Wildlife conservation should become a public movement: Pawan Kalyan

Visakhapantam : Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has said that elephants are symbols of India’s wildlife heritage. He said that they play a key role in the conservation of forests as well as in the ecological balance. He said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is giving top priority to the conservation of elephants in the country. He emphasized that special attention will be paid to ‘Project Elephant’. He explained that special attention has been paid to the protection of elephant corridors, strengthening ‘Project Elephant’ and monitoring with technology. World Elephant Day celebrations were held in Visakhapatnam today (Thursday). Union Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh, AP Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan and top officials of the Forest Department participated in this program held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Visakhapatnam. Pawan Kalyan spoke on the occasion.

132 to 142 wild elephants in AP: Pawan Kalyan revealed that there are about 132 to 142 wild elephants in Andhra Pradesh. He said that their protection is not only a matter of pride but also a responsibility. He said that cooperation between the forest departments of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka is ongoing to reduce human-elephant conflicts. He mentioned that Andhra Pradesh received four Kunki elephants with the cooperation of the Karnataka forest department. He explained that a special training center has been set up for them. He revealed that 15 human-elephant conflict control operations have already been conducted with the help of Kunki elephants. He said that with this, the loss of human lives due to elephants has been significantly reduced. He said that a special system has been set up to resolve human-wildlife conflicts in Andhra Pradesh.

One hundred special vehicles for wildlife protection: Pawan Kalyan revealed that one hundred special vehicles have been made available for wildlife protection. He said that more than 200 wildlife have been saved so far. He commented that their main goals are to provide timely warnings to farmers, provide modern equipment and training to forest personnel, and provide safe habitats for wildlife. He suggested that wildlife conservation is not the sole responsibility of the government.. and that conservation should be made a public movement by involving the people. He said that 21,450 school students participated in awareness programs organized across the country on elephant conservation. He said that they appreciate their enthusiasm and awareness. He said that there should be responsibility for development and conservation should be a goal. Pawan Kalyan stated that steps will be taken to keep wildlife safe.