Population of elephants rises in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The population of elephants in Odisha has risen to 2,098, an increase of 122 in the last seven years. The count was 1,976 during the last census conducted in 2017.

The Odisha Forest and Environment Department released the report by All Odisha Elephant Census-2024 here on Wednesday.

A significant increase in the number of elephants was noticed in a few divisions like Angul, Athagarh, Dhenkanal, Baripada, Chandaka, Khurda, Bonai and Keonjhar, while there was a decrease in Similipal North, Similipal South, Balasore, Rairangpur, Bolangir and Parlakhemundi forest divisions, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Wildlife, Susanta Nanda, said. A significant change in the movement pattern of elephants was noticed in Angul, Rourkela and Baripada circles, he said.

There has been a substantial increase in the population of tuskers, about 40 per cent, during the last seven years. This has resulted in a healthy ratio of adult males to females and also a significant number of young ones in the entire population, the PCCF said. He said the wild elephant deaths during the last five years have been within the range of 3 per cent to 4.5 per cent of the total population, the least during the last financial year of 2023-24. During the census, which was conducted from May 22 to 24, a total of 2,098 elephants, including 313 adult tuskers, 13 adult ‘makhnas’ (tuskless male elephants), 748 adult females, 148 sub-adult males, 282 sub-adult females, 209 juveniles and 385 calves were counted in 48 forest divisions across 28 districts, Nanda said. There were no elephants in 13 divisions, he said.

The three-day census exercise followed the traditional method of counting by direct sighting. A total of 1,214 ‘machans’ were constructed in 1,905 census units across the State. More than 5,700 people were engaged in the census exercise. Besides, wildlife enthusiasts, NGOs, research scholars, and academicians also participated in the census.