Operation Jumbo to capture Wild Elephants 

Why in the news?

The Forest Department has resumed Operation Jumbo to capture trouble-causing wild elephants and fix radio collars in Hassan division of Karnataka.

What is Operation Jumbo?

• Operation Jumbo is a campaign launched by the Karnataka government to capture and radio-collar rogue wild elephants that frequently enter human habitations.
• It is effective in five districts of the state, namely Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Ramanagara, and Bengaluru. 
• The objective of this operation is to manage elephant movement and mitigate conflicts through continuous tracking using GPS-equipped radio collars, which have a battery life of three years.

Implementation of Operation Jumbo

• The cost of capturing and radio-collaring each wild elephant is approximately Rs 22 lakh, with Rs 7 lakh spent on each radio collar imported from South Africa.
• The operation involves a diverse team of 70-80 individuals, including forest officers, veterinarians, mahouts, and other support staff.
• It includes tasks such as surveillance, tracking, darting wild animals from the back of trained elephants, and securing the rescued tusker.

Elephants in India