Approximately 857 Elephants Perished in Odisha Over the Past Decade: Minister
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Bhubaneswar, Dec 10 (NationPress) As many as 857 elephants perished for diverse reasons in Odisha from 2014-15 until the conclusion of November 2024.
The Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia, disclosed this information in the state Assembly on Tuesday.
While responding to an inquiry from BJP MLA Prasanta Kumar Jagadev, the forest minister stated that the highest number of elephants died due to various diseases during this period. A total of 305 jumbos succumbed to different ailments in the last decade and up to November this year.
SinghKhuntia also pointed out that natural factors such as sunstroke, interspecies conflict, and falling from cliffs contributed to the deaths of 229 elephants in Odisha's forests over the past ten years. Furthermore, 149 pachyderms lost their lives due to electrocution in the state from 2014-15 until November 2024.
Additionally, poachers were responsible for the death of 30 elephants, while the causes behind the death of 90 jumbos remain unknown. 36 jumbos were killed in train and road accidents during the last decade.
The Forest Minister also revealed that elephant censuses conducted in the state in May 2015, May 2017, May, and November 2024 recorded the presence of 1954, 1976, 2098, and 2103 elephants in the forests of Odisha, respectively.
Reports indicate that 26 individuals have recently been arrested in the state in connection with elephant deaths, while two forest guards and one forester have been suspended for negligence in their responsibilities.
Moreover, 668 people were killed due to elephant attacks across the state over the last three years, with 509 individuals sustaining serious injuries from human-elephant conflicts during this period.
The reports further highlighted that elephants killed 139 domestic animals and damaged 10,259 houses in the last three years in Odisha. The herds also destroyed crops on approximately 73,620 acres of land in the same timeframe.
