Tirupati: The Andhra Pradesh forest department is preparing to introduce radio collar technology to track wild elephant herds in Palamaner and Kuppam regions of Chittoor district, in its bid to curb the rising incidents of man-elephant conflict. For years, wild elephants have strayed into habitations, damaging crops and leaving farmers in distress. Forest officials estimate that nearly 100 elephants, split into four herds, currently roam the district. Some of these kumkis, brought from Karnataka and specially trained, are used to push back wild herds when they enter human settlements. According to Rakesh, tranquilising wild elephants to fix collars is not easy and requires kumki support.