the past four days.

Attempts to drive the pachyderm back to its herd at Dodamarg in the neighbouring state have not succeeded, he said.

“As part of the deliberations, we have requested that Omkar be rehabilitated at a camp in Karnataka, where he can be given the care and environment he requires. The resolution is that this matter will be acted upon within the next 14 days,” Rane said.

He stressed that cooperation between states is vital to building a humane approach towards coexistence with wildlife. PTI RPS NR